MMO Updates |
- MMObility: Dark Legends' cash shop, Thinix, and Parallel Mafia's launch
- XLGAMES teases ArcheAge soundtrack download
- Chinese publisher The9 restructuring, cutting staff
- Aeria Games launches Crystal Saga and Roll n Rock in North America
- TERA's High Elves strut their stuff in a high-octane video
- The Daily Grind: What will be the next big thing for MMOs?
- The MMO Report: Big news edition
- Ask Massively: These are not Firefall beta impressions edition
- The Summoner's Guidebook: Upping my kill-death ratio
- TERA recaps PAX East and a week of reveals with new video
- Pathfinder Online developer blog outlines the path of production
- Dark Legends aims to make your vampire sparkle with a weapon giveaway
- Luck awaits Free Realms and Clone Wars Adventures on Friday the 13th
- Wizard101 throws massive mount sale
- SWTOR launches the legacy patch, new operation video, and rewards for loyalists
- ArenaNet releases a sneak peek of The Making of Guild Wars 2
- City of Heroes Issue 23 to open Night Ward zone, end Praetorian War
- Golf MMO Pangya United celebrates three years with item giveaway
- Jagex announces Transformers Universe plans for BotCon 2012, includes sneak-peek and name reservations
- World of Tanks celebrates its first year
- The Guild Counsel: What the WoW speed dating video really tells us about gaming
| MMObility: Dark Legends' cash shop, Thinix, and Parallel Mafia's launch Posted: 13 Apr 2012 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Horror, Video, Game mechanics, Launches, New titles, Previews, Opinion, Free-to-play, Browser, Mobile, Casual, Crime, Humor, Miscellaneous, MMObility  I played through Dark Legends on launch night and was able to complete an entire campaign with some energy left over. Sure, I had to pause once to refill a couple of bars (they take five minutes each to refill), but other than that, I had no issues with it. If the energy becomes an issue at later levels, I do not know. Let's not confuse things here: The energy mechanic in Dark Legends is nothing new, it's not a scam, and it does not force players to do anything. Allow me to explain, then we're moving on to other mobile MMO news. Continue reading MMObility: Dark Legends' cash shop, Thinix, and Parallel Mafia's launch
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| XLGAMES teases ArcheAge soundtrack download Posted: 13 Apr 2012 09:30 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, MMO industry, New titles, News items, ArcheAge, Sandbox  ArcheAge's official Korean website has made nine tracks available for your downloading pleasure, including several of the game's racial themes as well as the music from a few different in-game locales. A helpful chap on the ArcheAge Source forums has posted translations for all the track titles, and while this certainly isn't all of the music available in XLGAMES' sprawling fantasy epic, it may just tide you over for a bit.
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| Chinese publisher The9 restructuring, cutting staff Posted: 13 Apr 2012 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Business models, Economy, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play, Miscellaneous  You might remember The9 as Blizzard's former publishing partner for the Chinese version of World of Warcraft. The company also invested heavily in Red 5 Studios and its upcoming Firefall shooter, and it will be publishing Sony Online Entertainment's PlanetSide 2 in China when the MMOFPS sequel ships. Develop reports that rumors of The9 cutting half of its workforce were exaggerated, but the firm is nonetheless downsizing. "We are optimizing operations programs and the relevant human-relations structures, and this optimization to increase the efficiency of the company is a necessary adjustment," the company said in a prepared statement.
