MMO Updates

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• Wings Over Atreia: When egos attack!
• Otherland info collected in a single post
• XL lowers the curtain on ArcheAge CBT4, releases stats
• LotRO's Great River update flows today, patch notes released [Updated]
• MV Guide: March 12 - 18, 2012
• The Daily Grind: Should MMOs balance for PvP, PvE, or yes?
• MMO Week in Review: GDC 2012
• GDC 2012: Frogster shows off Eligium: The Chosen One
• EVE Evolved: CSM 7 candidate roundup
• GDC 2012: Publishing heavies weigh in on F2P conversions
• GDC 2012: Forty minutes with Derek Smart and Line of Defense

Wings Over Atreia: When egos attack! Posted: 12 Mar 2012 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Aion, Culture, PvP, Opinion, Wings Over Atreia The battle was fierce, both sides unleashing everything they had. Around the arena they danced, attacking, dodging, and slaying the occasional beast that interrupted the duel. Though caught by surprise that first time and making one critical mistake, the Cleric withstood the other attacks the Assassin was throwing at her. Fast and furious the blades would fly, but the Cleric held them off, counterattacking in-between heals. She even scored a kill on the Sin in the final round, but her opponent was still in the lead by a hair. The Sin jumped in and tried to shock the Cleric; she activated the shield to prevent a death blow from the poisoned blades. Then, in the last moments, a relic appears. Running to it, the Cleric grabs it moments before the battle ends, putting her score 50 points ahead -- a win right at the buzzer. "WTF?!?! Yer such a cheater...!!" The preceding vignette is a true story and sadly not the only one of its kind in Aion. I kindly left off the rest of the response received from the loser (this is a reputable site, after all, and we have standards), but I am pretty sure you all can fill in the blanks from your own experiences. It's the all-too-common phenomenon of OMG-I-can't-have-lost-unless-you-somehow-cheated! Prepare your rant-protection gear because I am about to let loose! This week, Wings Over Atreia explores the show that seems to be gaining popularity in Aion: When Egos Attack! Continue reading Wings Over Atreia: When egos attack! Wings Over Atreia: When egos attack! originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 12 Mar 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Otherland info collected in a single post Posted: 12 Mar 2012 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-fi, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Free-to-play, Otherland We got our first real glimpse of Otherland at last week's GDC, and if you're hungry for more info on the upcoming MMORPG from gamigo, a fansite called Otherland Net Feed has you covered. The Tad Williams-inspired title might be available as early as the third quarter of 2012, according to the site, and to whet your appetite the admin has collected just about every known game factoid in a single sprawling post. There is plenty of verbiage relating to the title's simulations (that's Otherland-speak for zones), as well as a ton of images from the game's different locales. There are several trailer embeds as well, and concise reviews of combat, crafting, questing, and travel. [Thanks to Travis for the tip!] Otherland info collected in a single post originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 12 Mar 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Otherland Net Feed

XL lowers the curtain on ArcheAge CBT4, releases stats Posted: 12 Mar 2012 08:30 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, ArcheAge, Sandbox ArcheAge's fourth Korean closed beta test is officially in the books, and XLGAMES has released a few noteworthy numbers from the three-month event. The test began on December 8th (that's a whopping 95 days ago if you're counting at home), and saw the creation of 173 guilds, 3,400 houses, and the planting of 2,200,000 trees. Players also bought (and sold) 130,000 livestock, 750,000 pine trees, and 660,000 strawberries according to Korean news site ThisIsGame. CBT4 featured over 40 patches which introduced several new systems to the ArcheAge client, among them siege warfare, the family system, the pirate system, and aquaculture. "We deeply appreciate the testers who participated [in] the long test of [an] incomplete game," said XL's Yong-Gon Kim. "Later schedule[s] [will] be announced as soon as we finish reviewing the test." Western fans are hoping these upcoming announcements will include some sort of English-speaking beta, but thus far XL has been silent on the matter. XL lowers the curtain on ArcheAge CBT4, releases stats originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 12 Mar 2012 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: ThisIsGame

