MMO Updates |
- BioWare announces free SWTOR weekend pass
- The Soapbox: The inevitable Mass Effect MMO
- Massively's hands-on with Star Wars: The Old Republic Update 1.2
- Guild Wars 2 pre-purchase details announced
- The Daily Grind: What was your favorite GDC 2012 reveal?
- Lord of the Rings Online developer blog on shaping the newest story
- Not So Massively: Diablo III shows signs of release
- Join the RaiderZ alpha test with a key from Massively!
- Massively Exclusive: Make your nation proud with Wakfu's newest dev diary
- Captain's Log: The 2800 -- Boldly they rode into the sunset
- Leaderboard: DUST 514 vs. PlanetSide 2
- Clone Wars Adventures hits 10 million player milestone
- ArenaNet thanks potential beta testers with new Guild Wars 2 video
- EVE's Crucible 1.5 patch hits tomorrow, brings new launcher
| BioWare announces free SWTOR weekend pass Posted: 13 Mar 2012 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Events, in-game, MMO industry, News items, Star Wars: The Old Republic  The trial includes all eight classes, their starter planets and faction capitals, and PvP warzones and low-level flashpoints. The event kicks off at 1:01 a.m. EDT on Thursday, and it wraps up at 3:00 a.m. EDT on Monday, March 19th. [Source: BioWare press release]
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| The Soapbox: The inevitable Mass Effect MMO Posted: 13 Mar 2012 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Opinion, The Soapbox, Sandbox  I don't know about you, but I've yet to play Mass Effect 3. This is not by choice, mind you, and now that I've returned from the wilds of last week's GDC, it's time to settle in for another 30-hour tour with Shepard and company. What does this have to do with MMOs? Well, nothing really, except that BioWare hasn't exactly closed the door on a Mass Effect title. On the contrary, the company's dynamic doctor duo have hinted at the fact that this, ahem, theoretical game would need to be somewhat different from the firm's maiden MMO voyage. At this point I think an ME MMO is inevitable, so join me after the cut to discuss whether BioWare can really break the mold with its second effort as well as what that effort could look like. Continue reading The Soapbox: The inevitable Mass Effect MMO
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| Massively's hands-on with Star Wars: The Old Republic Update 1.2 Posted: 13 Mar 2012 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Events, real-world, Patches, Previews, PvP, Endgame, PvE, Opinion, Hands-on, Massively Hands-on, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Dungeons  During the recent Guild Summit, while the guild leaders and fan site press were shuttled off, the press made its way to BioWare studios to try out the new content in Update 1.2. Each member was given his or her station to tool around with. Immediately, I noticed that the two Bounty Hunters in the character selection screen wore armor I had never seen before: Black Hole armor and War Hero armor. We were about to step into the new flashpoint called the Lost Island as well as the new Novare Coast warzone. Continue reading Massively's hands-on with Star Wars: The Old Republic Update 1.2
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| Guild Wars 2 pre-purchase details announced Posted: 13 Mar 2012 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, News items, Guild Wars 2  From April 10th onward, pre-purchasers of any of the editions (Collector's, Digital Deluxe, or Standard) will be guaranteed access into beta weekend events and a three-day head start for launch, which is awesome if you want to reserve a cool name so you're not stuck with being xLegolasXx. An additional benefit to any pre-purchase is the somewhat mysterious Hero's Band, which will apparently give characters a variety of power boosts to speed them on their way. The Collector's Edition is going to cost you $149.99, but ArenaNet certainly seems to be providing bang for your buck: a 10-inch statue of the iconic Rytlock Brimstone and his sword Sohothin, a custom frame with five Guild Wars 2 art prints, a book on the making of Guild Wars 2, a soundtrack CD, and five in-game items (including a mini Rytlock), all of which should make this a pretty tempting order for super fans of the game. The Digital Deluxe pre-purchase is only going to run you $79.99, and the Standard Edition will be $59.99 -- again, any three of those will secure you the Hero's Band, a place in beta events, and a three-day head start. Pre-ordering Guild Wars 2 from select retailers will reserve you a copy of the game at launch and entitle you to a one-day head start. [Source: NCsoft press release]