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| Aeria Games launches Crystal Saga and Roll n Rock in North America Posted: 13 Apr 2012 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, Launches, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Free-to-play, Browser, Casual  Crystal Saga is an open-world game built for competitive PvP. There are five different PvP modes plus an array of traditional fantasy classes like the Rogue, Priest, and Mage. The game also allows players to tame a variety of pets, unlock special soul abilities, and "equip their character with elaborate wings." For an in-depth look at Crystal Saga, check out our impressions in Rise and Shiny. Roll n Rock is an altogether different experience. For one thing, the title features a huge number of clothing and customization options. In fact, Aeria says that no two characters will ever look alike. For another, "players will find a fully-realized world of weddings, malls, game halls, and more," according to a company press release. Roll n Rock also boasts multiplayer puzzles, quests, guilds, crafting, and combat. More info on both titles is available via the links below. [Source: Aeria Games press release]
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| TERA's High Elves strut their stuff in a high-octane video Posted: 13 Apr 2012 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Races, TERA  Once a conquering nation that operated under the name of the Children of Karas, the High Elves suffered a humiliating downfall and subsequently re-emerged as a force for good. While their aid to the good people of the world is welcome, they're not quite trusted as of yet. High Elves receive four unique racials: They can teleport to their home city, refill their mana, regenerate mana upon resurrection, and can gather alchemy resources quickly. Check out the video after the jump and let us know if you'll be rolling a High Elf upon launch! Continue reading TERA's High Elves strut their stuff in a high-octane video
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| The Daily Grind: What will be the next big thing for MMOs? Posted: 13 Apr 2012 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous  When people got sick of fantasy, it was all about sci-fi. Several developers have branched out into other less popular genres from there, but it's no secret that the MMOFPS is settling in to make 2012 its year. But what happens after that? What do you think will be the next genre-of-choice for MMO developers and/or players?  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 MMO Report: Big news edition Posted: 12 Apr 2012 07:00 PM PDT Filed under: Video, Culture, Previews, News items, The MMO Report, Miscellaneous  So what is it? Well, while we'd normally promise that there's going to be a new episode next week from G4 and Massively, this week it's not quite so clear-cut. The show is going on a brief hiatus for reasons that we'll allow the show itself to explain. So hop on past the break for more MMO news, and tune in when the hiatus ends for another episode. You can keep checking back here forlornly, however. We won't hold it against you. Continue reading The MMO Report: Big news edition
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| Ask Massively: These are not Firefall beta impressions edition Posted: 12 Apr 2012 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: News items, Opinion, Massively Meta, Ask Massively, Miscellaneous  But as this week's headline for Ask Massively explains, these are not actually beta impressions. Instead, this is a column covering a couple of the weird issues with our new comment system, something that I have absolutely no doubt will come up again later. If you'd like to have a question answered in a future installment of the column, send it along to ask@massively.com or leave it in the comments below. Questions may be edited slightly for clarity and/or brevity. Continue reading Ask Massively: These are not Firefall beta impressions edition
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| The Summoner's Guidebook: Upping my kill-death ratio Posted: 12 Apr 2012 05:30 PM PDT Filed under: PvP, Opinion, Free-to-play, Guides, MOBA, League of Legends, The Summoner's Guidebook  Before I made this development, I was performing terribly. I ended up playing a lot of bot matches because I felt my execution with Kassadin was really awful, and every time I went back to PvP games, I felt more and more behind. Suddenly, after a string of bad decisions cost me a match, I realized something I was doing wrong and went on to begin dominating. I went from getting focused down early every fight to utterly demolishing teams and causing enemy players to second-guess fighting me 1v1 even with both of us full on life. What's the secret, you ask? I'd like to tell you, so read on! Continue reading The Summoner's Guidebook: Upping my kill-death ratio
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| TERA recaps PAX East and a week of reveals with new video Posted: 12 Apr 2012 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Video, Events, real-world, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, TERA  The firm has just released a recap video that's almost as good as being there. It was a big week overall for TERA, and the reveals included an A-list voice cast, snippets about the launch head-start period, dungeon finder and economic tweaks, and the lush Twilight Valley region showcased at PAX. TERA's PAX demo pitted players against wave after wave of argons and big-ass monsters, not to mention a nasty cuss called Subject 5005. Players who were able to whittle the boss's health down were then given a further challenge when 5005 transformed into an Argonomorph (yeah, we're not sure what that is either, but you can see it via the video after the cut). [Source: En Masse Entertainment press release] Continue reading TERA recaps PAX East and a week of reveals with new video
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| Pathfinder Online developer blog outlines the path of production Posted: 12 Apr 2012 04:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, Previews, News items, Sandbox, Crafting  The game has a basic three-tiered structure to its non-combat operation, starting with harvesting the resource, moving on to processing and refining the items in question, and finishing with crafting a usable item. And as an outgrowth of the game's open systems, these elements work in multiple directions. Starting a camp to harvest resources, for example, can generate a lot of commotion and attract hostile monsters, necessitating that players deal with the fallout or find someone else willing to do so. No one can accuse the designers of making crafting activities a secondary goal with this degree of detail involved.
