MMO Updates |
- Player banks $10,000 with Diablo III
- ArcheAge trailer shows off new houses and more
- Aion 3.0 to launch in Europe on August 15th
- DayZ becomes a standalone project
- Shadowrun Online reveals world view and legwork videos
- Guild Wars 2 interview touches on mobile app development and structured PvP
- The Game Archaeologist: Neocron and Neocron 2
- The Daily Grind: Do you feel bad about leaving a good MMO?
- PlanetSide 2 dev diary video shows off Light Assault gameplay
- TERA shows off new skills for Lancers and Warriors
- Not So Massively: Cash prizes, tournaments, and hero spotlights
- End of Nations outlines Heroes and Mercenaries in a new video
- MechWarrior Online developer blog discusses beta stages and launching
- Stalk your friends with Diablo III's new character profiles
- SOE defends EverQuest appearance system cost
- Age of Conan merging Set, Wiccana servers this week
- DayZ surpasses one million unique players
- Riot investing heavily in e-sports, creating new LoL-focused pro league
- ArcheAge CBT5 emphasizes use of the sea with new features
- ArenaNet's Grubb and Soesbee on Twitch this afternoon
- Wings Over Atreia: Three signs you've crossed that line
| Player banks $10,000 with Diablo III Posted: 07 Aug 2012 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Real life, Business models, Economy, News items, Diablo III  A gamer who says he's been interested in item markets and economics since he started trading in Neopets is seeing that interest pay off in Diablo III. Redditor WishboneTheDog posted some screenshots lending proof to his impressive claim of making $10,000 with Diablo III's real money auction house and invited other players to ask him (almost) anything. He said he'd never botted, scammed, or otherwise cheated at all in his efforts, because trading in item markets is part of how he has fun so it "wouldn't make sense" to cheat. Gold is like a foreign currency. It represents value, but only within the specific game world. You can't use gold to buy things in stores in the US, just like you can't use Yen to buy things in those stores. If, however, you can convert that currency to a usable one, it has an "exchange rate." Gold has an exchange rate exactly like a foreign currency has. (Except gold is more easily exchanged than 90% of the currencies in the world.) -- WishboneTheDog
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| ArcheAge trailer shows off new houses and more Posted: 07 Aug 2012 09:30 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Trailers, Video, News items, ArcheAge, Sandbox  ArcheAge is a little more than a week away from its fifth closed beta test, and the new features up for testing are being highlighted one by one. The newest trailer introduces the Mirage Island, a location where players will be able to window shop and preview different sorts of items. The video shows players testing out mounts, looking at fancy clothes, and inspecting houses. The Island allows for players to try out items and see what it is that suits their fancy, with everything from adorable pets (which can grow up to be big, strong mounts!) to miniaturized towers lined up side-by-side for comparison. Jump below the cut to see for yourself. Continue reading ArcheAge trailer shows off new houses and more
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| Aion 3.0 to launch in Europe on August 15th Posted: 07 Aug 2012 09:15 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Aion, Patches, News items, Free-to-play, Crafting, Housing  Come next week, every Daeva over level 21 will be able to own their own space. Along with housing, players will be able to specialize in the new furniture making crafting profession to decorate and personalize their home-sweet-home. Characters level 55 through 60 (the new level cap) will be able to access the newest areas of Balaurea: Sarpan and Tiamaranta. While Tiamaranta brings four new fortresses to conquer, Sarpan is a PvP-free zone where Asmodians and Elyos must live together under a truce. With so many new features, now is definitely a good time to come back or check out the world of Atreia! [Source: Gameforge press release]
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| DayZ becomes a standalone project Posted: 07 Aug 2012 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: New titles, News items, MMOFPS, Post-Apocalyptic, Dev Diaries  DayZ, the little mod that could, has grown up and moved out of the house. The Arma II mod will now be developed as a standalone project by Bohemia Interactive with lead developer Dean Hall as the project's lead. The mod and the standalone game will continue to be developed side-by-side, so if you're invested in the mod now you can keep on keepin' on just as you have been. Like Minecraft, the game will have an alpha version available for a big discount, and alpha will go through fast iterations. Hall promised more information in the coming weeks.