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| The Daily Grind: What was your favorite GDC 2012 reveal? Posted: 13 Mar 2012 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Events, real-world, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous  In addition to the demos and interviews, Massively also sat in on a couple of developer panels, and we managed to take a breather each morning to collect our thoughts via some impromptu podcast sessions. We also enjoyed some hands-on time with Funcom's hush hush The Secret World title, but unfortunately we can't tell you about that until March 15th. Today's Daily Grind is all about last week's convention, and the traditional question goes something like this: Which bit of GDC news was your favorite?  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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| Lord of the Rings Online developer blog on shaping the newest story Posted: 12 Mar 2012 07:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Patches, News items, Free-to-play  Aside from laying out the basics of what players will be doing on the shores of the river, the entry also explains why this installment of the story is sending players via the river rather than the west when the last story put them on the wrong side of the Misty Mountains. The entry explains that it's all about the shape of the story -- sending players ahead to Rohan from the wrong side would lead to all sorts of unpleasantly early victories and make things a lot less interesting. It should be an enlightening look at the upcoming installment of the story, even if it won't ameliorate some grumbles at the amount of travel involved.
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| Not So Massively: Diablo III shows signs of release Posted: 12 Mar 2012 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Video, Events, real-world, Launches, New titles, Patches, News items, Free-to-play, Dev Diaries, Not So Massively, MOBA, League of Legends, Diablo III  It's been a slow week for news in the MOBA world, with developers pulling out all the stops for GDC 2012 and planning for upcoming events at PAX East 2012 and beyond. This week League of Legends announced that several of the game's classic skins will soon be retired and are available temporarily for a 75% discount. Riot Games detailed plans for its upcoming events at PAX East, and the IntelEM tournament finals went off without a hitch. The latest Dota 2 patch added a new passive bot difficulty mode that forces bots to stay in their lanes and introduced a series of balance tweaks. Continue reading Not So Massively: Diablo III shows signs of release
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| Join the RaiderZ alpha test with a key from Massively! Posted: 12 Mar 2012 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Contests, New titles, Free-to-play, Giveaways  Starting today, we're giving away 5,000 keys to get you guaranteed access to RaiderZ's alpha and beta testing. The alpha starts this Wednesday, March 14th, so you won't be able to get in before then, but the keys will be available until they're all gone. In addition to this exclusive guaranteed access, these keys grant each recipient a special exclusive yellow wolf mount (shown above), available in the closed beta test. Just click the link below to access the giveaway page, head over to the official RaiderZ website to register or log-in with your Perfect World account, enter your alpha key, and bam, you're all set. You will be notified by email when the client is ready to download. 
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| Massively Exclusive: Make your nation proud with Wakfu's newest dev diary Posted: 12 Mar 2012 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Game mechanics, News items, Free-to-play, Dev Diaries  Now that Ankama Games' tactical MMORPG Wakfu is live and operational, it's probably about time for players to start getting familiar with the World of Twelve. Thankfully, the fine folks over at Ankama have provided us with a brand-new dev diary to help players to wrap their heads around the nations and territories of Wakfu. For the uninitiated, the World of Twelve is the shared universe of Wakfu and its predecessor, Dofus. Lots has happened in the World of Twelve since the time of Dofus, however. Most importantly, a daft ogre by the name of Ogrest (presumably the older brother of Ogre and Ogrer) gathered the six primordial Dofus and used their overwhelming power to devastate the world, drowning all but seven major island nations beneath the sea. It's up to players to run these remaining nations and restore the World of Twelve to its former power. Of course, it can't all be sunshine and butterflies between the seven nations; we need a reason to kill each other! Aside from the seven main islands, there are also a number of smaller islands that contain valuable -- and sometimes exclusive -- resources. The seven nations, of course, all want to claim these precious goods for their own. Players will have to represent their nations in the battle for these minor, resource-rich islands in order to bring prosperity and bragging rights to their respective homelands. So there you have it, Wakfuians (that's totally a word, we promise). Now click past the cut for the full dev diary video, then get out there and make your countries proud! Continue reading Massively Exclusive: Make your nation proud with Wakfu's newest dev diary