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| Dark Legends aims to make your vampire sparkle with a weapon giveaway Posted: 12 Apr 2012 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Horror, Contests, New titles, Free-to-play, Browser, Mobile, Giveaways, Promotions  We posted yesterday that Dark Legends, the latest in a line of F2P mobile and browser-friendly MMOs from Spacetime Studios, is now officially up and running on Android systems and Chrome browsers. Today, Spacetime has a present for all you would-be vampires out there: a pair of rockin' weapons called Devastation Maces.To grab yours, start up the game and either log into your existing account or create a new one. Make sure you're playing the character whom you want to receive the weapons because you can only grab these once per account! Zip through the tutorial missions and then head to the Spacetime Nexus from the main lobby screen. There, on the bottom right of your screen, you'll see a button for enterting a promo code. Enter the code massively20120410 and find your maces waiting for you in your character's inventory. The code has unlimited uses, so everyone who wants one can use it, but do note that it will expire eventually, so snag that gift sooner rather than later. Many thanks to Spacetime Studios -- have fun!
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| Luck awaits Free Realms and Clone Wars Adventures on Friday the 13th Posted: 12 Apr 2012 03:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-fi, Events, in-game, Free Realms, Family, Clone Wars Adventures  If you pounce around the land of Free Realms near Champ Chatty and Camp Robbie Lake, be prepared to run into Jason Maskface. This creepy fellow wants to recruit you into scaring people by turning you into a banshee, skeleton, or other graveyard element. Additionally, each participant will receive the ability to turn into a "Scaredy" black cat. The Force is with players of CWA because all transforming holoprojectors go on sale tomorrow at 50% off. If you happen to wander around the main hall, veranda, or hanger of the Jedi Temple, don't be surprised if you or the people around you randomly turn into skeletal Clone Troopers, breaking into a dance -- it's the only way to frighten away the bad luck of Friday the 13th. [Source: SOE press release]
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| Wizard101 throws massive mount sale Posted: 12 Apr 2012 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Economy, Free-to-play, Kids, Wizard101  From now through Sunday, April 22nd, players can snag any permanent mount in the in-game store at a whopping 60% off the list price. Some of the mounts in the store will be only available during this brief window, as KingsIsle is retiring four mounts at the end of the sale while bringing back three other previous retirees for impulse shoppers to peruse. And if you like Wizard101 mounts, you might want to keep an eye on Massively tomorrow. Our crystal ball says that your future may look bright if you do!
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| SWTOR launches the legacy patch, new operation video, and rewards for loyalists Posted: 12 Apr 2012 02:30 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Trailers, Video, Patches, PvE, Star Wars: The Old Republic  As the video explains, the recently discovered planet of Denova holds the largest supply of uradium in the galaxy. The Republic hired mercenaries to help defend the planet against the Empire, but the gang has gone rogue. Whether you are Empire or Republic, you will win one of the greatest resources for your side if you defeat Kephess and his mutinous mercs. Catch the full "explosive" video after the cut! And if you're an active subscriber, you can look forward to a free Tauntaun Ram pet. Level 50 characters will also be treated to a free month of gametime. Continue reading SWTOR launches the legacy patch, new operation video, and rewards for loyalists
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| ArenaNet releases a sneak peek of The Making of Guild Wars 2 Posted: 12 Apr 2012 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Previews, Guild Wars 2  The revealed pages discuss the creation of the Mesmer class (which was apparently never in doubt), the difficulty of mastering the Necromancer and Thief professions, how the game was designed, the differences between Guild Wars' and Guild Wars 2's hex mechanics, and the effort that went into producing the game's many and varied creatures. This hardcover book is 112 pages and comes with full-color concept art, screenshots, and developer insights into the construction of the game. Earlier today we reported on ArenaNet's glimpse into the creation of the collector's edition statue.
