MMO Updates |
- Storyboard: Why I rejected your guild application
- Everything you need to know about The Secret World
- The Firing Line: Epic SOE memories on PlanetSide's ninth anniversary
- En Masse publishes 4th TERA e-book, Death at Forgeheart
- Runes of Magic's Fires of Shadowforge update features new race, starting zone
- The Firing Line: Hands-on with Heroes & Generals
- The Daily Grind: Can there be too much community interaction in public?
- The Secret World launch delayed to July 3
- New ArcheAge video shows improvements to Rainbow Fields
- The Guild Counsel: Five ways to burn bridges with your guild
- The Secret World ARG launches as social experience winds down
- Blizzard talks Diablo III hotfixes, delay of real-money auction house
- DC Universe Online expanding Legends PvP with Last Laugh DLC
- Ask Massively: Artists I actually dislike edition
- Runes of Magic weekend event psyches players up for Chapter V
- Take to the skies with PlanetSide 2's aerial combat trailer
- 38 Studios lays off entire staff, sells Big Huge Games [Updated]
- Spirit Tales bringing 1v5 monster boss PvP on June 6th
- New Firefall dev blog discusses raising the skill ceiling
- All Points Bulletin: Reloaded offers free one-day premium membership with patch 1.8
- Command & Conquer: Tiberium Alliance browser title launches today
- Aika's Epic III: Descent update raises level cap, adds training grounds
- SWTOR devs hint at mega-servers
| Storyboard: Why I rejected your guild application Posted: 25 May 2012 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Culture, Guilds, Opinion, Roleplaying, Storyboard, Miscellaneous  So it feels like a real kick in the teeth to do all that and then get rejected. At face value, this feels outright ridiculous. The only criteria for a roleplaying guild should be roleplaying, and if you're applying for one, you almost by definition pass. But there's actually a lot of valid reasons to say that someone just isn't right for your roleplaying guild. So you might not have been rejected because the guild is made up of judgmental pricks -- it might be for the best. Continue reading Storyboard: Why I rejected your guild application
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| Everything you need to know about The Secret World Posted: 25 May 2012 09:30 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Horror, Classes, MMO industry, New titles, Previews, News items, Opinion, The Secret World, Massively Hands-on, First Impressions, Guides, Crafting  The Secret World is a new MMORPG by Funcom, the studio that brought you Age of Conan, and way back when, Anarchy Online. It's also the brainchild of one Ragnar Tornquist, familiar to adventure gamers the world over thanks to Dreamfall and The Longest Journey. Like those seminal titles, The Secret World seeks to conjure an immersive, fantastical realm of myth, magic, and in some cases, horror. Unlike the adventures of April Ryan, though, The Secret World is your story, and it takes place in the video game equivalent of the real world (not to mention Hell, portions of a hollow Earth, and many other mythological settings). There's an undeniable Lovecraftian influence, there are zombies and assault rifles, and there's a three-faction setup that asks players to join forces with noted secret societies like the Templars and the Illuminati (as well as the less-familiar Dragons). Did we mention battleground PvP, a Minecraft-inspired crafting system, and skill-based progression mechanics that depart from traditional MMORPG classes and levels in favor of player-made builds (drawn from a pool of nearly 600 distinct abilities)? As you can see, Funcom is throwing everything at the wall, and luckily for you, Massively has been keeping tabs on the game's development for a number of years now. We've also managed to spend quite a bit of time in the beta of late. Click past the cut for a roundup of our best coverage, including guides, impressions, interviews, and basically everything you want to know about The Secret World. Continue reading Everything you need to know about The Secret World
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| The Firing Line: Epic SOE memories on PlanetSide's ninth anniversary Posted: 25 May 2012 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Galleries, Screenshots, PlanetSide, Culture, Game mechanics, MMO industry, PvP, News items, Opinion, MMOFPS, PlanetSide 2, Sandbox, The Firing Line, Anniversary  Though the word "epic" is overused in MMO discourse, it's a recurring theme here. Due to the size, scope, and sheer ambition on display in the original PlanetSide, it's actually appropriate too. While you're reminiscing with the devs, take a stroll through our side-by-side gallery that compares vehicles and equipment from the original PlanetSide with their counterparts in PlanetSide 2. Continue reading The Firing Line: Epic SOE memories on PlanetSide's ninth anniversary
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| En Masse publishes 4th TERA e-book, Death at Forgeheart Posted: 25 May 2012 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Lore, MMO industry, News items, TERA  The official TERA website has an excerpt from the book, but the full text is available for purchase via Amazon, as are TERA's first three e-books: Fire and Ice, Killer, and The Amaranthine Heart.
