MMO Updates |
- New DDO trailer goes behind the scenes on Underdark expansion
- Enter at Your Own Rift: Fishin' and survivin'
- THQ executive explains WAR40K's new non-MMO direction
- PAX East 2012: Exploring the dark corners of The Secret World
- Entropia Universe brings recruiting app to Facebook
- Storybricks video reveals UI, gameplay, zombified NPC
- The Daily Grind: How would you improve tutorials?
- The Soapbox: If you want to sell special items, just do it already
- Cryptic answers Champions Online Questionite questions in latest dev blog
- Star Wars: The Old Republic's patch 1.2 goes live April 12th
- TERA announces open beta and head start schedules
- Massively Speaking Episode 196: Tales from PAX East
- En Masse adding dungeon finder to TERA
- Hyperspace Beacon: Holocron Files -- Chiss
- Flameseeker Chronicles: Line of succession
| New DDO trailer goes behind the scenes on Underdark expansion Posted: 11 Apr 2012 10:30 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Dungeons and Dragons Online, Expansions, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Patches, News items, Free-to-play  The clip features producer Fernando Paiz, who calls the expansion the largest content push in the game's six-year history. Since the expansion is delving into a new IP (the Forgotten Realms, as opposed to DDO's original Eberron setting), the devs have had to adjust their thinking in terms of both content and art direction. Turbine's Jeff De Puy says that "almost all the monsters we're creating for Forgotten Realms are epically large and big." How epically large and big? You'll have to click past the cut and view the video to find out. Continue reading New DDO trailer goes behind the scenes on Underdark expansion
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| Enter at Your Own Rift: Fishin' and survivin' Posted: 11 Apr 2012 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, Previews, Opinion, Hands-on, RIFT, Enter at Your Own Rift, Crafting  With Update 1.8, RIFT will add two new skills to the game: fishing and survival. Non-combat activities have already been introduced in past updates, like the wedding instance, but these two new skills look to be fun games within the game, so I was eager to check things out. Join me as I don some hip-waders, pack up some flint, and head to PTS for a peek at fishing, survival, and a quick peek at the looking-for-guild tool. Continue reading Enter at Your Own Rift: Fishin' and survivin'
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| THQ executive explains WAR40K's new non-MMO direction Posted: 11 Apr 2012 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Warhammer 40k  You'll recall that late last month, THQ announced that DMO would shed its MMO skin and reinvent itself as a single-player title. Bilson says that much of what makes the game unique will remain intact, and most importantly, WAR40K "is still sitting with the people who invented it five years ago, and honestly, they are incredibly excited about the new direction." While you wouldn't expect anything less than positive spin from a bigwig whose company has seen better days, the interview still manages to make the new title sound pretty intriguing. "If you liked Space Marine, you're gonna love this thing. It's much deeper. Space Marine was designed as a console experience. This one has tremendous multiplayer gameplay, and there is a lot going on in this game that's spectacular," Bilson says.
