MMO Updates

MMO Updates

Rise and Shiny: Stronghold Kingdoms

Posted: 15 Apr 2012 10:00 AM PDT

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Stronghold Kingdoms screenshot
There are certain designs in the MMORTS genre that have frankly started to burn me out. I was a bit worried that I had reached my tolerance point and would not be able to stomach another city-builder until I had put some time between me and my latest preview or first impressions. It's an amazing genre, and as I have argued before, it's more MMO than most MMOs. As in many genres, successful design is copied. The ironic thing is that all of these copies often dilute the market, making it worse on everyone. As much as I love the genre, I am a bit sick of running into the same design, stereotypical settings, and mechanics. Of course, we cannot take these copies and paint the whole genre with a terrible brush; if we did that, all of MMOdom would be in trouble. Still, I'm sick of it.

Luckily Firefly Worlds, maker of Stronghold Kingdoms, has a very persistent "PR ninja" who made a point to poke at me on Twitter. Usually, we funnel all PR contact to our lead editors for organization purposes, but hey, I can't resist a nice voice and a lovely looking game... and I have a high tolerance for fun people.

Continue reading Rise and Shiny: Stronghold Kingdoms

MassivelyRise and Shiny: Stronghold Kingdoms originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 15 Apr 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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    Previously on MV TV: The week of April 7th

    Posted: 15 Apr 2012 08:00 AM PDT

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    Previously On banner
    Oh hey, guys and gals, did you know that it was just Friday the 13th? Yes, it was. Don't worry; you'll have nothing but good luck on this week's recap of livestream goodness. If you missed a stream that you really wanted to see, or if you've never tuned in to check out what we do, head on over to our Twitch.tv page and keep an eye out. Be sure to bookmark the livestream guide as well so you can keep up with the current schedule. We have a lot of variety in our line-up, so it's always good to check back!

    This week we had some great stuff! MJ has been streaming like her life depends on it lately, first jumping into EverQuest II, then spending some time in Vanguard: Saga of Heroes. She had to pay some attention Aion, of course, and there, she showed off some player housing and took a trip on an airlink. Mike was back in EVE Online avoiding death-rays and spacemen and later found himself dead in RIFT... again. The Mists of Pandaria have tempted Richie once again, and thankfully our cameras were there to capture it. Meanwhile, I spent some time boating in Second Life and gave a first look at Stronghold Kingdoms.

    Just look at that lineup, will you? We're proud! Now click past the cut and get to viewing!

    Continue reading Previously on MV TV: The week of April 7th

    MassivelyPreviously on MV TV: The week of April 7th originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 15 Apr 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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      The Daily Grind: What was the best patch ever?

      Posted: 15 Apr 2012 06:00 AM PDT

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      To boldly go where several patches have gone before in other games!
      There are three responses to every patch released by every game, no matter what the patch does or doesn't contain. There will be people who decry the patch as something horrible, those who act indifferent, and those who enthusiastically gush about how wonderful it is. But there are some patches that stand out as being real game-changers, from Star Trek Online's enormous Season patches to the various content-and-system upgrades doled out regularly for World of Warcraft.

      If you've been playing long enough, you can reflect on the patch history for your favorite game. What was the best patch that you can think of in terms of its individual impact? Was it one of the major overhauls introduced to Final Fantasy XIV? One of the story updates for Lord of the Rings Online? Or some of the large epilogues added to Guild Wars? What has your nod as the best patch ever, and why?

      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!

      MassivelyThe Daily Grind: What was the best patch ever? originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 15 Apr 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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        PlaneShift releases patch 0.5.9

        Posted: 14 Apr 2012 04:00 PM PDT

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        Still a better-looking game than the original EverQuest, and a better love story than Twilight.
        Ever played an MMORPG and thought that you could do a better job making it than the developers? PlaneShift is more or less completely built around that idea. It's an open-source, community-developed game that's still not at full "release" status but does allow players and developers alike plenty of participation in the process. While the development cycle is slow by necessity, the game has just recently released its 0.5.9 patch, bringing with it a large variety of improvements and refinements for the engine and the game itself.

        The game's art has received several sweeping overhauls; the biggest changes have been aimed at the game's engine in the form of fixing bugs and improving support for a variety of graphics cards. There are also updates to the game's AI scripting, allowing NPCs to act in a more organic and unified fashion. If you're an old hand at the game, the patch is no doubt worth checking out -- and if you've never heard of it, perhaps this is enough to pique your interest.

        MassivelyPlaneShift releases patch 0.5.9 originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 14 Apr 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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        The Mog Log: Ain't what she used to be

        Posted: 14 Apr 2012 02:00 PM PDT

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        The Mog Log header by A. Fienemann
        Final Fantasy XIV has changed a lot since launch. That's kind of the thing you say about every game, but usually you can see most of the telltale signs of where the game had been. That's not quite the case with the huge, sweeping changes that Eorzea has undergone. You can see some of the comparisons, but a lot of mechanics have been widely overhauled and altered so that it barely even feels like the same game.

        This, of course, is not stuff you catch as a casual observer. Heck, there are things I don't notice because I'm knee-deep in Final Fantasy XIV and have gotten more accustomed to the changed version over the new version. So I thought this would be a good week to try taking a step back and looking at all of the things that have changed in the game since launch... or at least the major points that you might not have caught.

        Continue reading The Mog Log: Ain't what she used to be

        MassivelyThe Mog Log: Ain't what she used to be originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 14 Apr 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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          The Tattered Notebook: Skyshrine, mercs, Qeynos, and shields that roar

          Posted: 14 Apr 2012 12:00 PM PDT

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          Withered Lands Giant
          For those gamers who have been patiently waiting to hear about GU63, the past few weeks have been a treat. We've shown off a few trailers on Massively, the official site has hosted a couple of team interviews, and even the SOE Twitch TV channel has been focused on EverQuest II. In fact, the recent webcast was the second part of a featured series on the update, and this one took a closer look Skyshrine and also answered a few fan questions. EQII Producer Holly "Windstalker" Longdale, Lead Designer Akil "Lyndro" Hooper, and SOE Executive Producer Dave "SmokeJumper" Georgeson sat down to preview what's coming to a server near you. In this week's Tattered Notebook, we'll look at the highlights and analyze what it means to both new players and old. Read on for the skinny!

          Continue reading The Tattered Notebook: Skyshrine, mercs, Qeynos, and shields that roar

          MassivelyThe Tattered Notebook: Skyshrine, mercs, Qeynos, and shields that roar originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 14 Apr 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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