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| Runes of Magic's Fires of Shadowforge update features new race, starting zone Posted: 25 May 2012 07:30 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Patches, News items, Free-to-play, Races, Runes of Magic, Dungeons  Runes of Magic's Chapter V is on the way, and along with several new features, it's bringing a whole lot of dwarven flavor to the game's sprawling fantasy world.The Shadowforge Dwarves are the game's latest race, and players who choose to roll one will begin their adventures in the new Yrvandis Hollows starting area. In addition to the usual newbie zone accoutrements, the area features an instance called the Outskirts of Taffrock that Frogster describes as "particularly challenging." Players will face off against a final boss known as Dark Gargoylem, along with his horde of aggressive spirits that have hunkered down in the lower levels of the ancient dwarven hall. Runes of Magic is a free-to-play fantasy title developed by Runewaker and published by Frogster. The Fires of Shadowforge update releases June 12th. [Source: Frogster press release]
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| The Firing Line: Hands-on with Heroes & Generals Posted: 25 May 2012 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Historical, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, PvP, News items, War, Free-to-play, Browser, Hands-on, MMOFPS, Massively Hands-on, First Impressions, The Firing Line  I marveled at the visuals, took way too many screenshots of my squadmates looking at the blow-away badass in-game map (it's the little things, amirite?), and generally had a helluva good time. Did I mention that all of this happened in a browser? Continue reading The Firing Line: Hands-on with Heroes & Generals
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| The Daily Grind: Can there be too much community interaction in public? Posted: 25 May 2012 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous  On the other end of that spectrum is ArenaNet, whose reps answer just about every single question they get on Twitter. This makes for an open line of communication with fans but seems to be ineffective when the same questions are being asked and answered multiple times a day. So where do you stand on the issue? Do you think a simple FAQ on the website should be referenced and a support team should answer questions privately, or do you think something like Twitter, Facebook, or even a Reddit Ask Me Anything is the best place to answer questions and address concerns from the community?  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 Secret World launch delayed to July 3 Posted: 25 May 2012 05:45 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Real life, Launches, New titles, PvP, The Secret World, Sandbox  Funcom also announced the final two beta weekends. The first, titled "Hell Raised,'" will run from June 15th until June 17th and will include the Illuminati and Dragon starter experiences as well as allow players to leave Kingsmouth for the Savage Coast. The final beta weekend will be from June 22nd to June 24th; during this event players will participate in the game's PvP in both the warzone gameplay and the Eldorado battlefield.
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| New ArcheAge video shows improvements to Rainbow Fields Posted: 25 May 2012 05:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Video, Game mechanics, News items, ArcheAge, Sandbox  Although there is still no official word on ArcheAge being released to the western market, sandbox hopefuls can check out the latest improvements after the break. [Thanks to Sandboxer for the tip!] Continue reading New ArcheAge video shows improvements to Rainbow Fields
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| The Guild Counsel: Five ways to burn bridges with your guild Posted: 24 May 2012 07:00 PM PDT Filed under: Guilds, Opinion, The Guild Counsel, Miscellaneous  In this week's Guild Counsel, we'll look at a few ways to really do it wrong when it comes to guild departures. Continue reading The Guild Counsel: Five ways to burn bridges with your guild
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| The Secret World ARG launches as social experience winds down Posted: 24 May 2012 06:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Horror, Video, Events, real-world, News items, The Secret World  But that's the past, and now the glorious present awaits you. Three new videos have made their way onto The Secret War's page and each one holds a clue. The clues lead to different puzzles (one for each secret society) for players to solve. That's about all there is to know about these puzzles so far, but we're promised that they are "the start of a very exciting adventure" for participants -- so pull out your tinfoil hats and get crackin'! [Source: Funcom press release]
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| Blizzard talks Diablo III hotfixes, delay of real-money auction house Posted: 24 May 2012 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Economy, Patches, News items, Dev Diaries, Diablo III  In a post on the official Diablo III forums earlier today, Community Manager Nethaera addressed a few of the concerns that have been brought up in the game's momentous first week. Neth first linked to an up-to-date list of hotfixes that have been implemented thus far. For the spoiler-wary among you, be warned that if you haven't completed the game on Normal difficulty, some of the hotfixes might be spoilerific. Now that you're thoroughly warned that there may be spoilers, head on over to the list of hotfixes if you dare. Neth also advised players that additional server maintenance will be required in time and that there's a game patch inbound for sometime next week. She also took the time to address the real-money auction house. Although Neth states that the service is "coming soon," it's been delayed due to post-launch difficulties. The team apparently needs "a bit more time to iron out the existing general stability and gameplay issues" before the real-money auction house is ready for launch. Players shouldn't expect the auction house to be ready in May despite initial plans for it to go online on the 22nd, and there wasn't a solid date to look forward to. Neth went on to assure players that neither D3 nor Battle.net servers have been compromised, despite all the hubbub about security concerns that's been filling the air the last few days. In all of the individual Diablo III-related compromise cases we've investigated, none have occurred after a physical Battle.net Authenticator or Battle.net Mobile Authenticator app was attached to the player's account, and we have yet to find any situation where a Diablo III player's account was accessed outside of "traditional" compromise methods (i.e. someone logging using an account's login email and password).She reminded players to exercise constant vigilance by practicing smart password management, scanning for malware and viruses regularly, and generally being savvy.