LotRO's Great River update flows today, patch notes released [Updated] Posted: 12 Mar 2012 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Galleries, Screenshots, Lord of the Rings Online, Patches, PvP, Free-to-play Strike the tents and put out the campfires, Middle-earth adventurers, it's time to move on... north? That's right, Lord of the Rings Online is taking players on a journey back to an old familiar location -- Lothlorien forest -- as it releases Update 6: Shores of the Great River today. It's an absolutely massive content update for the game meant to span the gap between the Rise of Isengard and Riders of Rohan expansions. While players patch up and wait for the servers to come back online, there are patch notes and then some to be read. If you lack the hour or so it might take to really get into the notes, just know that the update's highlights include a brand-new high-level zone (The Great River), the next book of the epic story, the addition of Landscape Soldiers and a fleshed-out barter wallet, several major class updates (such as the Warden and Rune-keeper), an improved Instance Finder tool, and plenty of PvP improvements. Massively recently sat down with the developers to tour through the new content in Update 6. [Update: Added the trailer for the update after the jump!] Gallery: LotRO - Update 6: Shores of the Great River Continue reading LotRO's Great River update flows today, patch notes released [Updated] LotRO's Great River update flows today, patch notes released [Updated] originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 12 Mar 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Update 6 patch notes

MV Guide: March 12 - 18, 2012 Posted: 12 Mar 2012 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Video, Previews, Hands-on, Livestream, Miscellaneous, MV Guide MV Guide is a weekly rundown of the MMO gaming events planned on Massively TV. Every week, the Massively staff logs in to play various MMOs live and in person, and we'd love for you to drop by the channel and visit. We have a combination of regular weekly games and new surprises, so you'll find a variety of titles to take a look at. During our streamed events, you can participate in the live chat, ask questions to learn about the game, and simply spend some time with Massively staff and readers. (Of course, streaming is subject to the whims of outside forces like server-side gremlins once in a while.) Follow along after the jump to see what's on this week's schedule! Continue reading MV Guide: March 12 - 18, 2012 MV Guide: March 12 - 18, 2012 originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 12 Mar 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Daily Grind: Should MMOs balance for PvP, PvE, or yes? Posted: 12 Mar 2012 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Game mechanics, MMO industry, PvP, PvE, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous The original concept for Guild Wars is right there in the name: guild wars. There was no question that regardless of how much PvE content the game planned to feature, there'd be at least as much or more GvG content for the competitive folks. But as more and more skills were added to the game, the devs ran into serious balancing problems and began tweaking the skills so that the PvP meta was less affected by the powercreep slowly taking over PvE. Eventually, ArenaNet split the skills, giving some skills different effects depending on whether they were being used against players or monsters; some newer skills were designed to be PvE-only from the start. Do you think Guild Wars offers a pragmatic solution to the PvE/PvP balance problems that plague so many MMOs? Or do you think games should strive to balance their gameplay without creating skills (or gear) that do different things in different situations? 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! The Daily Grind: Should MMOs balance for PvP, PvE, or yes? originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 12 Mar 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

MMO Week in Review: GDC 2012 Posted: 11 Mar 2012 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: MMO industry, Massively Meta, Massively Event Coverage, Week in Review, Miscellaneous At the end of every week, we round up the best and most popular news stories, exclusive features, and insightful columns published on Massively and then present them all in one convenient place. If you missed a big MMO or WoW Insider story last week, you've come to the right post. This week, Massively sent four MMO experts to the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, California, so our usual Week in Review consists of a bit more than just the usual Star Wars: The Old Republic and World of Warcraft shenanigans! (Don't worry; it has those too.) Join us for a roundup of our best GDC coverage as well as the top non-GDC posts of the week. Maybe you'll see something you missed! Continue reading MMO Week in Review: GDC 2012 MMO Week in Review: GDC 2012 originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 11 Mar 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

