MMO Updates

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• Gamigo to bring UFO Online and more to Gamescom 2012
• Two Defiance videos emerge from SDCC
• The Soapbox: BioWare, meet ZeniMax; ZeniMax, this is BioWare
• New Firefall dev diary discusses special effects
• The Daily Grind: Does redefining the term MMORPG help or hurt the genre?
• Aion 3.1 goes live on Wednesday
• Not So Massively: League of Legends' balance patch and more
• Inactive players give rise to Xsyon zombies
• Star Wars: The Old Republic teases the upcoming HK-51
• Nival unveils new heroes for upcoming Prime World
• TERA chronoscrolls to be made available via Amazon
• Guild Wars 2 beta will include new PvP map, live gem store, and more
• MechWarrior Online Q&A talks BattleTech stats, weapons, and more
• Captain's Log: Star Trek Online launches Season Six
• Trion releases new concept art for RIFT's Storm Legion

Gamigo to bring UFO Online and more to Gamescom 2012 Posted: 17 Jul 2012 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Real life, Sci-fi, Events, real-world, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Free-to-play, Black Prophecy, Otherland Next month, the eyes of the gaming world will turn towards Cologne, Germany as developers and fans converge at Gamescom 2012. In preparation, Gamigo has announced the line-up of games it will be presenting at this year's convention. Visitors will be able to try their hands at UFO Online and Jagged Alliance Online in the public area. Folks who can't make it to the convention won't have very long to wait to experience these games for themselves; UFO Online is set for open beta testing on August 23rd and Jagged Alliance Online is scheduled to leave beta shortly after the convention. Although not open for public play, Otherland, Grimlands, and Black Prophecy Tactics: Nexus Conflict will be available for members of the press to dive into. Keep an eye out for impressions on these titles! [Source: Gamigo press release] Gamigo to bring UFO Online and more to Gamescom 2012 originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 17 Jul 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Two Defiance videos emerge from SDCC Posted: 17 Jul 2012 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Events, real-world, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Consoles, Community Q&A, Defiance Two new videos about Defiance, the upcoming third-person shooter coupled with a television show, have emerged from San Diego Comic-Con 2012. While sometimes only snippets of videos highlighting key things get released, the first video actually treats folks who couldn't attend to the entire Defiance panel. During the 54-minute video, developers and actors of the Syfy and Trion collaboration discuss the game/television show combination and field questions from the audience. In the second video (which is much smaller by comparison at 13 minutes), Rob Hill, senior producer, and Grant Bowler, the actor who stars as the lead in both the game and the show, discuss the project further. They touch on the background of the post-apocalyptic world setting, and discuss how the game and show will influence each other and evolve together. This video also shows game footage of vehicles and combat. The game, which begins before the show, will launch simultaneously on all three platforms: PC, XBox 360, and PS3. You can check out both videos after the break. Continue reading Two Defiance videos emerge from SDCC Two Defiance videos emerge from SDCC originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 17 Jul 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Gamespot Defiance panel video, Gamespot Defiance interview

The Soapbox: BioWare, meet ZeniMax; ZeniMax, this is BioWare Posted: 17 Jul 2012 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Culture, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, Opinion, Star Wars: The Old Republic, The Soapbox, The Elder Scrolls Online Disclaimer: The Soapbox column is entirely the opinion of this week's writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Massively as a whole. If you're afraid of opinions other than your own, you might want to skip this column. Once upon a time, a group of decision-makers at a big AAA studio set out to brave the wilds of the MMORPG. This studio had several hugely successful single-player RPGs under its belt, and it also had quite a bit of consumer goodwill in the bank thanks to its pre-MMORPG efforts. The studio spent a ton, and I do mean a ton, of money recreating an MMO that already existed in dozens of different games. It also spent a ton of money trying to convince gamers and gaming press that it wasn't making a retread and was instead adding another pillar of awesome to the standard MMO formula. This studio was, of course, BioWare. Unfortunately for Elder Scrolls fans, it's also ZeniMax. Continue reading The Soapbox: BioWare, meet ZeniMax; ZeniMax, this is BioWare The Soapbox: BioWare, meet ZeniMax; ZeniMax, this is BioWare originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 17 Jul 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

