| Star Trek Online nude patch seller accidentally reveals himself Posted: 21 Aug 2012 10:00 AM PDT |
| Flameseeker Chronicles: The end of an era for Guild Wars Posted: 21 Aug 2012 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Guild Wars, Events, in-game, Opinion, Guild Wars 2, Flameseeker Chronicles The countdown on Guild Wars 2's official site has ticked away to almost nothing. The Guild Wars 2 community is getting increasingly anxious, and at the same time, the Guild Wars community is getting increasingly sappy. Tapping into both of those sentiments, ArenaNet set up a celebration that started this last weekend and will run until August 30th. The celebration, called Wayfarer's Reverie, gives players a chance to celebrate their time spent in Guild Wars and rewards them, at the end, with a Tormented weapon, which, depending on their Hall of Monuments progress, could give them up to two points. Continue reading Flameseeker Chronicles: The end of an era for Guild Wars  Flameseeker Chronicles: The end of an era for Guild Wars originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 21 Aug 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Game Archaeologist: Reactions to a free Vanguard Posted: 21 Aug 2012 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Opinion, Vanguard, Free-to-play, Hands-on, The Game Archaeologist Vanguard's just had its biggest month since its troubled release in 2007, I wager. Its turn to free-to-play makes it the second-to-last SOE title to make the jump, and it's getting a "do-over" of sorts. Personally, I'm glad to see it happen. Without going into depth on Vanguard's past problems, I'll say that this was a highly hyped game that fell about as hard as any MMO could without being outright canceled. For years, it has been subsiding on a meager population and extremely rare updates (I recall a tiny bug update for Vanguard being laughably big news last summer). Now? Now it's received a new lease on life and attention from players and the media. If you've been following the news, you'll know that Vanguard soft launched a week early, talked with Massively about the conversion, officially launched thereafter, and is now part of the PSS.1 deal. But the most important word is that of the player on the street, the ground-pounders in Telon who are checking out F2P (and perhaps the game) for the first time. I've gathered several of these perspectives together for your amusement and edification. Continue reading The Game Archaeologist: Reactions to a free Vanguard The Game Archaeologist: Reactions to a free Vanguard originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 21 Aug 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Soapbox: The trouble with Kickstarter Posted: 21 Aug 2012 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Business models, Culture, MMO industry, Opinion, The Soapbox, Miscellaneous 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. It was right around the time that the Shadowrun Online Kickstarter went live that I started to wonder whether Kickstarter was doing some nasty things to the development practices of MMOs. This isn't a commentary on Shadowrun Online itself, exactly. The game asked for players to put up $500,000 to fund development, and while that's an awful lot of money to ask from the pockets of fans, it still doesn't qualify as being high-budget by the standards of the industry. But in some ways, it's the apotheosis of something that started with several other games being funded on Kickstarter -- this sense that Kickstarter is the path of the future, that it's the ultimate litmus test of whether or not your MMO is worth developing and a great way to draw in venture capitalists for more funding. I'm not convinced that this is a good thing for the health of MMO development. You can look at it as a way for strange niche titles to get their funding without convincing outside sources that it's worth the effort, but as we're ramping up to seeing the fruits of these projects (or lack thereof), I'm wondering whether it just allows ideas to get further along before they self-destruct. Continue reading The Soapbox: The trouble with Kickstarter The Soapbox: The trouble with Kickstarter originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 21 Aug 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Daily Grind: Do you pay retail prices for digital downloads? Posted: 21 Aug 2012 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Business models, MMO industry, Guild Wars 2, Free-to-play, The Daily Grind Let me say up front that I'm not averse to digital downloads. I used to be, but I've finally been suckered in by the convenience factor, not to mention the (relatively) instant gratification. One thing I won't do is pay $59.99 for a digital download, though. You see, brand-new physical game packages can also be had for $59.99, and that gets you a box, a manual, and a disc. More importantly, it cost the game-maker a certain amount of money to put that package together, and that cost is not there when a digital download is purchased. What about you, folks? Do you support premium prices for downloads, or do you opt for the physical package or wait for a digital sale?  