MMO Updates |
- Blade & Soul Korean open beta records 150,000 users within an hour
- Schilling 'tapped out' after loss of 38 Studios
- New World of Warplanes video features carrier-based fighters
- EverQuest II Game Update 64 revamps Qeynos and PvP
- Waren Story hits closed beta
- The Daily Grind: Have you ever loved a game you once hated?
- EVE players abuse faction warfare to produce trillions of ISK
- The Summoner's Guidebook: Stopping the endless rage in League of Legends
- Storm Legion will include RIFT for free
- Anarchy Online celebrates its 11th birthday
- Star Wars: The Old Republic talks adaptive gear, augment tables
- The Guild Counsel: Nerfed to heck - now what?
- Diablo III forces digital consumers to wait up to 72 hours to access full game
- Ask Massively: You guys have strong opinions on gaming laptops edition
- New Heroes & Generals trailer shows gameplay, community
- ArcheAge to feature extensive maritime gameplay, housing
- Another Guild Wars 2 stress test is coming this Wednesday
- The Perfect Ten: MMO Jukebox
| Blade & Soul Korean open beta records 150,000 users within an hour Posted: 22 Jun 2012 09:30 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Blade & Soul  Currently, Blade & Soul ranks only behind Diablo III and League of Legends in popularity according to data provided by Gametrics. The game is scheduled to launch in Korea next month; unfortunately for North American and European fans, there are currently no set plans for bringing the game to these markets.
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| Schilling 'tapped out' after loss of 38 Studios Posted: 22 Jun 2012 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Business models, Economy, MMO industry, News items, Miscellaneous  "The money I saved and earned playing baseball was probably all gone... life is going to be different," he says. Rhode Island taxpayers will also be tightening their belts, as they'll pay nearly $12 million annually through the year 2020 to cover 38's $150 million debt, according to Joystiq. Schilling also revealed that 38 Studios was close to signing a deal to produce a Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning sequel prior to remarks made by Rhode Island governor Lincoln Chafee that supposedly damaged the negotiation process. Schilling also expressed remorse at the plight of former 38 Studios employees. "The employees got blindsided," he said. "They have every right to be upset. I always told everybody if something were going to happen, you're going to have a month or two of lead time, and I bombed on that one in epic fashion."
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| New World of Warplanes video features carrier-based fighters Posted: 22 Jun 2012 08:30 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Historical, Trailers, Video, Classes, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, War, Free-to-play, World of Warplanes  There are a few lesser-known aircraft in the mix as well. Players can fly several early biplane fighters as well as jets like the F5U and F7U. World of Warplanes is currently in closed beta. The game is an arcade-style flight shooter that features four unique battle maps as well as 59 aircraft from the U.S., Germany, and the U.S.S.R. Click past the cut to see some carrier fighters in action. [Source: Wargaming.net press release] Continue reading New World of Warplanes video features carrier-based fighters
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| EverQuest II Game Update 64 revamps Qeynos and PvP Posted: 22 Jun 2012 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest II, Patches, PvP, News items, Free-to-play  Besides the much-anticipated opening of Qeynos by consolidating zones, the bulk of this update is focused on improving the PvP experience both in and outside of battlegrounds. One key aim is to have "player skill [be] the biggest deciding factor in PVP combat, not gear." Changes in store for the PvP-minded are stat adjustments, consolidated open-world and battleground tokens, enhanced open world PvP as well as the battlegrounds, and adjusted crowd control mechanics to better balance the classes. You can listen to the devs discuss the changes related to PvP and the battlegrounds in Sony Online Entertainment's latest community webcast or read more details in the announcement. These changes hit the test server on Tuesday, June 26th and are expected to go live in the next couple of months.
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| Posted: 22 Jun 2012 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, PvP, Free-to-play  Waren Story's PvP is both varied and vicious. There are 10 different modes of player-vs-player combat, including siege warfare and a weekly conquest war. Players who fall in combat will give up some of their experience and items to their killer, so there's a vested interest in staying alive at all costs. If you're interested in the beta, you can head over to Waren Story and download the client starting today.