New Firefall dev diary discusses special effects Posted: 17 Jul 2012 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-fi, Video, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Free-to-play, Dev Diaries, Firefall When asked what you do, do you get to answer "I blow sh** up for a living"? The folks in special effects do, and that's the best part about working in the gaming industry according to Adam Kupratis, visual FX artist for Red 5 Studios. In Firefall's latest dev diary, Adam and colleague Marc McCall, technical artist, sit back and talk about developing the special effects in the game. The team emphasizes that they aim to make Firefall very visually different than other games. Amid the technical discussion, the video also offers footage demonstrating some of the different effects. You can check them out after the break. Continue reading New Firefall dev diary discusses special effects New Firefall dev diary discusses special effects originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 17 Jul 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Dev diary on YouTube

The Daily Grind: Does redefining the term MMORPG help or hurt the genre? Posted: 17 Jul 2012 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Culture, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Opinion, The Daily Grind Yesterday's Daily Grind spawned some interesting comments, not the least of which was a theory that expanding the definition of the term MMORPG is good for the genre. I disagreed, as I feel that lobby-based shooters and preset character-driven games like Vindictus and Marvel Heroes dilute the original meaning of the term MMORPG and make it less likely for feature-rich MMOs to see the light of day. That's not to say that I dislike the Vindictuses (Vindictii?) of the world on their own terms, but I do wish they would keep their grubby paws off my acronyms and initialisms. What about you, morning crew? Are you OK with any sort of game appropriating the MMORPG label and attempting to expand (or in some cases, contract) it, or do you think this hurts the genre? 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! The Daily Grind: Does redefining the term MMORPG help or hurt the genre? originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 17 Jul 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Aion 3.1 goes live on Wednesday Posted: 16 Jul 2012 07:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Aion, Game mechanics, Patches, News items, Free-to-play, Dungeons The first major version update for Aion's latest incarnation is going live on Wednesday, and it's all about getting your characters up to speed as quickly as possible. If you've got a character or two who's lagged behind, it's time to bring him or her up in levels. For starters, the entry requirements for Steel Rake, Theobomos Lab, Aetherogenetics Lab, Adma Stronghold, and Alquimia Research Center have all been reduced, meaning you can complete the dungeons earlier in your leveling career. The instances have been improved in other ways as well: Aetherogenetics and Alquimia give increased experience and drop better equipment, while Theobomos and Adma Stronghold have both been opened to both factions with new quests for each. Meanwhile, the game is also adding a special Fast Track server, allowing players to shoot along toward the level cap with a full array of Rift Buffs perpetually turned on. Keep your eyes peeled for the patch's approach, as it hits the live servers on July 18th. Aion 3.1 goes live on Wednesday originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 16 Jul 2012 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Jump Into the New 3.1 Update on July 18!