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| DC Universe Online expanding Legends PvP with Last Laugh DLC Posted: 24 May 2012 05:30 PM PDT Filed under: Super-hero, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Patches, PvP, News items, Free-to-play, DC Universe Online  Up to this point, much of Legends PvP has focused on what creative director Jens Andersen terms the Bat family. Characters like Batman, Bane, Two-Face, Robin, and the Joker are all mainstays. Now, though, players can step into the tights of both Kryptonian and Lantern heroes, and they can do so on the new Fortress of Solitude Legends map. That's not all, of course, but you'll need to head to Games Radar for more details plus a nifty video.
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| Ask Massively: Artists I actually dislike edition Posted: 24 May 2012 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: MMO industry, Opinion, Humor, Ask Massively, Miscellaneous  So let's move on from that meme, shall we? Great. Of course, if I'm talking about mini-memes on Ask Massively, that must mean that it's time for this week's installment, yes? Yes. And this week, we're talking about the now almost ubiquitous case of the Kickstarter project. If you've got a question you'd like to see answered in a future installment of Ask Massively, leave it in the comments below or mail it to ask@massively.com. Questions may be edited slightly for clarity and/or brevity. Continue reading Ask Massively: Artists I actually dislike edition
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| Runes of Magic weekend event psyches players up for Chapter V Posted: 24 May 2012 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Events, in-game, Patches, Free-to-play, Runes of Magic  From May 25th through May 29th, Runes of Magic players can visit the Helping Hands in one of several locations in the game to get an incredible buff. This two-hour buff will boost experience, talent point, and rare loot gain for all who accept it. Players can receive the buff once a day for the duration of the event. The highlight of Chapter V is most definitely the addition of a pair of new classes: the Champion and the Warlock. Also coming with Chapter V are the playable Shadowforge Dwarves, a new starter zone, and additional high-level instances. The update will release on June 12th.
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| Take to the skies with PlanetSide 2's aerial combat trailer Posted: 24 May 2012 03:30 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Trailers, Video, Previews, News items, MMOFPS, PlanetSide 2  Infantry may make up the bulk of PlanetSide 2's armies, but there's much more to a solid fighting force than footsoldiers. A new video of the game from Sony Online Entertainment shines the spotlight on the various forms of aerial support available to the PlanetSide 2 factions. We're not just talking about a few bombers and personnel carriers, either; the video shows off some rather impressive dogfights between a great number of players as well as a few strafing runs against some unfortunate ground units. While it's only a short teaser, it definitely gives players a sense of the kind of explosion-filled excitement players can expect from the game's aerial combat when they finally get in the cockpit. Just click on past the cut to see the whole video with your own eyes. Continue reading Take to the skies with PlanetSide 2's aerial combat trailer
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| 38 Studios lays off entire staff, sells Big Huge Games [Updated] Posted: 24 May 2012 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: MMO industry, Legal, Miscellaneous  38 Studios CM Charles Dane confirmed being laid off on Twitter: "Now on the market. I had an awesome run with 38 Studios, but this dream is now ending." Word is that the company is also selling its subsidiary, Big Huge Games. Big Huge Games is the maker of Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, 38 Studios' single-player prequel to its Copernicus MMO. This would not be the first time that Big Huge Games was sold by its parent company, as the studio experienced the same event back in 2009. Oh his Facebook page, Curt Schilling stressed that Reckoning did quite well in sales. "I wanted to clear up some misinformation around 38 Studios' first product, Reckoning. Sales of Reckoning outperformed EA's expectations and sold more than 1.2 million units in the game's first 90 days in the market." [Update]: Developer Ryan Shwayder has also confirmed the layoffs via his personal blog.
