MMO Updates |
- New Otherland making-of video shows off Five Isle, Tad Williams
- World of Tanks 7.5 patch adds three maps, new tanks for all
- Choose My Adventure: You're nobody till somebody loathes you
- A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Can City of Heroes' PvP be saved?
- Why I Play: Glitch
- The Daily Grind: So who's next to go free-to-play?
- EverQuest gets a cosmetic system
- Age of Conan's plans to borrow tech from The Secret World
- Hindu group continues to protest SMITE, asks QuakeCon to pull the game from the lineup
- DC Universe Online unveils revamps for existing powers
- Trion PR executive talks Defiance, Syfy synergy
- Zentia announces the end of its run
- Massively Speaking Episode 210: Now coming to you in SOGA-Vision
- SWTOR is going free-to-play, subs dip below one million [Updated]
- ArenaNet talks emotional connections in Guild Wars 2
- LotRO's Captains get buffed in Riders of Rohan
- Hyperspace Beacon: SWTOR Holocron Files -- Rattataki
| New Otherland making-of video shows off Five Isle, Tad Williams Posted: 01 Aug 2012 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Sci-fi, Video, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Free-to-play, Otherland  Interestingly, Five Isle is a new invention created specifically for the MMO and does not appear in Tad Williams' series of Otherland novels. Williams himself does appear in the new video along with a handful of game developers. See what they have to say after the break. [Source: gamigo press release] Continue reading New Otherland making-of video shows off Five Isle, Tad Williams
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| World of Tanks 7.5 patch adds three maps, new tanks for all Posted: 01 Aug 2012 09:30 AM PDT Filed under: Historical, MMO industry, Patches, News items, War, Free-to-play, World of Tanks  New tier 10 medium tanks and tank destroyers are the order of the day, as are new premium vehicles, battle arenas, and various medals and titles. The American tech tree has been updated with E3 and E4 mods to the T110 destroyer in addition to the M48A1 Patton III medium tank. The German destroyer lines get the new JadgPz E-100 and E-50 Ausf M. Soviet players can now enjoy Object 268 destroyers and T62A mediums, while French drivers get the Chatillon 25t medium and AMX 50 Foch 155 destroyer. The 7.5 update also adds three new North American maps called Port, Highway, and Serene Coast. [Source: Wargaming.net press release]
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| Choose My Adventure: You're nobody till somebody loathes you Posted: 01 Aug 2012 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Polls, Classes, Game mechanics, Opinion, Free-to-play, Browser, Massively Meta, Humor, Choose My Adventure  So here I go into the odd world of The Kingdom of Loathing. I played it before and enjoyed it somewhat, but in hindsight, I think the game is just not really newbie-friendly enough to make a week's worth of play worthwhile. I found myself a bit turned off by the attempted humor, but as I have read more about the game, I've realized there's much more depth in store for me. So click past the cut and get to voting. And hurry it up -- that meat won't gather itself! Continue reading Choose My Adventure: You're nobody till somebody loathes you
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| A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Can City of Heroes' PvP be saved? Posted: 01 Aug 2012 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, Game mechanics, PvP, Opinion, Free-to-play, A Mild-Mannered Reporter  This doesn't bother me categorically. I play other games, and those games give me enough of a PvP fix. PvP has never been why I play City of Heroes. But it does matter a lot to some people, and so it's worth asking: Can PvP be saved? Or should it just be allowed to continue its current slow death of neglect? Speaking from the outside, I think the answer seems to be a definite maybe. I do think that things can be done to make the PvP actually worth playing; unfortunately, those changes might burn away a chunk of what the hardcore PvP crowd is hoping for, and they might frustrate some of the existing crowd that's quite happy with PvP in its current state as a faint memory. I'm not going to talk about whether or not it should be saved; I'm just going to look at whether or not it's even a possibility. Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Can City of Heroes' PvP be saved?