Not So Massively: League of Legends' balance patch and more Posted: 16 Jul 2012 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Video, Game mechanics, Patches, News items, Free-to-play, Not So Massively, MOBA, League of Legends, Diablo III It's been a big week for League of Legends, with a major balance update and new champion Zyra being released. Sona, Malzahar, and Xin Zhao received major buffs, while Evelynn and Twitch were both completely reworked as part of a plan to balance persistent stealth. Dota 2 released new hero Templar Assassin and revealed a limited edition microtransaction key that is needed to open a rare chest. Heroes of Newerth also released its own new hero this week, a ranged damage-dealer called Prophet, who thrives on teamwork. Blizzard revealed a few details on Diablo III's upcoming legendary item buffs, and players manually recreated the game's Diamond Gates of Heaven area in Minecraft. Path of Exile continued to show its impressive character customisation options in its latest Build of the Week video and offered a sneak peek at the new passive skill tree layout. Finally, the Torchlight II crew announced that it will be at PAX Prime at the end of August and will be running a Torchlight cosplay contest while there. Continue reading Not So Massively: League of Legends' balance patch and more Not So Massively: League of Legends' balance patch and more originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 16 Jul 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Inactive players give rise to Xsyon zombies Posted: 16 Jul 2012 05:30 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Game mechanics, Patches, News items, Xsyon, Post-Apocalyptic, Sandbox Normally, the worst things that happen to inactive players are that guilds kick them out. But in the world of Xsyon, the consequences are more dire, not just for the player but for everyone around. With the game's latest update, inactive tribal totems will begin to give rise to intelligent and malicious undead revenants. And these creatures are far more intelligent thatn your average monsters, hunting other players and looting them for better equipment as they capture new territory. Fortunately for the players, there's also new armor to be looted off the revenants themselves and plenty of opportunities for players to beat back the invasion. The update also brings along a widespread upgrade to monster AI, making all foes a bit more clever and deadly aside from just the revenants. If you've been out of the game for a while, you might want to jump back in, especially to prevent your former home from turning into an undead nest. [Source: Notorious Games press release] Inactive players give rise to Xsyon zombies originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 16 Jul 2012 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Star Wars: The Old Republic teases the upcoming HK-51 Posted: 16 Jul 2012 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Trailers, Video, Lore, Previews, News items, Star Wars: The Old Republic Observation: If you are playing Star Wars: The Old Republic, you have likely accumulated a variety of enemies within the game. Query: Perhaps you would enjoy having some assistance in removing those enemies in a more permanent capacity? Entreaty: Consider employing the coveted HK-51 assassin droid, a mobile platform capable of dispatching even the most stalwart foes when given the proper direction by a master. Aside: Even if said master is a sniveling meatbag. Anecdote: BioWare first showed off the trailer for the upcoming HK-51 companion during the recently concluded San Diego Comic-Con. Observation: The trailer can now be viewed by players who missed the convention, allowing everyone to see a first glimpse of this special companion. Caveat: It has not yet been revealed how players can acquire their own assassin droids, although hints have been dropped that the process will require a great deal of questing, possibly on both factions. Encouragement: If you aren't daunted at the prospect, by all means, take a look at the trailer and start clearing space on your ship for a new droid. [Acknowledgement: Thanks to Michael for the tip!] Star Wars: The Old Republic teases the upcoming HK-51 originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 16 Jul 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: HK-51 Revealed

Nival unveils new heroes for upcoming Prime World Posted: 16 Jul 2012 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Classes, Game mechanics, Previews, News items, Free-to-play, MOBA If you're looking forward to Prime World, Nival's upcoming entry into the growing market of DotA-style games, you'll be happy to know that the game's developers have just released information on a new group of heroes. This week's reveals cover a lot of ground, from the stalker-style Phantom and Faceless to the ice spells of Cryo and Blizz and the pack tactics of Wolf Dancer and Jaeger. Phantom and Faceless focus on hit-and-run tactics to harass the enemy, with high mobility, low hit points, and a lot of quick damage skills. Their talents include damaging teleportation and a stacking buff to damage as battles wear on. Cryo and Blizz instead focus on control and damage at range, with the ability to lock opponents in place and blanket an area with biting winds. Last but not least, Wolf Dancer and Jaeger use their pets as miniature armies, overwhelming enemies with large numbers of vicious targets. Take a look at some early screenshots of these heroes in the gallery below. [Source: Nival press release] Gallery: Prime World Nival unveils new heroes for upcoming Prime World originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 16 Jul 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

TERA chronoscrolls to be made available via Amazon Posted: 16 Jul 2012 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Business models, News items, TERA, Dev Diaries Game developers are always looking for new and exciting ways for you to give them your money. To that end, En Masse has partnered up with Amazon.com to sell TERA chronoscrolls, which are redeemable for a month of game time or for cold, hard gold from in-game brokers. Chronoscroll purchases through Amazon don't come with a clunky ol' code that has to be entered in anywhere. Instead, sweetening the deal, chronoscrolls will appear automagically in your in-game Item Claim window. Need more convincing? Customers who integrate their En Masse and Amazon accounts in the next 30 days will get free stuff! The federation field kit, full of in-game goodies, will be available for free from Amazon. Check out the official news post for full details and the TERA + Amazon support page if this sounds like your kind of thing. TERA chronoscrolls to be made available via Amazon originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 16 Jul 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Chronoscrolls and More

