MMO Updates |
- The Firing Line: Defiance, Arctic Combat, and other E3 leftovers
- MMObility: Parallel Zombies, Glitch's new butlers, and a new space MMO
- Second Embers of Caerus feature week video introduces Dynamic Events Team
- WildStar aims to be 'anything but WoW'
- BioWare considering free-to-play for Star Wars: The Old Republic [Updated]
- The Daily Grind: What's your favorite game-related webcomic?
- The MMO Report: Back in E3 style edition
- The Summoner's Guidebook: Why last-hitting is important
- The Secret World talks Founding Cabals and corrupt sun gods
- Perfect World International's latest Imperial Fury trailer released
- Champions Online features a new grab bag with a potential freeform prize
- Guild Wars 2 could launch before Thanksgiving, release date announcement 'imminent'
- Win a DUST 514 beta key in the Event Horizon competition
- Get a fighting edge with TERA's combat indicator guide
- Turbine sweetens Riders of Rohan's editions, includes instance cluster
- Scarlet Witch joins the Marvel Heroes roster
- Sorting through the SWTOR server transfer mess
- The Repopulation publishes nation, city, and combat gameplay details
- EVE Online reveals ship revamp details, shows off new mining ship
| The Firing Line: Defiance, Arctic Combat, and other E3 leftovers Posted: 15 Jun 2012 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Sci-fi, Trailers, Video, Events, real-world, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, Previews, News items, Opinion, Free-to-play, MMOFPS, Massively Hands-on, First Impressions, Massively Event Coverage, Defiance  A full-screen monitor, a fridge full of Diet Sunkist, plenty of columns to be written, and my own vehicle! Public transportation doesn't agree with me, folks, as I learned last week at E3 in Los Angeles. I also learned a lot about PlanetSide 2, a little about DUST 514, and tidbits about Defiance and something called Arctic Combat. For this week's Firing Line, I figured I should pay a little lip service to those last two. And we'll also recap some of this week's crucial online shooter news. To the cut! Continue reading The Firing Line: Defiance, Arctic Combat, and other E3 leftovers
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| MMObility: Parallel Zombies, Glitch's new butlers, and a new space MMO Posted: 15 Jun 2012 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Screenshots, New titles, Previews, PvP, Opinion, Free-to-play, Browser, Mobile, Casual, Miscellaneous, MMObility  It's neat to see another iOS MMO. iOS doesn't seem to get as many MMOs popping up in its market as with Android, but things are slowly evening out. The imbalance right now might be due to the fact that Android phones feature larger screens and sometimes more power than the latest iOS phones, something that is simply appealing to gamers. I wonder whether we'll see a larger iPhone screen anytime soon? Probably so -- and that would mean more MMOs! Continue reading MMObility: Parallel Zombies, Glitch's new butlers, and a new space MMO
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| Second Embers of Caerus feature week video introduces Dynamic Events Team Posted: 15 Jun 2012 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Game mechanics, New titles, Community Q&A, Sandbox  After a few minutes of answering viewer-submitted questions brought on by the first video feature about death, Technical Director Dave Belcher introduces the star of the clip. What exactly is the Dynamic Events Team? Dave likens this group to pen-and-paper Dungeon Masters; they will have tools to run dynamic stories in-game on both a small, local scale and world-wide. They will also work around the clock to monitor the health of the world, using events for such things as encouraging players to disperse from overly populated areas or to replenish resource-depleted areas. This whole system is meant to really bring the game world to life. To illustrate an example, Dave reads through a sample event. Catch his remarks after the break. [Thanks to Flintwick for the tip!] Continue reading Second Embers of Caerus feature week video introduces Dynamic Events Team
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| WildStar aims to be 'anything but WoW' Posted: 15 Jun 2012 07:15 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-fi, Community Q&A, WildStar  Layered content is a big buzz-phrase for WildStar, and Gaffney attempted to provide an example of the game's flexibility. "You're on a mission to kill alien jungle cats. You see one that's irradiated and start scanning it. Or it's too tough, so you scare some prey away from you into the cats, and they start attacking the prey, and then you jump in when everyone is weakened. They're tough, so you see a huntress and drag them to her to get her cheering on for rep -- you see a second huntress and now you're bouncing between them for double rep rewards." Other AMA topics included polish, microupdates, competing with World of Warcraft, bunny ears, the future of the MMO industry, and a hint at an unannounced race.
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| BioWare considering free-to-play for Star Wars: The Old Republic [Updated] Posted: 15 Jun 2012 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Business models, Interviews, Star Wars: The Old Republic  This comes out of an interview in GamesTM magazine, in which Lusinchi addressed the challenges of being competitive in a largely F2P industry. While SWTOR has a large playerbase, it lost 400,000 subscriptions from its peak earlier this year as well as several members of its dev team. Lusinchi says that the challenge isn't just that SWTOR is a subscription-based game, but that there's a lot of great options in the field. "If it was just free-to-play games and they weren't very good it wouldn't even be a question," he said, "but there are definitely good games out there and good games coming out, so of course all of this competition impacts your plan with what you want to do." Of course we did hear about the limited free trial at E3, but this interview seems to indicate the possibility of a move to full F2P in SWTOR's future. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in!] [Update: It seems the original article at GamesTM was pulled.] [Update #2: You can find images of the interview here and here.]
