MMO Updates |
- Ex-Fallen Earth designer compares in-game locations to real life
- Elder Scrolls Online art director talks MMO limitations and stylistic influences
- RuneScape throwing the Queen a royal celebration on June 2nd
- World of Warplanes closed beta starts today
- 8BitMMO adds zombies, mega map, and more
- RaiderZ releases dev diary on how to beat a monster to death with its own severed limbs
- The Daily Grind: Do narcotics belong in MMOs?
- Dragon Crusade Enters Closed Beta
- The Elder Scrolls Online designers talk combat and PvP in a new video
- Star Wars: The Old Republic developers detail 1.3, free trials, and free transfers
- Embers of Caerus partners with Havok Engine, seeks more sandbox supporters
- A Mild-Mannered Reporter: It's all a Nemesis plot
- Choose My Adventure: Take it back
- Ultima Online publishes comprehensive player guide
- Leeroy Jenkins gets his own movie
- Korean government raids Blizzard over alleged Diablo III wrongdoing
- Wurm Online rewards loyal players with more new land
- ArenaNet launches French and German wikis for Guild Wars 2
- MMO Family: Roblox CEO David Baszucki talks blocks, building, and learning through play
| Ex-Fallen Earth designer compares in-game locations to real life Posted: 31 May 2012 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Fallen Earth, Culture, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play, Post-Apocalyptic  According to former Icarus Studios designer Joshua Peery, Fallen Earth's Grand Canyon isn't too far removed from the real thing. For starters, the devs used USGS satellite imaging as their world-building blueprint. Peery's latest personal blog entry says that driving through the real-world location leads to further appreciation for the work done by the game's artists and builders. "Driving through the 'real' Sector Three's Kaibab Forest was like deja vu, with the only difference being I was in my SUV rather than in an interceptor, dirt-bike, horse, etc.," Peery writes. Peery's game tourism odyssey was part of a cross-country trek to a new job at Carbine Studios, for which Massively offers a hearty congrats.
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| Elder Scrolls Online art director talks MMO limitations and stylistic influences Posted: 31 May 2012 09:30 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Dev Diaries, The Elder Scrolls Online  "We're not really at the technical state with MMOs to be able to pull off photorealism," Carr explains. He goes on to say that the target is 200 characters on screen for the game's massive battles, and he also notes that despite concessions to tech limits and travel times, TESO is heavily influenced by previous Elder Scrolls games, particularly Oblivion and Morrowind. Head to Game Informer for the full video dev diary.
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| RuneScape throwing the Queen a royal celebration on June 2nd Posted: 31 May 2012 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Events, real-world, Events, in-game, RuneScape, Free-to-play  This celebration is partially in response to the honor (honour) that the Queen gave the studio in April of this year, as Jagex was bestowed the Queen's Award for Innovation in Enterprise. "We thought it was only appropriate to return our appreciation and admiration by immortalising the Queen's monumental 60-year achievement by providing an online platform for hundreds of millions of people around the world to come together," said CEO Mark Gerhard. "Friends and family will share in the fun and celebrations of this very special day celebrating her Diamond Jubilee, by hosting what may be the first, but certainly will be the world's largest, virtual street party." If you're wondering if the Queen will be there, well, Jagex did extend an invitation. You can watch the Jubilee Celebration trailer after the jump. [Source: Jagex press release] Continue reading RuneScape throwing the Queen a royal celebration on June 2nd
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| World of Warplanes closed beta starts today Posted: 31 May 2012 08:30 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Historical, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, War, Free-to-play, World of Warplanes  World of Warplanes is a lobby-based 15v15 arcade shooter featuring World War II-era aircraft. You can learn more about the game, as well as sign up for the closed beta, at the WoWP website. [Source: Wargaming.net press release]
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| 8BitMMO adds zombies, mega map, and more Posted: 31 May 2012 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, MMO industry, News items, Races, Sandbox  Chief among said new features are a playable zombie race, a mega map, additional permission controls for player cities, trading, and more avatar customization options. 8bitMMO is the work of a single developer, and Robby Zinchak says that players can take his creation and run with it. "The community can participate as part of the game's development. In fact, many of the new features in the S8 update were inspired from the top voted player suggestions," he says. [Source: Archive Entertainment press release]
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| RaiderZ releases dev diary on how to beat a monster to death with its own severed limbs Posted: 31 May 2012 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Video, News items, PvE, Free-to-play, Dev Diaries  Admit it: Deep down, you dream about beating in-game monsters to death with their own severed limbs. Who doesn't? Happily, RaiderZ makes that dream a reality, as is demonstrated in the game's most recent developer diary. The video diary goes over tactics and playstyles for handling monsters out in the world. Most monsters have unique attack styles and players need to observe their foes in order to best exploit weaknesses of the monsters' timing and tactics. The video drops other strategy gems, like the clue that "melee players must get up close and personal with their adversaries" and have to consider the pros and cons of fast, lighter-damage attacks or slower, more powerful strikes. With no tab-targeting in the game, caster and ranged classes have to be sure to fire in the right direction and take full advantage of times that monsters leave themselves vulnerable. Most excitingly, there is the previously-mentioned ability to whack off monsters' horns and appendages for a chance to use them to pierce, bludgeon, and otherwise damage the beasties.
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| The Daily Grind: Do narcotics belong in MMOs? Posted: 31 May 2012 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Culture, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous  Immersion-centric players might argue that narcotics add to the gritty realism of many game worlds and aren't really different from other mind-and-body-altering substances like booze, but developers seem wary of wading into that territory. Star Wars Galaxies, for example, launched with canon-correct spice (complete with "downer" effects) but ended spice production with the NGE. And Lord of the Rings Online implemented Tolkien's famous pipeweed but has resisted bestowing beneficial effects on those who smoke it, probably for fear of encouraging "bad" behavior, triggering political drama, or jeopardizing its age rating. What do you think -- do narcotics belong in MMOs?  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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| Dragon Crusade Enters Closed Beta Posted: 30 May 2012 09:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, New titles, Free-to-play, Browser  Dragon Crusade is a browser-based, MMO strategy game from Aeria Games that's also free-to-play. Players have the opportunity to choose from six different playable races ranging from Dark Elves to Dwarves to the necromantic Azraen, each with their own unique buildings, troops, and abilities. There are several features that allow players to forge alliances and allow them to share key resources, technology, and buildings. But if you prefer to die by the sword, you can send heroes into gladiatorial arena matches or dungeon runs to bring back loot. The game is just entering closed beta, and you can register to participate. Those who do are eligible for unique items and custom gear. These events include challenges to produce the most resources, obtain the strongest equipment, and form one of the top five alliances. Even more prizes will be offered through surprise challenges that change daily! For more information, or to register for the beta, you can head to their official site.
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| The Elder Scrolls Online designers talk combat and PvP in a new video Posted: 30 May 2012 08:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Game mechanics, Previews, News items, The Elder Scrolls Online  In PvE, players will find that each given monster has a very unique set of behaviors that players can react to, as well as elements that play off one another in the environment. Rather than rewarding players simply for defeating monsters, players will be rewarded with a rating called "finesse" for how the monster is defeated, with greater rewards coming to players with high finesse scores. The goal is to make combat less a matter of winning or losing and more about defeating enemies skillfully. But that only scratches the surface of the full interview, so click on past the break for the full 17-minute discussion. Continue reading The Elder Scrolls Online designers talk combat and PvP in a new video
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| Star Wars: The Old Republic developers detail 1.3, free trials, and free transfers Posted: 30 May 2012 07:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Culture, Game mechanics, Patches, Previews, News items, Star Wars: The Old Republic  That's the smallest part of the game's upcoming additions, however -- the improvements for players to play together include upcoming free server transfers as well as expanding the existing server caps substantially. Patch 1.3 is also bringing the long-awaited group finder to the game to help get players away on party tasks in a timely fashion. 1.3 won't just be about playing together, however, and the developers also spoke more on the addition of adaptive gear and new Legacy perks for characters. It's plenty to look forward to for players of the game, so if you haven't yet taken a peek at the upcoming changes, you may wish to do so. [Thanks to The_grand_nagus for the tip!]
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| Embers of Caerus partners with Havok Engine, seeks more sandbox supporters Posted: 30 May 2012 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Sandbox  If you've been keeping abreast of this story, you probably know that EoC is riding a wave of positive buzz following on from its successful Kickstarter campaign, which has already met its initial funding goal and then some with 19 days left to go. Forsaken is now seeking to galvanize additional sandbox fans, a demographic that creative director Rob Steele says is ready for EoC and games like it. "It just shows that the audience is out there, hungry for the kind of game that we're making -- one where the players take control of the world and make it their own," he says. [Thanks to flintwicktog for the tip!]