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| PAX East 2012: Exploring the dark corners of The Secret World Posted: 11 Apr 2012 08:30 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Horror, Previews, Opinion, Hands-on, The Secret World, Massively Hands-on, Massively Event Coverage  Of course, many people are hesitant about the title. Between The Secret World's subscription-cum-microtransactions business model and Funcom's track record of poor launches and bug-laden games, some gamers are finding themselves hesitant to get hyped up for the game's June 19th launch. Of course, I'd be lying if I said I weren't at least a bit cautious myself, regardless of my enthusiasm for the game. So how is the game shaping up? Well, sit down, grab yourself a drink, and let me tell you what I think. Continue reading PAX East 2012: Exploring the dark corners of The Secret World
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| Entropia Universe brings recruiting app to Facebook Posted: 11 Apr 2012 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-fi, Entropia Universe, Game mechanics, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play  MMO recruitment drives are nothing new, but the kicker here is that the potential recruits can experience a slice of Entropia via their Facebook account. MindArk is using a software app called Bamboo to connect the MMO and Facebook portions of Entropia. Bamboo "turns your players into a highly-motivated marketing army," according to the app's website. "Bamboo users become ambassadors. They earn points for promoting your game through their social network. Every action is incentivized." MindArk says that the Entropia atmosphere has been ported to the Facebook app via its UI, graphics, and lore. New users can also add to said lore via their own unique plots. [Source: MindArk press release]
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| Storybricks video reveals UI, gameplay, zombified NPC Posted: 11 Apr 2012 07:30 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Dev Diaries, Sandbox  Today we get to actually see the game in action courtesy of the newest video dev diary. Storybricks CEO Rodolfo Rosini walks us through eight minutes of gameplay complete with a look at the UI, a small story instance, and some of the options available for customizing NPC action and motivation. Storybricks looks to break the traditional kill-10-rats MMO quest paradigm. The video clip shows us how with multiple NPC actions, behaviors, and customizable flavor text (not to mention a zombie ability, which Rosini describes as "very important."). He also says the footage is "pre-pre-alpha," but it's pretty exciting nonetheless. See for yourself after the break. [Thanks to John for the tip!] Continue reading Storybricks video reveals UI, gameplay, zombified NPC
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| The Daily Grind: How would you improve tutorials? Posted: 11 Apr 2012 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous  Keep in mind that MMO tutorials can and should be aimed at two different demographics: those who have never played online RPGs before and those who are experienced genre vets who are giving this game a go. Introducing a newcomer to the genre in such a way that he or she is not scared off is trickier than you might suspect, especially in the era of Angry Birds accessibility. What could be done to ease new players into the games? How could tutorials better transmit the information that you truly need and skip the stuff that you don't? Let's brainstorm today! No idea is too silly, except for the sixth, 20th, and 41st comments. Those are just wack.  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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| The Soapbox: If you want to sell special items, just do it already Posted: 10 Apr 2012 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Business models, MMO industry, Opinion, Free-to-play, The Soapbox, Miscellaneous  I've argued before about the merits of being an honest cash-shop salesperson. You have to be upfront, blunt, and willing to take some heat. Bigpoint is one of my favorite examples of a cash-shop dependent developer simply because it says what it means and means what it says. It sells items, sometimes powerful items, in several different titles. Granted, the studio usually offers a way to get those same items through in-game means, but that doesn't make for as good a story. We reported on Bigpoint a while ago when its reps essentially said that if a developer is going to make an effort to sell in-game items, it should do it the right way by making those items have a significant impact on the game by being either powerful or desirable. I cannot agree more. Bigpoint is a car lot that sells beautiful luxury automobiles. It also sells junkers and even gives out a lot of cars for free, but its charity once again does not make for a good dramatic write-up. I tend to think that if you you are going to make a cash-shop, depending on the style of game, of course, you as a developer have got to consider just what sort of impact you want that cash-shop to have on your players, and you can't be afraid to push your idea from the beginning. But just get on with it. Continue reading The Soapbox: If you want to sell special items, just do it already
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| Cryptic answers Champions Online Questionite questions in latest dev blog Posted: 10 Apr 2012 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Super-hero, Previews, News items, Free-to-play, Champions Online  Unobtainium? Forget it. Vibranium? Old hat. Eludium? So passé. Champions Online's next update, Champions On Alert, will introduce a new element that will put the absurd naming convention of all these fictional substances to shame. The element in question is known as Questionite, and it will be the latest in-game currency available to CO players. The new currency will be used to procure "high level gear, Top Tier Costume Pieces and other special items like Travel Power Skins." The newest Champions Online dev blog addresses some common question(ite)s pertaining to the new currency. Questionite can be acquired through a variety of in-game methods, all of which are listed on the blog. The substance can also be bought from other players in exchange for Cryptic points (and of course, this also means that players can sell their Questionite to other players for Cryptic Points), which provides players who don't want to part with their hard-earned real-world cash an avenue through which to acquire C-Store exclusive items. It's certainly an interesting system, to say the least, so Champions players would do well to head on over to the official blog post and check out the full details.