Guild Wars 2 beta will include new PvP map, live gem store, and more Posted: 16 Jul 2012 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Video, News items, Guild Wars 2, Dev Diaries We've already told you that you can play as the Asura and Sylvari in the upcoming Guild Wars 2 beta weekend, but the fun doesn't stop there! Along with a chance to meet the last two races, characters will have access to a brand-new map for characters in the 17 to 20 level range. The new map, the Brisbane Wildlands, borders the areas of the Asura, Sylvari, and humans, with a heaping helping of Skritt thrown in for good measure. There's trouble in paradise, though, according to Game Designer Kim Kirsch. "The Inquest, Nightmare Court, and human bandits now flood the area, preying on skritt and disrupting lab operations. Worse still, each of these groups seem to have their own dark intentions -- plots that could be catastrophic if left unchecked." If you're torn between keeping your existing beta characters or rolling anew as an Asura or Sylvari, ArenaNet has made your choice a great deal easier. All existing beta information (characters, items, and likely server selection) will be deleted. You'll keep your contact list, but that's about it! This wipe will happen both before and after the upcoming beta weekend, so you'll have a clean slate for the last test and then again for the headstart weekend or launch proper. In addition, transactions in the in-game gem store will require actual credit card or PayPal purchases. While items bought in the store this weekend will be wiped, a record will be kept of how many gems were purchased, and those gems will be waiting for you after Guild Wars 2 launches. Continue reading Guild Wars 2 beta will include new PvP map, live gem store, and more Guild Wars 2 beta will include new PvP map, live gem store, and more originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 16 Jul 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

MechWarrior Online Q&A talks BattleTech stats, weapons, and more Posted: 16 Jul 2012 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-fi, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Free-to-play Do you have a few burning questions for MechWarrior Online's devs? Well, it's too late because they've already answered them! OK, it's probably not too late, as we're sure the guys at Piranha will field some community questions before MWO's August 7th street date. That said, there is a new Q&A session on the game's official site that's worth a quick read right now. There are 10 separate questions and answers, many of which offer interesting nuggets about what long-time BattleTech fans can expect from the free-to-play sci-fi title. "We use the table-top [game] as our base stats, and then test from there. Most things are still pretty close, though," Piranha says. There's more, including blurbs about the minimap, ammo switching, and game types. Check it out via the link below. MechWarrior Online Q&A talks BattleTech stats, weapons, and more originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 16 Jul 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Q&A

Captain's Log: Star Trek Online launches Season Six Posted: 16 Jul 2012 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Launches, Patches, Opinion, Star Trek Online, Free-to-play, Captain's Log Season Six has finally made its way to the Star Trek Online live servers! It was pushed to the Holodeck server last Thursday after a day-long maintenance period and a couple of patches that followed into the wee-hours of the morning on Friday. By Friday afternoon, the majority of issues seemed to be resolved, and players, especially those who belonged to fleets, crowded into the game to begin construction on their new starbases. Others jumped in to play against the new Tholian enemy in a hostile environment. Most now seem very happy with the new content and are eager to work with their fellow starship captains to create and defend their fleets' bases. Join me after the jump as I go over more of the new stuff! Continue reading Captain's Log: Star Trek Online launches Season Six Captain's Log: Star Trek Online launches Season Six originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 16 Jul 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Trion releases new concept art for RIFT's Storm Legion Posted: 16 Jul 2012 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Galleries, Screenshots, Expansions, News items, RIFT, Miscellaneous The last bit of news coming from the RIFT front was about a new feline mount players could purchase. Today, Trion Worlds turns the attention toward the game's upcoming expansion, Storm Legion, slated to release later this year. To help ease the wait (or simply to whet players' appetites), developers have decided to give fans a taste of some expansion foes by releasing new concept art. Check out the four new images as well as other RIFT screenshots in the gallery below. Gallery: RIFT: Core Gallery Trion releases new concept art for RIFT's Storm Legion originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 16 Jul 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: RIFT concept art

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