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| Captain's Log: The 2800 -- Boldly they rode into the sunset Posted: 12 Mar 2012 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Previews, Opinion, Star Trek Online, Free-to-play, Captain's Log  This is what happens when you look forward to something for a long time and then it's over. It's that satiated-yet-melancholy knowledge that sits in your gut and you're able to smile and frown at the same time. Star Trek Online released the finale to The 2800 featured series with Boldly They Rode on Saturday, March 10th. Deep Space Nine is once again firmly in the hands of the Federation, thanks to the Klingon Empire, a suspiciously eager to help Changeling and her Vorta subordinates as well as a critical appearance from a new ship with a familiar name. Come join me while I recap the events of the episode! Continue reading Captain's Log: The 2800 -- Boldly they rode into the sunset
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| Leaderboard: DUST 514 vs. PlanetSide 2 Posted: 12 Mar 2012 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Polls, Culture, Opinion, MMOFPS, DUST 514, Miscellaneous, PlanetSide 2, Leaderboard  We recently got a closer look at both of these games at GDC, and it's safe to say that not only do they each come from experienced pedigree -- CCP and SOE -- but they're both highly anticipated by trigger-finger monitor mercenaries. But we all know the sacred rule of MMOs, which is that there can only ever be one. There can only be one victor and one success -- and all the rest are doomed to languish in whatever the virtual equivalent of a compost heap is. So tell us true right now: Which will be more successful, DUST 514 or PlanetSide 2? Register your vote so that you'll be able to come back, months from now, and use this as proof that you knew better than all of the other fools out there! Continue reading Leaderboard: DUST 514 vs. PlanetSide 2
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| Clone Wars Adventures hits 10 million player milestone Posted: 12 Mar 2012 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play, Family, Clone Wars Adventures  The Force is strong with Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures -- about 10 million strong, in fact. In a press release today, Sony Online Entertainment announced that its free-to-play, family-friendly Star Wars title has reached 10 million registered players. The studio also includes a list of interesting statistics, such as the number of stages of gameplay available to players (584) and the number of trophies available to earn (96), but really, only one statistic matters. That statistic is this: Players of Clone Wars Adventures' Stunt Gungan minigame have collectively launched Jar Jar Binks over 4.5 billion meters. For reference, that means players have effectively bounced Jar Jar to the moon and back seven times. Let's have a round of applause for these unsung heroes, shall we? But hey, CWA players: Next time, aim for the sun. [Source: Sony Online Entertainment press release]
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| ArenaNet thanks potential beta testers with new Guild Wars 2 video Posted: 12 Mar 2012 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, News items, Guild Wars 2  Last month, the folks at ArenaNet had a field day with the Guild Wars 2 beta sign-ups, which garnered one million player sign-ups in the span of just over two days. Unfortunately, the beta is limited by the amount of available space, and not everyone who signed up will have the pleasure of vacationing in Tyria. With that in mind, the fine ladies and gentlemen at ArenaNet have released a brand-new video featuring exclusive footage to show their appreciation for the overwhelming interest in GW2. Any players interested in watching the full video will have to go to the title's Facebook page and Like it before being given access to the short trailer, but we think it may be worth it for the Guild Wars 2 junkies who just can't wait for the next release.
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| EVE's Crucible 1.5 patch hits tomorrow, brings new launcher Posted: 12 Mar 2012 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Expansions, Patches, News items, Sandbox  The new launcher will go live tomorrow with the Crucible 1.5 update, but it's not the only thing getting some much-needed attention in the patch. All of the rookie ships have been visually revamped, three new 2/10 DED complexes have been added for newer highsec explorers, and the overview will now be more responsive. The patch also brings a whole host of user interface changes and bug fixes.
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