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| Posted: 01 Aug 2012 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Screenshots, Culture, Opinion, Free-to-play, Browser, Casual, Humor, Miscellaneous, Why I Play  Some people probably consider Glitch a game for younger players or for players who are not as serious about their digital lifestyle. Why Glitch would not be taken as seriously while a game like Darkfall or (ironically) World of Warcraft is considered a more serious gaming venture is beyond me. But then, I think all gaming is silly... that's why it's wonderful. Continue reading Why I Play: Glitch
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| The Daily Grind: So who's next to go free-to-play? Posted: 01 Aug 2012 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: MMO industry, Opinion, Free-to-play, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous  Too soon? Probably so, but it's an interesting thought. Will the next conversion be a fresh title like TERA, or an old favorite like Asheron's Call? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!  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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| EverQuest gets a cosmetic system Posted: 31 Jul 2012 08:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest, Game mechanics, Free-to-play  Called Hero's Forge, this system allows players to change the appearance of their character's armor without altering the stats. Fashion comes with a price, however: SOE will be charging per character to access this system. Once purchased, players will receive their first set of armor for free. Additional pieces of cosmetic armor will become available as both loot drops and Marketplace goods.
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| Age of Conan's plans to borrow tech from The Secret World Posted: 31 Jul 2012 07:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Age of Conan, Game mechanics, Previews, News items, Free-to-play  One of the other updates -- and one that will have far-reaching implications for the game -- regards the current pace of content development and deployment. The development team is considering moving away from large content updates and toward smaller updates at a faster pace. Feedback is being requested from the community on this and other topics, so if you're an Age of Conan stalwart, you should examine the full letter and give the company your opinion.
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| Hindu group continues to protest SMITE, asks QuakeCon to pull the game from the lineup Posted: 31 Jul 2012 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Culture, News items, Free-to-play, Miscellaneous, MOBA  Zed asserts once again that making deities (particularly Kali) into characters in a video game hurts the devotees of Hinduism, claiming that Hinduism is the only tradition portrayed by the game that is still active. The Hindu American Foundation has also expressed displeasure at the way the game has handled figures from the religion, although the HAF has also stated that it is working closely with Hi-Rez Studios to ensure that the information contained within the game is at least accurate. The organizers of QuakeCon 2012 have not publicly responded to the request.
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| DC Universe Online unveils revamps for existing powers Posted: 31 Jul 2012 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Super-hero, Game mechanics, Previews, News items, Free-to-play, DC Universe Online  Mental's core issue was a serious weakness in the Illusions tree, which was addressed by ensuring that more powers in the tree can do damage without relying on fragile interactions. Gadgets, meanwhile, had far too many powers that were doing essentially the same thing. Some powers have been rolled together, new powers have been added, and a few have been changed in form but not in function to address thematic concerns. Even if you've never been fond of these powersets before, the updates might be enough to pique your interest after all.
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| Trion PR executive talks Defiance, Syfy synergy Posted: 31 Jul 2012 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-fi, Video, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Free-to-play, MMOFPS, Defiance  A new PR video featuring Trion Global Brand Director Alex Rodberg sheds a little more light on the "transmedia synergy" between the two products. No, we're not sure what that means either, but it kinda rolls off the tongue, wouldn't you agree? See, say it with us again: transmedia synergy. OK, you're right, it's a buzz phrase. Whew, we almost bought into the hype there for a second! Anyhow, click past the cut to watch Rodberg explain how players of the game don't have to watch the show to enjoy the former (and vice versa) as well as how Trion is working together with Syfy personnel to craft what both firms hope is a unique entertainment experience. Continue reading Trion PR executive talks Defiance, Syfy synergy
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| Zentia announces the end of its run Posted: 31 Jul 2012 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play  ChangYou sent out the farewell letter to its playerbase with the sad news: "Unfortunately, we are unable to continue to keep the Zentia servers available for play after August 13th. The good news is that we will be re-focusing our efforts and resources on some very exciting upcoming titles." The company is urging its players to move to one of its other games, specifically Dragon Oath and Sword Girls. Players who do so will have their store currency moved to that game with an extra bonus of tokens for the trouble.