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| Shadowrun Online reveals world view and legwork videos Posted: 07 Aug 2012 08:30 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-fi, Video, Game mechanics, News items, Free-to-play  Cliffhanger Production's Kickstarter campaign for Shadowrun Online is entering the home stretch, which means it's time for new videos and information about the game! World views in Shadowrun Online allow players to access the information that matters most to them: a Hacker will receive and manipulate different information than a Mage, as they have skills and abilities geared towards different gameplay styles. Not only does this help tailor individual play, it creates a much more information-rich style of team dynamics when players can provide their allies with different information. The game's concept of legwork is that of being prepared for a situation rather than running, guns blazing, into a room full of hostiles. It means gathering information and having a plan to deal with security guards because unlike some (and by some we mean most) online worlds, people tend to notice when they suddenly go missing. The team has scheduled a Reddit AMA for August 8th at 3:00 p.m. EDT. Skip below the cut for the two new videos. Continue reading Shadowrun Online reveals world view and legwork videos
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| Guild Wars 2 interview touches on mobile app development and structured PvP Posted: 07 Aug 2012 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Game mechanics, New titles, PvP, News items, Guild Wars 2, Free-to-play  The topic of structured PvP also received attention. ArenaNet noted that the most important goals behind this feature "were to make it accessible and fun, skill-based to keep players playing, and to support it well." Part of doing that is to focus on the structured PvP mode known as Conquest, and doing it well. However, the studio also stated that it would like to introduce more game types at some point. Other topics also touched on were lore, weapons, events, and the new player experience. You can read more details in the full interview. [Thanks to Steven for the tip!]
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| The Game Archaeologist: Neocron and Neocron 2 Posted: 07 Aug 2012 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Neocron 2, MMO industry, The Game Archaeologist  PlanetSide 2? Nope -- this is Neocron, the quite-forgettable MMOFPS from the way-back era. I like to call it "that game with the most regrettable cover art in the history of video games," but that isn't quite as snappy. Going into this article, I have to admit that I previously knew absolutely nothing about Neocron other than the fact that it was a sci-fi MMO that vaguely reminded me of Anarchy Online. Oh, also the fact that nobody I know or perhaps ever will know played it. Is it just a myth? A practical joke to make us believe in a MMO phantom? Only sifting through layers of dust and grime would produce results, so I rolled up my sleeves and started digging. Continue reading The Game Archaeologist: Neocron and Neocron 2
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| The Daily Grind: Do you feel bad about leaving a good MMO? Posted: 07 Aug 2012 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Culture, MMO industry, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous  That said, I always feel a mite guilty when I cancel a sub for one of my favorite MMOs. Yes, I know, subs are a rarity these days, but I nearly always spring for the "premium" membership tier on games that have gone free-to-play, both for the goodies and to support the development team. These games aren't evergreen, though, and eventually you need to step away for a time to avoid burnout, messy breakups, or both. For today's breakfast topic, we want to know if leaving a game is a tough decision, or if you shrug it off and move on. Do you feel bad about leaving a good MMO?  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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| PlanetSide 2 dev diary video shows off Light Assault gameplay Posted: 06 Aug 2012 07:15 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-fi, Video, Classes, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, PvP, News items, Free-to-play, MMOFPS, Dev Diaries, PlanetSide 2  The 12-minute clip features Creative Director Matt Higby and Senior Art Director Tramell Isaac talking about the start of PS2's beta, a recent community event, and a few details on the game's Light Assault class. The gameplay footage starts around the 5:15 mark and features a trio of Terran Republic Light Assault types jetpacking around the map, harassing a New Conglomerate tank, and laying the smack down on some NC ground troops in a quick firefight. View it after the break. [Source: SOE press release] Continue reading PlanetSide 2 dev diary video shows off Light Assault gameplay