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| The Daily Grind: What's your favorite game-related webcomic? Posted: 15 Jun 2012 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Humor, Miscellaneous  Luckily, we have some true works of art with such comics as Ctrl+Alt+Del, Penny Arcade, and Order of the Stick, which not only appeal to our deepest gamer sensibilities but also regularly cover MMO topics. New comics are popping up all the time, and it's good to see budding young artists trying their hands at the popular genre. But we want to hear your favorites! Which game-related webcomics do you enjoy the most?  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: Back in E3 style edition Posted: 14 Jun 2012 08:00 PM PDT Filed under: Video, Events, real-world, MMO industry, News items, Humor, The MMO Report, Miscellaneous  Unfortunately, Casey himself couldn't be at E3, but that didn't mean that he couldn't round up plenty of video interviews. That means some video coverage for The Elder Scrolls Online, PlanetSide 2, DUST 514, Age of Wushu, and the rest. Could you ask for anything more? Perhaps to have the video embedded just past the cut? You're in luck on that count, and you should tune in on future weeks for another installment of the MMO Report from G4TV and Massively. Continue reading The MMO Report: Back in E3 style edition
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| The Summoner's Guidebook: Why last-hitting is important Posted: 14 Jun 2012 07:00 PM PDT Filed under: Game mechanics, PvP, Opinion, Free-to-play, MOBA, League of Legends, The Summoner's Guidebook  I didn't always feel this way, of course. When I was a MOBA nooblet, I thought last-hitting was an unnecessary PvE element in a competitive PvP game, and it took away from the game's clear objective: taking enemy turrets. When I really sank my teeth into LoL, last-hitting finally clicked. It's a really critical element of the genre, and this week, I'll explain why. Continue reading The Summoner's Guidebook: Why last-hitting is important
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| The Secret World talks Founding Cabals and corrupt sun gods Posted: 14 Jun 2012 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Horror, Sci-fi, Guilds, Lore, News items, The Secret World, Dev Diaries  While we're speaking of marshaling forces, a lore post today shed some light on the dark powers stirring in the once-hidden city of the sun god. After the Black Pharaoh Akhenaten was driven mad by the beckons of the evil sun god Aten, the vizier Ptahmose and his seven children worked to end the pharaoh's reign and protect the world. To that end, the seven children turned themselves into statues infused with the powers of the Egyptian gods, the better to hide the dark city from the rest of the world. There's no such thing as a happy ending for this kind of story, though: The city has been found by cultists, ghouls, jinn, and other baddies. The living statue Sentinels are having a hard time holding back the dark corruption, which means it's time for a hero -- you. Players will help the Sentinels, retrieve relics, rally spirits, restore balance, hack mainframes, and come face-to-face with the Black Pharaoh himself. [Thanks to Spartan for the tip!]
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| Perfect World International's latest Imperial Fury trailer released Posted: 14 Jun 2012 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Perfect World International, Patches, Previews, News items, Free-to-play  Last month we told you lot all about Perfect World Entertainment's upcoming additions to its F2P title Perfect World International. The update, known as Imperial Fury, includes a cornucopia of additions and revamps to the game such as the new Advanced Endless Universe dungeon, tweaks to existing dungeons, city redesigns, and more. If you're a PWI player who is interested in voraciously devouring every tidbit of information available, then you're in luck. PWE released a new trailer today highlighting many of the new bits and pieces coming to the game with Imperial Fury. From new big-bad-bosses to fabulous new in-game fashions, it looks like there's a little something for everyone here. So what are you waiting for? Click on past the cut and check out the full video. [Source: Perfect World Entertainment press release] Continue reading Perfect World International's latest Imperial Fury trailer released
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| Champions Online features a new grab bag with a potential freeform prize Posted: 14 Jun 2012 04:30 PM PDT Filed under: Super-hero, Game mechanics, News items, Free-to-play, Champions Online, Promotions  Freeform Grab Bags are awarded from the new daily quests from the Drifter, giving players a chance at earning a new Free Form Slot. Subscribers still get a new character slot out of the deal, but free players get a new slot that will unlock every available power for use on that character. You can also pick it up in the C-Store, but it won't be available there after June 22nd. So if you want a chance to play with a freeform character without a subscription, now's your chance... at a chance.
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| Guild Wars 2 could launch before Thanksgiving, release date announcement 'imminent' Posted: 14 Jun 2012 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, News items, Guild Wars 2  Yes, Guild Wars 2 fans, we know that ArenaNet can't put the game out quickly enough. Believe us, we know. Thankfully, some new information uncovered through a bit of detective work on behalf of Gamebreaker's Jason Winter indicates that we may not have to wait too much longer. Financial reports issued by Korean Development Bank's securities firm, which is one of the largest brokerage firms in Korea, have included a number of documents involving the much-hyped title, in which predictions are made for a Guild Wars 2 release date in Q3/Q4 2012 (likely before Thanksgiving) and an "imminent" release date announcement. Keep in mind that this isn't just some random guy on the internet; these predictions come from people who report on these things for one of the largest brokerage firms in Korea, which means a lot of money (and probably some jobs) are on the line. To get the full details straight from Winter himself, go check out the full video on Gamebreaker, but take it all with a grain of salt. As ArenaNet is fond of reminding us, nothing is official until Anet says it is, and the game will be out when it's ready.