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| City of Heroes Issue 23 to open Night Ward zone, end Praetorian War Posted: 12 Apr 2012 01:30 PM PDT Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, Patches, Previews, Free-to-play  The end of the Praetorian War isn't the only thing planned for Issue 23. Mid-range players will have a new stomping ground called the Night Ward to explore. Night Ward is a level 30 through 35 zone that lies between the worlds of the living and the dead and is host to vile creatures like Drudges, Black Knights, and Animus Arcana. Other goodies on tap include a global LFG channel for all players, an interdimensional portal system for fast travel, and a new signature story arc series, costumes, and powers for VIP players.
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| Golf MMO Pangya United celebrates three years with item giveaway Posted: 12 Apr 2012 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sports, Contests, Giveaways, Miscellaneous, Anniversary  Players who do nothing more than log in to the game from now until April 25th will receive daily chances to win special gear and outfits that are exclusive to this third anniversary. The double XP weekends will take place from April 14th to 15th and from April 21st to 22nd from 11 a.m. EDT until 5 p.m. EDT each day. In addition, we've been given a few item codes of our own for 25 interested readers. These codes will unlock a special golf ball in game called the Comet. We have redemption instructions and 10 codes included after the cut, but we'll be giving out the other 15 throughout the rest of the week on our Twitter and Facebook pages, so stay tuned! Continue reading Golf MMO Pangya United celebrates three years with item giveaway
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| Posted: 12 Apr 2012 12:30 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Events, real-world, News items, Free-to-play, Browser, Transformers Universe  Transformers fanatics everywhere are surely gearing up for the official Transformers fan convention, BotCon 2012, which will be taking place in Dallas, Texas, from April 26th until the 29th. Well, Jagex is giving fans of its upcoming MMO Transformers Universe a reason to be even more excited for the con: Attendees will have the opportunity to pledge their allegiances to the Autobots or Decepticons and reserve their in-game character names. On top of that, members of Jagex's Transformers Universe development team will be hanging out at Jagex's con booth, and fans will be able to "meet with members of the development team, attend a behind closed doors Transformers Universe panel discussion, and preview the latest game trailer ahead of its public release." So if you want to get a sneak-peek at Transformers Universe and reserve your favorite character name for the game's release, just set your sights on BotCon 2012 and transform and roll out. [Source: Jagex press release]
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| World of Tanks celebrates its first year Posted: 12 Apr 2012 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Historical, Video, News items, War, Free-to-play, World of Tanks, Anniversary  So what have all these users been up to over the last 12 months? They have participated in 350 million battles, fired more than 75 billion shells (scoring 48 billion direct hits), and destroyed more than eight billion armored vehicles. On top of that, World of Tanks secured the Guinness World Record for the Most Players Online Simultaneously on One MMO Server in January 2011 with 91,311 simultaneous players. The game has even broken that record multiple times, reaching a hefty 450,000 players online at one time. WoT has no intention of resting on its laurels; Kislyi assures us that "the game isn't slowing down anytime soon." In fact, he says, "We have massive expectations for the upcoming year, and we'll continue to drive game development that will keep our players engaged and excited." Join in the celebration: Watch the video after the cut and then check out our one-year retrospective in next week's The Firing Line. [Source: Wargaming.net press release] Continue reading World of Tanks celebrates its first year
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| The Guild Counsel: What the WoW speed dating video really tells us about gaming Posted: 12 Apr 2012 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Culture, Events, real-world, MMO industry, Opinion, The Guild Counsel, Miscellaneous  Continue reading The Guild Counsel: What the WoW speed dating video really tells us about gaming
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