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| TERA shows off new skills for Lancers and Warriors Posted: 06 Aug 2012 07:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Classes, Patches, News items, TERA  Lancers gain Backstep, which does more or less exactly what it sounds like, and Wallop, which hits the ground hard and knocks over your enemy. Warriors gain Cross Parry, which functions as a block; Smoke Flanker, which teleports the Warrior behind the enemy and hits back; and Reaping Slash, a spiraling attack that knocks down your target. Click on past the break to see all of the skills in action in this short video. Continue reading TERA shows off new skills for Lancers and Warriors
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| Not So Massively: Cash prizes, tournaments, and hero spotlights Posted: 06 Aug 2012 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Video, Culture, Events, real-world, Game mechanics, New titles, Patches, PvP, News items, Free-to-play, Not So Massively, MOBA, League of Legends, Diablo III, Firefall  Firefall announced a massive €10,000 EU beta tournament due to take place this month live at Gamescom 2012. If you aren't the competitive gaming type, you might be interested in Blacklight: Retribution's 30 Days of Fight event that lets players win raffle tickets for daily prizes of $1,000 for an entire month. Console MOBA Guardians of Middle-earth revealed its new champions this week, support mage Galadriel and tanky warrior Uglúk from Lord of the Rings lore. Heroes of Newerth showed off its new melee strength hero Rally, and SMITE revealed Egyptian god Anhur, Slayer of Enemies. Finally, Diablo III released a hotfix to address the rubber-banding problems that have been affecting players recently, and an odd bug has surfaced that could potentially be duplicating items. Continue reading Not So Massively: Cash prizes, tournaments, and hero spotlights
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| End of Nations outlines Heroes and Mercenaries in a new video Posted: 06 Aug 2012 05:30 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Video, Game mechanics, Previews, News items, Free-to-play, MMORTS  Some Heroes are willing to work for any side in a conflict, and these Mercenaries are arguably even more powerful. When you hire a company of Mercenaries, you acquire both a Hero unit and several sidekick units specifically tuned to complement the Hero's abilities. That means a full strike force tuned for maximum impact, one that might enable a strategy not normally available to your faction. Jump on past the break for the full video explaining Heroes and showing these powerful units in action. [Source: Trion Worlds press release] Continue reading End of Nations outlines Heroes and Mercenaries in a new video
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| MechWarrior Online developer blog discusses beta stages and launching Posted: 06 Aug 2012 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-fi, Previews, News items, Free-to-play, MMOFPS, MechWarrior Online  Starting on August 7th, all Founders will have full access to the closed beta, complete with currency to purchase items. All funds spent on purchasing items during closed beta will be refunded with each major patch and refunded again when the game switches to open beta. If you still haven't quite grabbed the Founder's Package yet, you've still got some time, as the package is being extended past the initial cut-off date of August 7th. For more details on the testing schedule and what's next for the game, look through the full rundown of the testing phases and the road to launch.
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| Stalk your friends with Diablo III's new character profiles Posted: 06 Aug 2012 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, MMO industry, News items, Miscellaneous, Diablo III  The new profiles allow you to poke around your characters' gear and stats, view your progression through the game's difficulty modes, and see just how much you love your Witch Doctor compared to the other classes. And when you tire of reminding yourself how awesome you are, you can paw through your friends' profiles too. Your flatmate could really use an amulet upgrade, and you should take any opportunity to tell him so. Says Blizzard, "We like profiles so much that we plan to add even more functionality to them as Diablo III evolves, including detailed statistics and tabs for achievements and artisans." Check out the new toys on Battle.net.