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| Spirit Tales bringing 1v5 monster boss PvP on June 6th Posted: 24 May 2012 02:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Patches, PvP, News items, Free-to-play  When you look at KoramGame's über-cute free-to-play title Spirit Tales, revolutionary PvP probably isn't the first thing that comes to mind. According to a new press release, however, that's exactly what the studio is aiming for in an upcoming update which will add 1v5 monster boss PvP to the game. The feature is pretty much what it sounds like: One player takes on the role of a giant dungeon boss mob, and it's his job to stomp the everloving daylights out of the other five players who will be teaming up to bring him down. The victor of these 1v5 battles will be rewarded with "stronger, more powerful PvP equipment" with which to further dominate the battlefield. The update will be going live on June 6th, and players who take part in the new gametype between its launch and July 1st will have the opportunity to win fancy Tt gaming peripherals, so head on over to the game's official site and get ready to rumble. [Source: KoramGame press release]
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| New Firefall dev blog discusses raising the skill ceiling Posted: 24 May 2012 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: News items, Free-to-play, MMOFPS, Dev Diaries, Firefall  The other day we talked about Red 5 Studios' new development philosophy for its upcoming MMOFPS, Firefall, and its decision to take things in a direction that's more focused on player skill than levels or gear. Today, the studio has released a new dev diary that expounds on this philosophy by discussing how it plans to make the game "approachable and exciting to players of all skill levels," while ensuring that it remains rewarding to the truly hardcore. The post begins by taking a look at the game's core combat, which contains "a number of weapons and abilities that are lower-twitch and lower-skill," such as beam weapons, AoE abilities, and splash damage. The post goes on to discuss a number of potential solutions to these problems, such as changing the high-splash-damage plasma cannon into a gun that deals lower splash damage, but with devastating direct-hit damage. It's an interesting read for players who are looking for a bit more skill-based gameplay in their MMOs, and Firefall fans in general would do well to go check out the full post on the game's official site.
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| All Points Bulletin: Reloaded offers free one-day premium membership with patch 1.8 Posted: 24 May 2012 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Patches, News items, Free-to-play, All Points Bulletin, Crime, Promotions  All Points Bulletin: Reloaded's patch 1.8 is now live, and GamersFirst is offering a special deal for players who want to jump in and experience some cops-and-robbers mayhem. Any APB players who log in within the next seven days will find a free one-day premium membership code on their accounts. These codes can be redeemed for, as the name would suggest, one free day of premium membership, which grants bonuses such as a 20% discount on the new cash-shop items. The one-day premium bonus makes this the perfect time for veteran and new players alike to jump into San Paro and experience all of the new features of 1.8 and the recently released patch 1.7, each of which introduced a wealth of content such as fight club challenges, new weapon mods and skins, and more. To get in on the action for yourself, head on over to the game's official site.
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| Command & Conquer: Tiberium Alliance browser title launches today Posted: 24 May 2012 12:30 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Game mechanics, Launches, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Free-to-play, Browser, MMORTS  Players can take on the AI or each other, and TA's integrated status and news feeds makes it easier than ever to keep abreast of both in-game happenings and development rumblings. The game can be played on your desktop, your smartphone, or your tablet. Head to the official website to sign up and get started. Don't forget to check out the launch trailer after the break, and look for Massively's impressions on the game later this week in MMObility. [Source: Electronic Arts press release] Continue reading Command & Conquer: Tiberium Alliance browser title launches today
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| Aika's Epic III: Descent update raises level cap, adds training grounds Posted: 24 May 2012 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Patches, News items, Free-to-play, Aika  What does that mean in gameplay terms? Basically a level cap increase (to 85), a revamped Aitan Arena, and a new training ground area designed to push players to their limits. More details are available at the official Epic III: Descent website. [Source: gPotato press release]
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| SWTOR devs hint at mega-servers Posted: 24 May 2012 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Launches, Patches, News items, Rumors, Star Wars: The Old Republic  Yesterday, we reported on PC Gamer's interview with Lead Game Designer Daniel Erickson. When asked if the new group finder would be cross-server, Erickson replied that it would be single-server because "we are coming up on a huge move to servers with massively higher population caps than we have today." Of course, there are no details about these massive servers yet, but this quote does suggest that BioWare is looking for a critical-mass solution that is more than just simple character transfers. We will be sure to keep you abreast of the details as we inch closer to the launch of Update 1.3.
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