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| The Daily Grind: Have you ever loved a game you once hated? Posted: 22 Jun 2012 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous  But if you paid for the game, or have some sort of investment in it, you might see it collecting dust on your shelf or making puppy-dog eyes at you from your desktop and decide that it deserves another try. That's when you discover that it might just be the best game you've ever played. Has this happened to you? Which game reeled you back in? Was it because of a patch, or just the fact that time heals all wounds? Let us know in the comments!  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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| EVE players abuse faction warfare to produce trillions of ISK Posted: 21 Jun 2012 10:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Bugs, Culture, Events, in-game, Expansions, Game mechanics, Professions, News items, Sandbox  Inferno added a new reward system for faction warfare that gave players loyalty points for enemy ship kills based on the value of the destroyed ship and cargo. A bug was found that rewarded players for both the destroyed and surviving cargo, even though surviving cargo could be recovered. GoonWaffe pilot Aryth and four friends began destroying their own freighters full of minerals to cash the minerals out into loyalty points, which were then used to buy items for sale. When CCP discovered this bug and fixed it, the group manipulated the market price of one of the game's least-purchased items up to a huge number. When the price index for the value of that item updated, the players began destroying haulers full of them to generate billions of loyalty points for almost nothing. The points were cashed out into items for sale on the market, producing a total profit of over five trillion ISK. The abuse has not yet been declared an exploit, but CCP has fixed the issue and is still investigating it. At current market prices, five trillion ISK is enough to buy around 10,000 30-day game time codes worth a total of $175,000 US.
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| The Summoner's Guidebook: Stopping the endless rage in League of Legends Posted: 21 Jun 2012 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Game mechanics, PvP, Opinion, Free-to-play, Guides, MOBA, League of Legends, The Summoner's Guidebook  I find this to be unacceptable! Tryndamere's rage is hardly endless, and dealing with him is one of the best early matchups to learn. Once you know how to deal with his tricks, he's much weaker, and you can walk all over him. People who rely on Tryndamere's gimmicks to win games will be stopped cold once you've mastered the counters. Continue reading The Summoner's Guidebook: Stopping the endless rage in League of Legends
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| Storm Legion will include RIFT for free Posted: 21 Jun 2012 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Expansions, News items, RIFT, Promotions  Of course, this sounds like less of a deal if you already own RIFT, but you're covered there as well, as existing players can expect a price discount on purchasing the expansion. So if you want to enjoy the increased level cap, better crafting, and new souls, you won't have to pay full retail price for the experience. It's a good deal for existing fans and new players alike -- and one that may help encourage more players to give Storm Legion a shot.
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| Anarchy Online celebrates its 11th birthday Posted: 21 Jun 2012 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Anarchy Online, Events, in-game, Free-to-play, Anniversary  There will be two birthday celebrations, one on the Atlantean server on Friday, June 22nd, at 1:00 p.m. EDT and one on Rimor on Monday, June 25th, at 1:00 p.m. EDT. Both in-game celebrations will be marked by spawning events, special mobs, and in-game items. If you're down with the party scene, the community will be throwing a monster rave to end all raves. Funcom hinted at a few of the surprises, including new costumes, action figures, vehicles, and the love of a duck and a cake. The studio will be handing out a free jet pack for all players who log in during the celebration.
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| Star Wars: The Old Republic talks adaptive gear, augment tables Posted: 21 Jun 2012 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Patches, News items, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Crafting  Star Wars: The Old Republic's upcoming patch 1.3 looks like it's going to be bringing a bunch of fun goodies for the crafters in its playerbase. BioWare has posted a new update on the SWTOR official site to give players a look at some of the changes coming in the patch. For starters, we have the new adaptive gear weight system. When a character or companion is equipped with a piece of social armor with the adaptive armor weight, that character will automatically "use it to maximum effect, gaining the benefits of the highest armor weight [the character] can equip." The big crafting-related feature hitting in 1.3, however, is the addition of augment tables. BioWare has noticed that crafted items with augment slots (which are created only through a critical crafting success) are almost disproportionately powerful due to their "exceptional stat potential", which the devs say is "indicative of a systemic inequity between different types of items." Augment tables, which will be accessible through the current item modification stations, aim to fix this by allowing players to add augment slots to existing items without having to rely on a critical crafting success. Players can acquire additional slots by paying a flat cost of credits at an item modification station or by using an augment kit crafted by Armormechs, Synthweavers, and Armstechs. The full system is a little too complex to delve into in this post, however, so if the idea of augment tables piqued your interest, head on over to the full post to read more.
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| The Guild Counsel: Nerfed to heck - now what? Posted: 21 Jun 2012 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Classes, Game mechanics, Guilds, Opinion, The Guild Counsel, Miscellaneous  Classes are a double-edged sword because on one hand, they allow people to feel needed and unique. I tank, you heal, Bobby does DPS, and the group is a lot weaker if one of us is missing. On the other hand, class balance is rarely achieved, so there's always that red-headed stepchild class that no one really needs, the one who feels like the proverbial fifth wheel. If you're a guild leader whose member has suddenly gone from "OP" to "nerfed to oblivion," then what, if anything, should you do? Let's take a look in this week's Guild Counsel. Continue reading The Guild Counsel: Nerfed to heck - now what?
