MMO Updates

MMO Updates


38 Studios escapes federal criminal charges

Posted: 30 Sep 2012 09:30 AM PDT

Filed under: , ,

38 Studios escapes federal criminal charges
Bankrupt gamemaker 38 Studios has escaped federal criminal charges according to a report in The Washington Post.

U.S. Attorney spokesman Jim Martin told The Associated Press that his office found that 38 Studios did not break any federal laws. That said, what's left of the company is still subject to an investigation being conducted by Rhode Island police to determine if state laws were broken.

38 Studios folded last May despite a $75 million state loan guarantee. The bankruptcy left Rhode Island "on the hook for more than $100 million" which includes the bonds and interest.

Massively38 Studios escapes federal criminal charges originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 30 Sep 2012 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Previously on MV TV: The week of September 22nd

Posted: 30 Sep 2012 08:00 AM PDT

Filed under: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Previously On MV TV banner
It's that time of the week again, people! Time for those unlucky few who missed our livestreams as they went live to click beyond the cut and enjoy my favorites of the week. It's hard picking them out, so I reach out to the team and ask which ones deserve to be highlighted. Honestly, all of the livestreams deserve the spotlight, but it should be no surprise to find out that individual streamers find their own streams to be the best of the best. I tend to agree, and every week I am surprised at just how no-nonsense and informative our streams are. Be sure to bookmark our livestream schedule calender so that each week you can tune in to your favorite. Feel free to suggest titles for streaming and to chat it up with our streamers live as they play!

This week we have MJ returning with her favorite games like EverQuest II, Aion, The Secret World, Vanguard: Saga of Heroes, and Guild Wars 2. Richie joins in with his current favorite, Guild Wars 2, and I round things off with an hour spent with the Ultima Online developer team, a goblinball session with community leaders in Allods Online, and a tutorial on building a house in Wurm Online! Trust me, if there is one goblin-kicking, dev-interviewing, house-building livestream series that you should watch, it's this one!

Continue reading Previously on MV TV: The week of September 22nd

MassivelyPreviously on MV TV: The week of September 22nd originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 30 Sep 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

    The Daily Grind: What character creation option do you wish MMOs would include?

    Posted: 30 Sep 2012 06:00 AM PDT

    Filed under: , , ,

    The Daily Grind What character creation option do you wish MMOs would include
    I'm one of those players who takes forever and a day just to make it through the character creation process (forever and two days if it's a superhero title). It takes so long because I just agonize over every little aspect of how my character looks, even though I'll be spending the rest of my game time with them looking at his or her back.

    Because of this, it does frustrate me when games skimp out on character creation options. MMOs that have only three hairstyles, or identical faces, or nothing but an absurd standard of beauty have me gnashing my teeth. I don't need sliders all the time, but some interesting options to allow me some degree of personalization would be dandy.

    So what character creation option do you wish MMOs would include? Are there beards, hair styles, scars, or accessories that you never see but wish you did?

    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: What character creation option do you wish MMOs would include? originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 30 Sep 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

    Permalink | Email this | Comments

      City of Steam offers players barrels of fun before beta

      Posted: 29 Sep 2012 06:00 PM PDT

      Filed under: , , , , , ,

      Barreling ever onward.
      Primitive human beings didn't understand many things. They didn't understand quantum physics or literary theory or fine French cooking. But they did understand one important thing: Somewhere in the world, there were barrels and crates, and smashing those barrels and crates would yield items and riches. It's that primordial instinct that the development team behind City of Steam has tapped into, and with the devs' newest development blog about the joy of smashing barrels, they're inviting you to indulge it.

      You see, aside from just talking about the game approaching its closed beta testing phase, this particular developer journal contains an old gem from early internal testing: a minigame built specifically to allow the team to test barrel destruction effects. And wouldn't you know that you can now play with that same tool yourself in your browser? Go ahead and read for updates on development, but stay to wipe out a room full of barrels with an exploding barrel.

      MassivelyCity of Steam offers players barrels of fun before beta originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 29 Sep 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

      Permalink | Email this | Comments

      The Tattered Notebook: What would tempt you to play EQII?

      Posted: 29 Sep 2012 04:00 PM PDT

      Filed under: , , , , ,

      The Tattered Notebook  What would tempt you to play EQII
      With an ever-growing number of MMOs competing for attention (and your wallet), I'm sure every game company is constantly asking, "What can we do to bring in new players and convince former players to come back?" This past week, the EverQuest II team posed that very question to a surprising group: the players!

      In a recent post to the official forums, EQII Producer Holly "Windstalker" Longdale posted the following:
      Howdy Norrathians! The team has been brainstorming ideas that would ease the re-entry back into the game and soften the learning curve for returning players as well as creative options for a Refer-a-Friend program. What would float your boat if you are, or were, a returning player at some point? Creative suggestions? And do you have ideas that would make you excited to not just refer a friend, but play with them too?
      In past columns, we've looked at a few ways to attract new and returning players, but in this week's Tattered Notebook, it's worth looking at the topic again. What would get you to come back to EQII (or try it for the first time)?

      Continue reading The Tattered Notebook: What would tempt you to play EQII?

      MassivelyThe Tattered Notebook: What would tempt you to play EQII? originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 29 Sep 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

      Permalink | Email this | Comments

        CCP unveils EVE Online: Retribution, coming this winter

        Posted: 29 Sep 2012 02:00 PM PDT

        Filed under: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

        EVE Online: Retribution
        Earlier this evening at the VETO EVE fan gathering in London, CCP announced EVE Online's 18th expansion: EVE Online: Retribution. Due in December, this latest content overhaul promises to bring some of the biggest changes yet to the space-themed sandbox MMO, which is steadily ramping up for its 10th anniversary next May.

        We sat down with Jon Lander and Kristoffer Touborg, EVE's executive producer and lead designer respectively, to get a first-hand look at some of Retribution's key features as well as the enormous pile of tweaks, updates, and adjustments players might expect with any CCP-helmed update. One thing is certain: After Retribution, the world of internet spaceships will never again be the same.

        Continue reading CCP unveils EVE Online: Retribution, coming this winter

        MassivelyCCP unveils EVE Online: Retribution, coming this winter originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 29 Sep 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

        Permalink | Email this | Comments

          The Mog Log: Two years of spinning wheels in Final Fantasy XIV

          Posted: 29 Sep 2012 12:00 PM PDT

          Filed under: , , , , , ,

          The Mog Log header by A. Fienemann
          Has it really been two years since Final Fantasy XIV launched? My collector's edition box was purchase two years ago, and I wrote my last anniversary column a year ago, so I guess it must have been. And yet I still don't feel as if it's actually happened yet.

          You'll note that last year's column was mostly about what happened as a result of the game's launch. That wasn't by accident. Launch led to a massive restructuring of the game's design team, and not too long after the one-year mark, the team announced that it was basically remaking the game from the ground up. That fact has dominated the past year, and it's impossible to overstate the importance that announcement has had for the Final Fantasy XIV community. Everything circles around the promise of 2.0 these days.

          What has that meant for the actual years of the game's operation? Sadly, nothing good. The game has made huge strides, but we as players have been stuck in a nasty little loop.

          Continue reading The Mog Log: Two years of spinning wheels in Final Fantasy XIV

          MassivelyThe Mog Log: Two years of spinning wheels in Final Fantasy XIV originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 29 Sep 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

          Permalink | Email this | Comments

            Total Pageviews

            statcounter

            View My Stats