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| Massively Speaking Episode 210: Now coming to you in SOGA-Vision Posted: 31 Jul 2012 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: World of Warcraft, Podcasts, EverQuest II, MMO industry, News items, Guild Wars 2, Massively Meta, The Secret World, Massively Speaking, Wizard101, Allods Online, Miscellaneous  Have a comment for the podcasters? Shoot an email to podcast@massively.com. We may just read your email on the air! Get the podcast: [iTunes] Subscribe to Massively Speaking directly in iTunes. [RSS] Add Massively Speaking to your RSS aggregator. [MP3] Download the MP3 directly. Listen here on the page: Read below the cut for the full show notes. Continue reading Massively Speaking Episode 210: Now coming to you in SOGA-Vision
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| SWTOR is going free-to-play, subs dip below one million [Updated] Posted: 31 Jul 2012 01:30 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Business models, Star Wars: The Old Republic  Players who choose to engage in free-to-play will be able to experience a majority of the game for free, including the first 50 levels and all eight classes. BioWare did state that there will be restrictions, but those can be removed with microtransactions. SWTOR will still be available in the standard subscription model. Subscribers will be given an allowance of store currency, called Cartel Coins, to buy customizable gear and other niceties. Current subscribers and those who sign back up before the fall can also rack up special rewards for when the transition is made. BioWare GM Matthew Bromberg said that this is the next logical step for the game: "Players want flexibility and choice. The subscription-only model presented a major barrier for a lot of people who wanted to become part of The Old Republic universe." Check out Massively's recent Hyperspace Beacon column on why F2P was inevitable for the game. BioWare's also posted a F2P FAQ with all the nitty-gritty details and a letter from the executive producer. [Update: During this afternoon's investor call, EA President Frank Gibeau revealed that SWTOR subs have dipped below one million but are still "well above" half a million. Forty percent of those leaving do so because of subscriptions. The game claimed 1.3 million subs last May and had leveled off at 1.7 million in March, having sold in the range of 2 million copies. Gibeau hopes the new F2P model will win back players lost to churn.]
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| ArenaNet talks emotional connections in Guild Wars 2 Posted: 31 Jul 2012 01:10 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, Lore, News items, PvE, Guild Wars 2, Dev Diaries  ArenaNet has put a lot of emphasis on the story of Guild Wars 2. But what good is a story unless it's compelling enough to pull players in emotionally? Ree Soesbee and Jeff Grubb, the heart of ArenaNet's Guild Wars 2 lore, talk about this challenge in a new blog post. Story involvement, says Soesbee, begins with players' avatars as early as character creation. Grubb talks about the balance between creating characters with depth and characters with enough loose ends for an unexpected story to emerge, which is a fine line to walk. The game is built around the assumption that players are heroic in nature and essentially good. Like in the original Guild Wars, players don't really have the option to be villains or anti-heroes through the storyline. The liveliness of NPCs and the world around characters are also key steps toward drawing players into the game. I think that's what it all boils down to in the long run-you become emotionally invested with the game because you become interested in both your character and the world. And you can do that by making choices and seeing those choices have an effect-and truly matter-within the world. That is one of our goals when we're telling stories in Guild Wars 2. - Jeff Grub
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| LotRO's Captains get buffed in Riders of Rohan Posted: 31 Jul 2012 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Classes, Expansions, Free-to-play, Dev Diaries  New skills that the Captain will be receiving include Improved Valiant Strike, which now comes with a Fellowship-wide HoT; Improved War-cry, which adds a damage bonus on top of a faster attack speed; and Inspiring Blade of Elendil, which will hit harder, help with power regeneration more, and allow Captains to buff other skills when used in a chain. System Designer Erika Ng said that the team is also working to make skills and legacies useful to all trait-lines for the class. One of the new legacies that added with Riders of Rohan will increase the duration of battle states and defeat responses so that Captains have a longer period of time to fire off reaction skills.
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| Hyperspace Beacon: SWTOR Holocron Files -- Rattataki Posted: 31 Jul 2012 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Culture, Lore, Opinion, Races, Roleplaying, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Hyperspace Beacon  The Rattataki are one of the most confusing species playable in SWTOR. In the scheme of the Star Wars universe, this species is rather young and makes for an odd choice for BioWare. Other species, like the Chiss, Purebloods, and Miraluka, have been around since the early '90s in books and comic books. Zabraks and Mirialans were introduced to us in the prequel movies, and of course, the Twi'leks can be found in the original trilogy. However, the Rattataki didn't make their first (alleged) appearance until 2003, first in the Star Wars: Republic comic book, then in the Clone Wars animated series. What makes this species even more confusing is that the first appearance of a Rattataki wasn't really a Rattataki (giving me one more reason to hate the Clone Wars cartoon). If you've rolled a Rattataki in TOR, or if you're thinking of playing one as a future character, then this edition of Holocron Files is for you. The Rattataki as a species and culture has been set apart from the rest of the Star Wars universe and makes an excellent choice as a playable species. Continue reading Hyperspace Beacon: SWTOR Holocron Files -- Rattataki
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