MMO Updates |
- Embers of Caerus reaches Kickstarter funding goal with 22 days to go
- ArcheAge market expands to Japan, hopes rise for more globalization
- MV Guide: May 28 - June 3, 2012
- The Daily Grind: Does instant travel trivialize MMO worlds?
- MMO Week in Review: Is it over yet?
- Skyrim Online MMO-ish mod gaining momentum
- EVE Evolved: Lessons from 38 Studios
- One Shots: Bamboo Kat's
- Rise and Shiny: Threshold RPG
- Darkfall update brings new clan permissions system
| Embers of Caerus reaches Kickstarter funding goal with 22 days to go Posted: 28 May 2012 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Sandbox  The update also offers more tidbits of information, including the addition of a jobs page to the official site for those aspiring to work on Embers of Caerus and a reward matrix that better spells out what donors will receive for their contributions. Technical Directer Dave Belcher also gives some insights into why the game supports harsher death penalties and will not consider going free-to-play. Now that the game has officially reached its Kickstarter goal this morning, we can't wait to see what else the Forsaken Studios team will offer up in the game's development as it still has over 22 days to go for its funding! Will it reach $100k? $300k? One meeeellion dollars? We'll certainly keep our eyes on its progress. [Thanks to everyone for the tip!]
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| ArcheAge market expands to Japan, hopes rise for more globalization Posted: 28 May 2012 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, MMO industry, New titles, News items, ArcheAge, Sandbox  It's not exactly the announcement Western ArcheAge fans want to hear most, but the news that the game will be published in Japan is definitely a step in the right direction; adding yet another country gives hope that the market will continue to expand, perhaps finally to North America and Europe. Also fanning the flames of hope is talk that NeoWiz may take the platform worldwide. We have our fingers crossed! [Thanks to Dengar for the tip!]
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| MV Guide: May 28 - June 3, 2012 Posted: 28 May 2012 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Livestream, Miscellaneous, MV Guide  Every week, the Massively Stream Team logs in to play various MMOs live and in person, and we'd love for you to drop by the channel and visit. We have a combination of regular weekly games and new surprises each week, so you'll find a variety of titles to watch. During our streamed events, you can participate in the live chat, ask questions to learn about the game, or simply spend some time with Massively staff and readers. (Of course, streaming is subject to the whims of outside forces like server-side gremlins once in a while.) Follow along after the jump to see what's on this week's schedule, and let us know if there's a specific game you'd like to see streamed next week! Continue reading MV Guide: May 28 - June 3, 2012
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| The Daily Grind: Does instant travel trivialize MMO worlds? Posted: 28 May 2012 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Game mechanics, MMO industry, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous  But the opposite's been true for me in practice. I've done far more exploring in (and have a much deeper nostalgia for the landmasses of) titles like Ultima Online and Guild Wars, which boast Recall spells and map travel, respectively, than I have in less-travel-friendly titles, and I'm guessing it's because the ability to get to strange and out-of-the-way places quickly means you'll actually go there by choice -- because you can. If it takes me two hours to walk to that cool oasis hidden away in a secret corner of your map, I'm probably not going to bother going at all. What do you think -- does instant travel trivialize the MMO world experience?  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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| MMO Week in Review: Is it over yet? Posted: 27 May 2012 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: MMO industry, Massively Meta, Week in Review, Miscellaneous  The MMO industry has had better weeks, and as much as we'd like to put all the layoffs, PR spin, and doom-and-gloom behind us, it wouldn't be much of a Week in Review if we did so. The big news was, of course, the messy implosion of 38 Studios, which not only put a lot of developers out of work and tarnished Curt Schilling's reputation, but also led to the closure of 38's Big Huge Games subsidiary. Not to be outdone was BioWare, which laid off an undisclosed amount of its Star Wars: The Old Republic workforce and attempted to downplay the cuts as standard operating procedure. Thankfully the rest of the week's news wasn't so dire. See for yourself after the break. Continue reading MMO Week in Review: Is it over yet?
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| Skyrim Online MMO-ish mod gaining momentum Posted: 27 May 2012 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, MMO industry, News items  When we first heard of the mod last winter, it was pretty rough, with other players displaying as inanimate prisoner NPCs sans any clothing or armor. Now, though, the devs have managed to add some armor, basic run and walk animations, and general chat. There's still a lot left to do, including a party system, trading, AI synchronization, and PvP, but you can see a video clip of the recent progress after the break. [Thanks Sandboxer for the tip!] Continue reading Skyrim Online MMO-ish mod gaining momentum
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| EVE Evolved: Lessons from 38 Studios Posted: 27 May 2012 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Business models, Culture, Events, real-world, MMO industry, Opinion, EVE Evolved, Sandbox  The shutdown of 38 Studios is a sobering reminder of the problems in EVE Online's development that led to monoclegate. Both studios were mismanaged, with the jobs of hundreds of developers gambled on the outcome of poorly researched business decisions. EVE Online thankfully survived CCP's failed microtransaction gamble, but 38 Studios' Project Copernicus may never see the light of day. In this week's EVE Evolved opinion piece, I look into the similar circumstances that forced CCP Games and 38 Studios to fire staff, and draw some lessons from them for which I believe the industry should take heed. Continue reading EVE Evolved: Lessons from 38 Studios
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| Posted: 27 May 2012 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Galleries, Screenshots, Massively Meta, One Shots, Miscellaneous  One of my favorite spots villain-side is the Jackpot area of St. Martial, especially when it gets dark and the building lights are a stark contrast to the gloom of all the other previous zones. Sure, it's still a soulless Las Vegas-style strip wannabe, but I love super-jumping down the street as the music changes. This is my normal view of things when super-jumping. But if you get down to street-level, it's also surprisingly immersive. Notice the Marcone or Family gangster leaning nonchalantly against one building as the cars and pedestrians cruise through.Both shots (and a few others) are tucked behind the break! Continue reading One Shots: Bamboo Kat's
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| Posted: 27 May 2012 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Game mechanics, Previews, Opinion, Free-to-play, Casual, Rise and Shiny, Livestream, Miscellaneous  Now that I have moved on to Threshold RPG, another ancient MUD from before the time of mostly graphical MMOs, I feel as though I have finally reached an understanding as to how MUDs work and what makes them incredible adventures still to this day. Threshold is more basic than all of them so far, but that's a good thing in many ways. There's also a lot that is lacking, and several tweaks that need to be made. Continue reading Rise and Shiny: Threshold RPG
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| Darkfall update brings new clan permissions system Posted: 27 May 2012 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Darkfall, Guilds, Patches, News items, Sandbox  The folks at Aventurine are still working hard on a number of improvements for Darkfall such as new weapons styles, performance optimization, and UI modifications, but in the meantime they've decided to roll out a new feature that should be a great boon to clan leaders and officers. Currently, clan leaders are only allowed to grant clan-related permissions to their members based on clan rank. With the new system, clan leaders will be able to assign permissions to individual players, regardless of their ranks within the clan. In addition, each clan permission will have an associated title that any member with that permission can choose to display if they so desire. For instance, a clan member with permission to recruit members can choose to show the "recruiter" title. Military ranks will remain in the game, but they are now governed by PvP performance and each new military rank is granted automatically upon the completion of specific goals. These ranks have no bearing on clan permissions. The full details on the new system are available for perusal over at the Darkfall official site. [Thanks to Dengar for the tip!]
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