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: Do you pay retail prices for digital downloads? originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 21 Aug 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Not So Massively: Too many MOBA heroes, D3's legendaries revealed Posted: 20 Aug 2012 07:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Video, Classes, Contests, Events, in-game, Game mechanics, New titles, PvP, News items, Free-to-play, Dev Diaries, Not So Massively, MOBA, League of Legends, Diablo III Have you ever thought that MOBAs release far too many new heroes and champions? This week Riot Games revealed not one but two new champions coming to League of Legends: stealthy assassin Rengar and telekinetic mage Syndra. Heroes of Newerth released its brand-new Core Pool game mode that lowers the MOBA learning curve by limiting the playing pool to just 40 available heroes. The game also switched from a two-week hero release schedule to a four-week schedule as there are already well over 100 heroes to choose from. Valve announced its new free Dota 2 Spectator Client, which that aims to get all Steam users interested in the game's upcoming competitive tournaments. Upcoming MOBA SMITE revealed its latest character, the adorable little cherub Cupid, God of Love. Blacklight: Retribution's $1,000 US per day 30 Days of Fight contest has officially begun, and its new Siege game mode is now live. Diablo III announced many of the changes coming in its upcoming patch 1.0.4 this week, including details of upgraded legendary items and a whole series of buffs for every single class. Finally, Path of Exile updated players on the game's current development progress this week, revealing that over a million US dollars had been secured in pre-purchase supporter packs. Continue reading Not So Massively: Too many MOBA heroes, D3's legendaries revealed Not So Massively: Too many MOBA heroes, D3's legendaries revealed originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 20 Aug 2012 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Guild Wars 2 gears up for yet another stress test Posted: 20 Aug 2012 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, MMO industry, News items, Guild Wars 2, Massively Event Coverage And you thought you weren't going to get to play Guild Wars 2 until this weekend! ArenaNet has just announced one more round of stress testing prior to the prepurchase launch. On Tuesday, August 21st, from 3 p.m. EDT (noon PDT) to 7 p.m. EDT (4 p.m. PDT), players who have prepurchased (not just preordered) the game will be able to log in and beat up on the Guild Wars 2 servers in the hopes of helping ANet make them nice and shiny for the real deal come Friday. You'll be able to access your existing beta characters, but the team reminds everyone that it is "actively working on the game during the event, so you might experience connectivity problems or discover features that are not working as designed." While you wait for Tuesday, why not check out the official launch schedule, region clarifications, and the new gem store items revealed today? Guild Wars 2 gears up for yet another stress test originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 20 Aug 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Wings Over Atreia: Creating classes for Aion 4.0 Posted: 20 Aug 2012 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Aion, Classes, Opinion, Free-to-play, Wings Over Atreia The dust swirled in one single puff of wind, then settled along with the hush over the streets. The sudden peel of the bell as the clock struck noon shattered the silence. Eyes blazing and raven wings furled, the Daeva stared down her enemy, hands poised over her low-hung holsters. "Com'on, ya lily-livered varmint. Make my day!"
OK, so maybe the O.K. Corral and the Wild West aren't en route to Atreia, but that is certainly the first image that sprang to my mind when NCsoft announced that one of the new classes coming to Aion is going to tote a gun. I mean, guns don't get better than a couple of six-shooters slung at the hips, right? If you missed last Friday's big announcement from Gamescom, here's the skinny: Aion's 4.0 patch is introducing three brand-spanking-new classes to the game. Obviously that patch is a long ways off (a date hasn't even been announced for Korea yet), but that doesn't stop us from looking forward to one of the most fundamental changes planned for the game since launch nearly three years ago. Unfortunately, NCsoft has given us little to go on right now; all we know is that one class will tote a gun and one will brandish an instrument. With so little information revealed, you have to wonder what these two classes will actually be like. With so many possibilities... Let the speculation commence! Continue reading Wings Over Atreia: Creating classes for Aion 4.0 Wings Over Atreia: Creating classes for Aion 4.0 originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 20 Aug 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Mortal Online is due for an Awakening Posted: 20 Aug 2012 04:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Expansions, Game mechanics, Patches, News items, Mortal Online, Sandbox Awakening is the latest free expansion for Mortal Online, and it's available on the live servers today. What does that mean? It means that the game will benefit from a new GUI, a new AI system for NPCs, a new region, and a whole lot of new options for players to enjoy the game. Some of the UI changes include an easier system