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| A Mild-Mannered Reporter: It's all a Nemesis plot Posted: 30 May 2012 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, Culture, Lore, Opinion, Free-to-play, A Mild-Mannered Reporter  I think that was, at one point, the goal behind Nemesis. But the group has wound up in a very different and much less entertaining place. At a glance, Nemesis isn't really all that overused in City of Heroes. Sure, there's the vague implication that he's behind a lot of different schemes, but for the most part that's just window-dressing. Despite the fact that I should adore a group of steampunk criminals in modern-day Paragon City, I feel my hackles raise every time Nemesis shows up, because the group and the leader are both massively overdone. Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: It's all a Nemesis plot
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| Choose My Adventure: Take it back Posted: 30 May 2012 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Polls, Culture, Opinion, Choose My Adventure, Miscellaneous  Let's hope this turns out slightly better than history might indicate. Beneath the cut are our nine candidates for the next game on the block, complete with explanations about why I've chosen those titles instead of other possibilities. Go ahead and read through the possibilities, then vote for your choice by Saturday if you want to be counted! Next week, tune in for a much more opinionated column as we kick off part three. And yes, the bonus polls are back. Continue reading Choose My Adventure: Take it back
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| Ultima Online publishes comprehensive player guide Posted: 30 May 2012 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Ultima Online, Guides, Sandbox  The 19-section, 102-page guide is dedicated to walking new players through the first few days of the game as well as providing detailed resources for experienced players curious about a point or two. Topics covered include getting started, travel, pets, guilds, housing, and game terminology. The guide is available in three parts as a downloadable pdf document on the UO Herald website.
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| Leeroy Jenkins gets his own movie Posted: 30 May 2012 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Video, Humor, Miscellaneous  Well, a minor motion picture. Director Finn O'Hara shot a short three-minute indie film called (of course) Leeroy Jenkins. The difference between the short film and the infamous YouTube World of Warcraft video is that Jenkins and his team have been transformed from a dungeon raiding party to a gang of bank robbers. The translation works surprisingly well, with the bulk of the film dedicated to the leadup to Jenkins' charge. The film was created for the Worldwide Short Film Festival, and you can watch it after the jump. Continue reading Leeroy Jenkins gets his own movie
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| Korean government raids Blizzard over alleged Diablo III wrongdoing Posted: 30 May 2012 01:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Legal, Diablo III  Dissatisfied customers who couldn't log into the game were denied a full refund by Blizzard, which said that it was under no obligation to do so under the game's contract. The studio claims that it has a strict policy of "no refunds" in the country if a product is used. The players turned to the FTC for help, and the commission responded by launching an investigation. The investigation will sort through the seized documents and evidence to see if there is a possible violation of Korea's electronic commerce and commercial contracts law. The FTC confirmed that it had received "many complaints" from Diablo III players, but did not comment further on the investigation. Blizzard has since vowed to increase server capacity, but is not budging on the refunds.
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| Wurm Online rewards loyal players with more new land Posted: 30 May 2012 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Events, in-game, Wurm Online, Free-to-play, Sandbox  Not only is the website back online and safer than ever, according to Rolf, but players are also being rewarded for their patience with a brand new Freedom (PvE) server named Celebration. In the world of Wurm Online, servers are basically islands of virgin land, ready for exploration. Some server islands have various rules (such as open PvP), but they're all connected to each other through waterways or portals, which only increases the persistent world even further. Celebration will open its doors at 15:00 CET (9 a.m. EDT) tomorrow morning and will be accessible from the southern border of the Exodus server.
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| ArenaNet launches French and German wikis for Guild Wars 2 Posted: 30 May 2012 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, News items, Guild Wars 2, Dev Diaries  It's hard for some folks to imagine MMOs without wikis for looking up where the seventh Heart of a Stinky Womp Rat can be found or where that one dratted quest NPC is. ArenaNet has news for those people: In a blog post this morning, French Community Manager Stéphane Lo Presti introduced the official French and German Guild Wars 2 wikis. The ever-growing official Guild Wars 2 English wiki already has over 4,700 articles and the new wikis will hopefully be caught up to speed quickly now that they're open for contribution. Because most ArenaNet employees aren't French- or German-speakers, the team is relying more heavily on user-generated content for these wikis. Lo Presti also brought out news of a Spanish wiki still in development. Once that's released, there will be official wikis for all the localized languages in the game.
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| MMO Family: Roblox CEO David Baszucki talks blocks, building, and learning through play Posted: 30 May 2012 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Interviews, Massively Interviews, MMO Family, Family  In this week's MMO Family, Roblox CEO David Baszucki took the time to speak with Massively about the past, present and future plans for the game. He's taken a physics-based simulation and built up a successful and engaging game. Read on for highlights from the interview!
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