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| Diablo III forces digital consumers to wait up to 72 hours to access full game Posted: 21 Jun 2012 01:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Business models, MMO industry, Diablo III  Digital download customers are now restricted to the starter edition section of the game: part of Act 1, a level cap of 13, no auction house access, and limited interaction with other players. These restrictions do not apply to those who purchased the retail box of the game. A Blizzard employee explained the unlock delay in a forum post: "Outside of the issue that we fixed, digital purchases do require a review period before they kick over from Starter to Full editions. We apologize for the inconvenience, but it is a necessary step to combat fraud and other malicious activities that can weaken everyone's play experience. The delay is no longer than three days, and is often much quicker than that. Hang tight." This follows this morning's news that the South Korean government is twisting Blizzard's arm to make the studio issue refunds for dissatisfied customers. [Thanks to Marc for the tip!]
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| Ask Massively: You guys have strong opinions on gaming laptops edition Posted: 21 Jun 2012 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Culture, Events, real-world, MMO industry, Opinion, Humor, Ask Massively, Miscellaneous  That was then, this is now, and now is all about a new set of answers in Ask Massively. This week, we're talking about the old standby of internet games, the games that were viral before "viral" was a thing: ARGs. If you've got a question for a future installment of the column, mail it to ask@massively.com or leave it in the comments below. Questions may be edited slightly for clarity and/or brevity. Continue reading Ask Massively: You guys have strong opinions on gaming laptops edition
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| New Heroes & Generals trailer shows gameplay, community Posted: 21 Jun 2012 12:30 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Historical, Trailers, Video, Culture, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, PvP, News items, War, Free-to-play, Browser  Reto-Moto invited a few of H&G's most active community members to pal around with the dev team at various locations near the firm's Copenhagen studio. The new trailer is the result, and Reto-Moto says it's a nod to the fact that the game really is built with its community in mind. "We wish to create a living and breathing game universe, where we deliver the setting and the scene, but the real star is the community who plays out all the active roles in a persistent war and helps us tweak the experience into the game that they want to play," says game director Jacob Andersen. [Source: Reto-Moto press release] Continue reading New Heroes & Generals trailer shows gameplay, community
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| ArcheAge to feature extensive maritime gameplay, housing Posted: 21 Jun 2012 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, ArcheAge, Sandbox, Housing  The forthcoming beta phase will see the existing game world "complemented by huge expanses of ocean." This isn't just for show, as Song says that eventually "oceans will allow players to find new employment, for example extraction, preparation, and delivery of seafood." Sea battles are also mentioned, as are "player-built maritime residences." How this relates to the previously announced underwater gameplay isn't clear, nor is it a given that we'll see all of this in CBT5, but ArcheAge's sprawling open world certainly looks to be putting the "massively" back into massively multiplayer. There's more to the interview, including bits on action combat and a clarification on Song's previous remarks regarding console games. Hit the link below for the full translation. [Thanks to Dengar for the tip!]
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| Another Guild Wars 2 stress test is coming this Wednesday Posted: 21 Jun 2012 11:15 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Events, in-game, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Guild Wars 2, Free-to-play  The invitation is restricted to players who have pre-purchased the game, and ArenaNet says that it wants "to gather additional data on how [the servers] operate under load" before the next beta weekend event. If you've played during a previous testing phase, your characters will be waiting for you since the devs aren't wiping data for the stress test. More info is yours for the reading at the official GW2 website.
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| Posted: 21 Jun 2012 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: World of Warcraft, Anarchy Online, EVE Online, Guild Wars, Lord of the Rings Online, Pirates of the Burning Sea, Culture, Runes of Magic, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Perfect Ten, Miscellaneous, WildStar  I know that we players tend to be pretty vocal about turning off MMO music at some point, usually due to extreme repetition. Unfortunately, that seems to leave a bad association with this music in our minds, and I don't feel that reputation is deserved. MMO scores can be just as good -- if not better -- than their counterparts in film or other video games. So I've decided that every so often I'm going to devote a full Perfect Ten to sharing my favorite MMO music. I'm always open to suggestions, of course, so if you know of a track that you feel really should be in the next list, send me an email or leave it in the comments! Continue reading The Perfect Ten: MMO Jukebox
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