GDC 2012: Frogster shows off Eligium: The Chosen One Posted: 11 Mar 2012 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Interviews, New titles, Opinion, Hands-on, Races, Massively Interviews, Massively Hands-on At GDC, there is much to see and do. And one of the best things to do (besides try to win a really cool fuzzy hat) is to actually experience a game through a demonstration or even some hands-on play. I had the opportunity to do just that with one of Frogster's upcoming games. No, not that one; the other one. Ellen-Jane Austin, Country Manager UK, and Marco Neubert, Director Product PR, took me on a brief tour of Eligium: The Chosen One. Although this game from Shanda Games Ltd. is pretty similar to other games in many respects, there are a few features that give it a unique flair, especially the virtue system, mounts, and my personal favorite, an ability to shape-change into a two-headed dragon! Continue reading GDC 2012: Frogster shows off Eligium: The Chosen One GDC 2012: Frogster shows off Eligium: The Chosen One originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 11 Mar 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

EVE Evolved: CSM 7 candidate roundup Posted: 11 Mar 2012 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Culture, Events, in-game, MMO industry, Endgame, Opinion, EVE Evolved, Guides, Sandbox EVE Online is unique among MMOs, and nowhere is this more evident than in the political struggles that take place every day in New Eden. Just this weekend, I spent long hours negotiating the surrender of a friend's wormhole starbase with an Elysian Empire diplomat, only to have his CEO overrule the decision because he wanted to get the killmail for blowing the starbase up. For EVE's more ambitious political machinists, perhaps the greatest challenge of all is to be part of the democratically elected Council of Stellar Management (CSM). The council functions as an advisory board to CCP and a mechanism through which players can get their views and ideas across to developers. Last year's CSM was instrumental in forcing CCP's hand and making the company refocus development on EVE Online. With this year's ambitious plans to revamp all ships and forms of PvP, and DUST 514 due for a summer release, the stakes for this year's council are even higher. Voting is now underway to select the team of players who will represent the EVE playerbase to CCP for the coming year. In this week's EVE Evolved, I round up all of this year's candidates to help you choose whom to vote for. Continue reading EVE Evolved: CSM 7 candidate roundup EVE Evolved: CSM 7 candidate roundup originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 11 Mar 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

GDC 2012: Publishing heavies weigh in on F2P conversions Posted: 11 Mar 2012 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Business models, Culture, Economy, Game mechanics, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play Like it or not, free-to-play is rapidly coming to dominate every corner of the gaming industry. While that's good on the surface, it also blurs the line between business and design, and it creates a lot of tension for both consumers and developers who are increasingly faced with the challenges inherent in separating monetary decisions from gameplay decisions. One of the more interesting GDC 2012 round-tables featured Sony Online Entertainment executive producer Dave Georgeson, NCSoft publishing director Steve Levy, Perfect World VP John Young, GamersFirst monetization director Joe Willmon, and Digi-Capital Limited managing director Tim Merel, all of whom convened for a mind-meld on successfully migrating subscription games to F2P. As you would expect, the panel was heavy on business-speak, but it also featured plenty of insight into the pricing phenomenon that has become the rule rather than the exception. Continue reading GDC 2012: Publishing heavies weigh in on F2P conversions GDC 2012: Publishing heavies weigh in on F2P conversions originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 11 Mar 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

GDC 2012: Forty minutes with Derek Smart and Line of Defense Posted: 11 Mar 2012 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Game mechanics, Interviews, MMO industry, New titles, PvP, News items, Free-to-play, MMOFPS "I didn't want to make another Derek Smart game because usually when you mention 'Derek Smart' and 'game', gamers tend to run in the opposite direction," Smart told us when we asked about Line of Defense. That's quite a candid intro, and it set the stage for an interesting 40-minute interview that featured plenty of insights into 3000AD's latest offering. Smart, of course, has something of a notorious reputation in the online community, and while we won't go into that here, it is worth noting that he's focusing on the work and letting his game do the talking. Continue reading GDC 2012: Forty minutes with Derek Smart and Line of Defense GDC 2012: Forty minutes with Derek Smart and Line of Defense originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 11 Mar 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

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