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| Star Wars: The Old Republic's patch 1.2 goes live April 12th Posted: 10 Apr 2012 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Patches, News items, Star Wars: The Old Republic  It's almost time for Star Wars: The Old Republic players to begin forging their legacies. BioWare announced today that the game's patch 1.2: Legacy update will be hitting the live servers this Thursday, April 12th, which will certainly come as welcome news to fans of the title. In addition to the next steps of the game's Legacy system, which our own Larry Everett has covered previously, the patch will also be bringing a wealth of new content for PvE and PvP players alike. For the former crowd, BioWare is adding a new Flashpoint known as The Lost Island and the new Explosive Conflict Operation. Players in the latter camp will be able to get their player-vs.-player jollies in the new Novare Coast Warzone, which pits Empire against Republic in a capture-and-control gametype. And of course, players of all playstyles will finally be able to tweak and customize their UIs as it suits their playstyles. For the full details on the upcoming patch and its corresponding maintenance, just head on over to the official site.
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| TERA announces open beta and head start schedules Posted: 10 Apr 2012 02:30 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Launches, News items, TERA  TERA's May 1st launch date is just around the corner, and we all know what that means: open beta testing and head start events ahoy! En Masse Entertainment has released a full schedule for the events leading up to the game's launch, so players can go ahead and plan when to call in sick to work. Players who have pre-ordered the game will be able to log in between April 13th and April 17th in order to create their first characters, thereby ensuring that they get the names they want. The game's open beta test will begin shortly after, and pre-order customers will once again get a one-day jump on the competition as they will be able to log in beginning on April 19th. On April 20th, the beta will open to the public, and it will run for three days until April 23rd. And finally, pre-order customers will get one final head start on April 28th, allowing them three days to explore the world of Arborea before the floodgates open to everyone on May 1st. So hone your blades, string your bows, and ready your spells, Arboreans. We'll see you on the other side.
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| Massively Speaking Episode 196: Tales from PAX East Posted: 10 Apr 2012 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Podcasts, Events, real-world, MMO industry, Massively Meta, The Secret World, Humor, Massively Speaking, Miscellaneous  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 196: Tales from PAX East
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| En Masse adding dungeon finder to TERA Posted: 10 Apr 2012 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, TERA, Dungeons  En Masse says that in addition to the standard group-making functionality, its version of the dungeon finder will give players "significant bonuses for grouping, and even send [them] extra rewards when the last boss falls." TERA's dungeon loot drops have also been increased across the board, in some cases up to double and triple the rates from past beta weekends. Hit up the official site for more details, including a comprehensive list of the game's dungeons.
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| Hyperspace Beacon: Holocron Files -- Chiss Posted: 10 Apr 2012 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Classes, Culture, Lore, Races, Roleplaying, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Hyperspace Beacon  The Holocron Files are designed to lay the cultural foundation for some of SWTOR's species. From the horned Zabrak to the red-skinned Sith Pureblood, each Star Wars species has a rich history and backstory. Thankfully, BioWare kept that in mind when considering which species you could play. In honor of my newest character, it's only fitting that we discuss the Chiss this week. Continue reading Hyperspace Beacon: Holocron Files -- Chiss
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| Flameseeker Chronicles: Line of succession Posted: 10 Apr 2012 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Guild Wars, Opinion, Guild Wars 2, Flameseeker Chronicles  One of the most frequent questions that pops up in the discussion of Guild Wars 2 anticipation is whether or not it's worth it for incoming players to take a spin through the original campaigns and expansion to pass the time. This is mostly tied in with discussion about the Hall of Monuments account rewards. In my opinion, the HoM rewards should be the least compelling reason to start a play-through, although it's still a good reason; even some members of our staff are haphazardly trying to find time to wade back through the stories before release. But considering everything in ArenaNet's design philosophy, we know the HoM rewards are unlikely to offer a statistical advantage, so they should be little more than a perk. Moreover, most of their value, it seems to me, should be from what they represent, which is both time spent in-game (forging that emotional connection) actually earning the reward points and the references some of them make to the original game. I still remember my first Stygian Reaver in GW, and that is why I'm looking forward to wielding one in Guild Wars 2. Continue reading Flameseeker Chronicles: Line of succession
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