MMO Updates

MMO Updates

Rise and Shiny: Family Guy Online

Posted: 29 Jul 2012 10:00 AM PDT

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Family Guy Online screenshot
Let me just say this, right off the bat: I cannot stand the Family Guy television series. I know, I know, it's full of shocking, edgy humor and wacky character like the elderly child molester and the sex-crazed neighbor, so why shouldn't I love it? But I've seen the style of humor many times, and it's always, well, non-funny. I've said this before and I still mean it: Seth MacFarlane is this generation's Adam Sandler. They both do one voice and have made millions of dollars from it.

So when I decided to see whether Family Guy Online is a real MMO or just a vehicle for the new movie The Watch, (it's plastered throughout much of the game), I was ready for plenty of potty humor, jokes that tried to offend me, and essentially a horrible time. Oh, I found the horrible time easily enough (and forgave much of it because of the game's beta state), but I also found some pretty cool gameplay.

Some, I said.

Continue reading Rise and Shiny: Family Guy Online

MassivelyRise and Shiny: Family Guy Online originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 29 Jul 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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    League of Legends nerfs Rumble, buffs Urgot and Cho'Gath

    Posted: 29 Jul 2012 09:00 AM PDT

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    League of Legends title image
    In addition to getting a new champion every few weeks, League of Legends is continually updated with balance changes and gameplay tweaks based on player feedback. Yesterday Riot Games released its early August patch preview, detailing incoming champion nerfs and buffs in addition to big changes for the player-mediated banning tribunal. Players who are punished by the tribunal will now be emailed a reform card showing the case made against them and highlighting the exact behaviours they need to improve to avoid further bans.

    Following a bugfix to Rumble's Flamespitter ability in the Jayce patch, his damage suddenly increased. Rumble's Danger Zone passive and Flamespitter abilities will have their damage reduced to compensate for the increase. The previous patch also gave Urgot some heavy nerfs that went a little bit too far, and in the next patch, some of those nerfs are being reverted. Classic champion Cho'Gath will also get a number of tweaks to remove random cast time delays and make him more fun to play.

    Skip past the cut to watch the full patch preview video in HD.

    Continue reading League of Legends nerfs Rumble, buffs Urgot and Cho'Gath

    MassivelyLeague of Legends nerfs Rumble, buffs Urgot and Cho'Gath originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 29 Jul 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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    Previously on MV TV: The week of July 21st

    Posted: 29 Jul 2012 08:00 AM PDT

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    Previously On banner
    It's been another fun week of livestreaming, full of witty comments and exciting gameplay! If you're reading this right now, you probably missed a few and need me to recap several of the best streams. That's a fine deal, and after all, I must do it. No, seriously, I have to. They have me tied to my desk.

    So what did you miss? Before I show you, you have have to promise to bookmark our livestream guide and to check on that guide every Monday. That way you'll always know who is streaming what and when. Deal? OK, let me break it down for you. First you'll find some The Secret World being streamed by our very own Piggy, followed by Richie (and his father) playing SMITE. Next, MJ takes the reins and plays some EverQuest II, The Secret World and City of Heroes. I rounded things out by getting myself arrested in Face of Mankind. What a week!

    See you past the cut! Oh, and grab the salt would you? I need it for the popcorn.

    Continue reading Previously on MV TV: The week of July 21st

    MassivelyPreviously on MV TV: The week of July 21st originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 29 Jul 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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      The Daily Grind: Should games offer a midpoint between pre-made builds and completely free builds?

      Posted: 29 Jul 2012 06:00 AM PDT

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      Quick, pick a number! No time to explain what any of the numbers mean yet!
      There are a lot of different ways you can put together a character in certain games. The Secret World offers players a huge number of different options by virtue of its skill wheel, RIFT gives players several souls to choose between, and Champions Online lets you cherry-pick from a huge pool of powers. Most of these games also offer you some pre-made builds to give you a sense of how the game is supposed to work, something to start you down the path of making your own build.

      Unfortunately, as soon as you decide to step off the pre-made train, these games throw up their hands and declare that you're entirely on your own. There are no suggestions based on what you've picked thus far, it's either fully pre-made or fully freeform. Should these games offer something in the middle so that you can have some extra guidance if you want it? Or should they let you live or die by your decisions if you decide you want to go off the rails anyway?

      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!

      MassivelyThe Daily Grind: Should games offer a midpoint between pre-made builds and completely free builds? originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 29 Jul 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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        The Mog Log: The zone design of Final Fantasy XIV

        Posted: 28 Jul 2012 02:00 PM PDT

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        The Mog Log header by A. Fienemann
        I love Final Fantasy XIV, something that comes as no surprise to regular readers of this column. But the game's zone design is not its highlight. This is one of those design aspects that really bothered everyone in the world when the game launched, and it was for good cause, but I think there's more to it than simply condemning the whole thing out of hand. There are several places where the zone design isn't actually bad and in fact is downright brilliant.

        You could say that it's a variation on Final Fantasy XIV's theme right there: brilliance mixed in with average and awfulness.

        Obviously, zone design will be changing in a big way when version 2.0 launches, something that gets closer with each passing day. Still, it's worth examining where we are now if for no other reason than to hopefully identify what a good revision would look like. This is not a horrible mess; this is a few great elements mixed in with several elements that just aren't well thought out.

        Continue reading The Mog Log: The zone design of Final Fantasy XIV

        MassivelyThe Mog Log: The zone design of Final Fantasy XIV originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 28 Jul 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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          The Tattered Notebook: The EQII face that launched a thousand ships

          Posted: 28 Jul 2012 12:00 PM PDT

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          The Tattered Notebook The face that launched a thousand ships or is it
          The tale of Helen and Paris is a classic one. Paris of Troy, blinded by Helen's beauty, was willing to risk full-scale naval invasion and the destruction of his home city in order to be with her. But what if the Paris and Helen love story had been more like the movie Shallow Hal, in which the women that Hal's attracted to are not very attractive on the outside to say the least? That pretty much sums up EverQuest II's character models for the past several years, and it creates a tricky situation on a number of levels.

          Gamers spend hours getting every nose wrinkle and hair curl just right, but what if that didn't matter? What if your carefully tailored character looked completely different to others than it does to you? And is it worth it to preserve two distinct sets of character models if it causes a mountain of work every time a new armor set is created? This past week, the EQII team responded to a discussion about this very topic, and in this week's Tattered Notebook, we'll take a look at whether the current system needs to go!

          Continue reading The Tattered Notebook: The EQII face that launched a thousand ships

          MassivelyThe Tattered Notebook: The EQII face that launched a thousand ships originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 28 Jul 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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