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| SOE defends EverQuest appearance system cost Posted: 06 Aug 2012 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest, Previews, Free-to-play  The Hero's Forge will not be free but instead purchased for each character you'd like to dress up. SOE defended this separate cost by stating that "because of the very intensive nature of developing features such as Hero's Forge, by selling this feature in the Marketplace [SOE] can make it immediately available to players who desire such content much more quickly and without tying it to an expansion." The studio says that there are over 10,000 items created for this system and that even those who don't buy the system can benefit by selling pieces they find or make. SOE has plans to expand the Hero's Forge in the future, including the possible addition of wizard hats and holiday-related outfits.
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| Age of Conan merging Set, Wiccana servers this week Posted: 06 Aug 2012 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Age of Conan, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play  For starters, the big day is August 7th. American PvE servers Set and Wiccana will be merged, with the resulting server retaining the Set name. If character name conflicts arise, they will be resolved based on account status (with actives given priority), character level (higher levels get priority), and account age. Guilds will keep their names but will have their server-of-origin name appended. Guild cities will retain their playfields and spots, with new instances being created when necessary. Battlekeep spots will be cleared, and currently, occupying guilds will see their resources reimbursed. Hit up the AoC forums for further details.
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| DayZ surpasses one million unique players Posted: 06 Aug 2012 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Horror, Game mechanics, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play, MMOFPS  DayZ is the brainchild of Dean "Rocket" Hall, and it transforms the modern military shooter Arma II into a post-apocalyptic sandbox infested with zombies and murderous fellow players. The object of the game is to survive as long as possible. Hall added injury effects as well as the need to eat and drink in order to heighten both the difficulty and the sense of realism.
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| Riot investing heavily in e-sports, creating new LoL-focused pro league Posted: 06 Aug 2012 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, MMO industry, PvP, News items, Free-to-play, MOBA, League of Legends  The company has just unveiled a new level-up initiative that aims to take the entire e-sports scene up a few notches via the creation of a new LoL-focused pro league. The league will feature salaried teams from multiple countries, regular streamed matches with television-quality production values, and what Riot calls "the largest, most ambitious investment in e-sports ever made by a video game developer." The format for the new league mirrors traditional sporting leagues by way of regular season matches followed by regional playoffs and a world championship. You can see a trailer for the new league after the cut. [Source: Riot press release] Continue reading Riot investing heavily in e-sports, creating new LoL-focused pro league
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| ArcheAge CBT5 emphasizes use of the sea with new features Posted: 06 Aug 2012 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Game mechanics, New titles, PvP, News items, PvE, ArcheAge, Sandbox, Housing  XLGAMES announced the addition of specific Chinese content as well, including Chinese-style castles and medium-sized homes. The studio also announced a new reinforcement feature for siege warfare but didn't release details. Players will be able to try the system out for themselves during the fifth Korean closed beta next week. As always, we will keep you updated with more details as they surface!
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| ArenaNet's Grubb and Soesbee on Twitch this afternoon Posted: 06 Aug 2012 10:45 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Lore, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Guild Wars 2, Free-to-play  ArenaNet is coming off its latest beta stress test, and we're counting down the days to GW2's official release on August 28th.
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| Wings Over Atreia: Three signs you've crossed that line Posted: 06 Aug 2012 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Aion, Culture, Opinion, Free-to-play, Wings Over Atreia  Let's face it -- despite growing popularity and our hobby's movement farther into the mainstream, there are still plenty of negative stereotypes surrounding gaming and the people who enjoy it. If our favorite hobby already has a bad rap, we certainly don't need to add to it! So showing a bit of common sense, decorum, and class as a community is actually pretty important, especially with the influx of new players since Aion went free-to-play. After all, we want those people to enjoy and stay in the game! After witnessing a few situations in-game lately demonstrating an utter lack of class, I wondered whether perhaps folks just haven't had a chance to obtain wise counsel in regard to their behaviors. So today, Wings Over Atreia is proud to debut "Dear MJ," the new column designed to dispense invaluable -- though not necessarily solicited -- advice aimed at bettering our Atreian community. Continue reading Wings Over Atreia: Three signs you've crossed that line
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