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| Win a DUST 514 beta key in the Event Horizon competition Posted: 14 Jun 2012 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-fi, EVE Online, Events, in-game, PvP, Free-to-play, DUST 514, Sandbox  To be in for a chance to win, log in PlayStation Home on your PS3 and navigate to the DUST 514 Home space. Once there, play a game of Slay and watch the intro videos for each of the four races to be entered into the beta key draw. If you're already in the beta, you'll receive a free piece of gear on completing a game of Slay. For full details of the event and a helpful guide to playing Slay, head over to the official DUST 514 blog.
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| Get a fighting edge with TERA's combat indicator guide Posted: 14 Jun 2012 02:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, News items, TERA, Guides  TERA players, are you tired of being on the receiving end of a BAM's fury? Do you need a little extra edge in combat? If so, En Masse Entertainment has you covered. The studio has released a new combat indicator guide that should help struggling players get a bit of a leg-up on the competition. It's not exactly an in-depth tutorial or anything, but the guide does highlight some of the finer points of combat that many players might miss. For instance, how can you know when a monster is ordering its minions, changing targets, or leaving aggro range? Just pay attention to the indicators above each monster's head. Perhaps you're more PvP-minded and would like to know when your opponent is about to unleash a stun or a power-attack so you can be sure to skeddaddle. With a little options tweaking, you can ensure that ability icons appear as enemy attacks so you're always aware of what's coming. For the full guide, head on over to the TERA official site.
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| Turbine sweetens Riders of Rohan's editions, includes instance cluster Posted: 14 Jun 2012 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Expansions, Free-to-play, Promotions  In a forum post, CM Sapience said that the studio is dishing out bonus Turbine Points for all of the editions. Base and heroic edition holders will receive 1,000 TP, while legendary edition purchasers get 2,000. This applies to both players who have already bought the expansion and those who will in the future. He also addressed the confusion over the instance cluster: "While we are still not ready to talk about the details of the cluster, we did want to confirm that we will be releasing a new instance cluster in an update after Rohan launches, and that the cluster will be free to all players who have purchased the Riders of Rohan expansion."
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| Scarlet Witch joins the Marvel Heroes roster Posted: 14 Jun 2012 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Super-hero, News items, Marvel Heroes  Marvel Heroes got a little more magical today as developer Gazillion Entertainment announced the addition of the Scarlet Witch as a playable character. This heroine/villainess is perhaps most famous for depowering 90% of the mutant population in House of M (spoiler alert!), and her reality-altering powers are certainly not to be scoffed at. Scarlet Witch is the first character to be announced since the game's first official trailer was unveiled last month, but hopefully we can look forward to quite a few more in the coming weeks. For more details on newcomer Scarlet Witch and the other playable characters of Marvel Heroes, head on over to the game's official site.
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| Sorting through the SWTOR server transfer mess Posted: 14 Jun 2012 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Culture, Events, in-game, Star Wars: The Old Republic  Then about noon EDT, many well-populated servers were given the opportunity to move. Communities on PvP servers like The Swiftsure were asked to go to The Bastion. According to TORStatus.net, The Swiftsure's population out-ranked The Bastion's by several points. This was not the only case of the confusion in the population. Lord Adraas, arguably the largest roleplay community in the US, was asked to move to an equally populated server The Ebon Hawk. Continue reading Sorting through the SWTOR server transfer mess
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| The Repopulation publishes nation, city, and combat gameplay details Posted: 14 Jun 2012 11:30 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Sandbox  Nations are basically an extended form of traditional MMO guilds. They function as social structures and encourage cooperation in terms of raiding, crafting, sieging, and the like. Where they differ from genre norms is in their ability to control land and cities throughout the game world. Cities are a big deal too, and much of the nation gameplay is seemingly focused around city management. Combat in The Repopulation also departs from MMO convention, and while we've written about it on occasion before, this is the first time that all of the nuts and bolts have been collected in a single easy-to-reference article. Head to the game's official website for all the details. [Thanks to J.C. for the tip!]
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| EVE Online reveals ship revamp details, shows off new mining ship Posted: 14 Jun 2012 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Game mechanics, Patches, News items, Dev Diaries, Sandbox  Miners will be happy to know that all barges will be given a hitpoint increase to make them harder to suicide kill, and that all three mining barges will be specialised to support a particular style of mining. The Covetor and Hulk will have the biggest mining yield but their small cargo holds and poor defenses will limit them to mining ops with haulers on hand. The Retriever and Mackinaw will have smaller yields but huge specialised ore bays, making them better ships for AFK mining and ninja mining. The Procurer and Skiff will have the lowest mining yields but their battleship-sized tank will make it difficult to suicide gank. Finally, a new entry level ORE mining frigate will be released for new players.
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