for making use of workbenches, the addition of slash commands and macro functionality for abilities, and a new method for determining the direction of strikes in combat. Players will also have access to new combat skills, new out-of-combat skills, and a rebuilt taxation system. The update also contains several bugfixes, but the patch notes warn players that the large update will be a bumpy ride at first. Players are asked to petition the customer support team only when absolutely necessary. But even with the likelihood of bugs, there's a lot for Mortal Online players to appreciate in this expansion. [Thanks to Chris for the tip!] Mortal Online is due for an Awakening originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 20 Aug 2012 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| DDO Update 15 goes live with new adventure pack Posted: 20 Aug 2012 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Dungeons and Dragons Online, Expansions, Patches, Free-to-play Never letting a little thing like releasing an expansion pack slow them down, the developers at Turbine have pumped out the first post- Menace of the Underdark update for Dungeons and Dragons Online. Update 15: Song of Druid's Deep significantly adds on to the expansion content, including the titular adventure pack for high-level characters. This adventure pack includes four quests and comes in two varieties: level 17 and 23. There's also a new challenge called The Ruined Keep: The Daybreak Ritual which is being included with the Eveningstar challenge pack. On top of that, the latest update for DDO includes a "monster manual" that can be filled out for extra rewards, the ability to purchase the expansion through the DDO store, and several tweaks for the wet-behind-the-ears Druid class. DDO Update 15 goes live with new adventure pack originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 20 Aug 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Additional Guild Wars 2 store items revealed Posted: 20 Aug 2012 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Business models, Guild Wars 2 With Guild Wars 2's headstart on Saturday, players with some extra spending money may be planning their initial purchases in the game. Meticulous scouring of Guild Wars 2's online gem store has revealed five new options for future players, including one nice freebie. Three of the recently added items are armor skins costing 500 gems each. These come in Primevil, Krytan, and Profane varieties. There's also a nifty Guild Wars 2 logo hat, which is currently marked at zero gems, meaning that it's a potential free item for players. Finally, for 2000 gems, one has the option to upgrade the standard edition of the game to the digital deluxe version. Additional Guild Wars 2 store items revealed originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 20 Aug 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Funcom teases rocket launcher screen, Tokyo concept art for The Secret World Posted: 20 Aug 2012 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Horror, Galleries, Screenshots, Game mechanics, MMO industry, News items, The Secret World Funcom has revealed a new screenshot and a couple of interesting pieces of concept art for its upcoming The Secret World content drops. Rocket launchers are on the way with the game's August 28th update, and the firm is also giving players their first glimpse of the Orochi corporate headquarters in Tokyo. Thus far, Tokyo is only available via the opening tutorial mission sequence that also sets the stage for the game's overarching narrative (and players are limited to a smallish subway instance). Could we be traveling back to the sprawling city to unravel the mystery of the filth and battle Orochi's sinister agents? Let's hope so. See the new art and the rocket launcher screenshot in our gallery below. Funcom teases rocket launcher screen, Tokyo concept art for The Secret World originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 20 Aug 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Third RaiderZ dev diary shows off mounts, cooking, and more Posted: 20 Aug 2012 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Video, Game mechanics, New titles, News items, Free-to-play, Dev Diaries, Crafting Previous developer diaries have already demonstrated some of the features in the upcoming free-to-play action game RaiderZ, like using monsters' severed limbs as weapons and creating hybrid characters by blending archetypes. The third incantation in the series reveals even more goodies players can expect in the world of Rendel. Crafters will find something to smile about as players will be able to craft their own unique weapons and armor as well as consumables. Eschewing the idea of junk loot, the devs state, "Every unique drop has a role in crafting the best gear." If you prefer to make tasty treats, you can hunt down spices and combine them with the meat of fresh-kills to create a feast for yourself and friends. The video also shows off mounts (noting that some can actually assist players briefly in battle), special transformation items, and the ability to play music on various guitars. Catch all of the details in the video after the break. And watch Massively's first impressions video to check out some in-game beta action. [Source: Perfect World press release] Continue reading Third RaiderZ dev diary shows off mounts, cooking, and more Third RaiderZ dev diary shows off mounts, cooking, and more originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 20 Aug 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| PlanetSide 2 mobile app to feature 'near real-time' map updates, voice chat Posted: 20 Aug 2012 12:30 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-fi, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, PvP, News items, Free-to-play, MMOFPS, PlanetSide 2 We first heard tell of PlanetSide 2's extensive metagame features at the title's big GDC reveal earlier this year. Skills, achievements, stats, and performance graphs are all part of the equation, as are external fansite-friendly data feeds and a mobile app. As it turns out, said mobile app is being developed by a company called AppBurst. Eagle-eyed users on the PlanetSide Universe forums spotted some details on the company's website that include the aforementioned stats as well as "near real-time" interactive map updates and voice chat. The app's website shows screenshots only for iOS devices, but AppBurst bills itself as an Android developer as well. PlanetSide 2 mobile app to feature 'near real-time' map updates, voice chat originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 20 Aug 2012 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Diablo III adding 100 levels via new Paragon system Posted: 20 Aug 2012 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play, Diablo III How do 100 more levels of Diablo III grab you? Blizzard has just announced a new Paragon system for its fantasy dungeon-crawler, one that gives high-level players a reason to keep grinding. Once you reach level 60, additional experience will go toward your Paragon level. Each level boosts core stats, and a new dev diary says that "the time to reach the upper Paragon levels approximates the long-term time investment required to get a level 99 character in Diablo II." Blizzard's Jay Wilson also elaborates on how Paragon levels will impact D3's Magic Find system. The devs are capping Magic (and Gold) Find at 300%. The aim is to "slowly and gently move Magic Find off of items in the future," Wilson explains. Diablo III adding 100 levels via new Paragon system originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 20 Aug 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Get a sneak peek at Guild Wars 2's Twilight Arbor dungeon Posted: 20 Aug 2012 11:45 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Video, News items, PvE, Guild Wars 2, Dungeons You've got only a few more days to wait 'til you're playing Guild Wars 2 for keeps, but if the wait is just too much to handle, maybe this new video of the beginning of the Twilight Arbor dungeon will help. With the gracious company of members of ArenaNet's QA team, PC Gamer took a spin through the level 50 dungeon and released the first 12 minutes of the experience. Twilight Arbor takes place in the Tarnished Coast and revolves around a struggle against the Nightmare Court. Each boss in the dungeon's story mode is built around an emotion: The horror knight Graingor focuses on fear attacks, while the knights of envy and remorse use different tactics to punish their foes. The dungeon is rife with traps, puzzles, and potential random events. Skip below the cut to catch a glimpse of what's in store for your character! Be warned that there may be spoilers. Continue reading Get a sneak peek at Guild Wars 2's Twilight Arbor dungeon Get a sneak peek at Guild Wars 2's Twilight Arbor dungeon originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 20 Aug 2012 13:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Captain's Log: The post-Vegas Star Trek Online roundup Posted: 20 Aug 2012 11:30 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Contests, Events, real-world, Events, in-game, Opinion, Star Trek Online, Free-to-play, Captain's Log Spending two weeks away from the game I love is always a challenge. Star Trek Online came up with some nifty things while we were away in Las Vegas enjoying the Star Trek Convention, and I'm back to cover what they are. Star Trek Online's Fleet Week bonuses are out for a limited time, a new ship has appeared in the ZEN Store, additional account bank slots are now available for purchase, rewards are now available for those who helped test Season Six on the Tribble test server, and a small update was made to clarify the state of the Foundry. So join me past the jump and we'll catch up on the game! Continue reading Captain's Log: The post-Vegas Star Trek Online roundup Captain's Log: The post-Vegas Star Trek Online roundup originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 20 Aug 2012 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Leaderboard: Launch strategies Posted: 20 Aug 2012 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Polls, Launches, Guild Wars 2, Miscellaneous, Leaderboard With the community facing the reality of a Guild Wars 2 launch this next week and plenty of other releases this fall, launches are on my mind. How we deal with launches, wouldn't you agree, is just as important as how we deal with life? Or botched Braveheart quotes? So when it comes down to a game that you are looking to play, there are really three strategies for launch. There are those who will do anything and everything to get into a head start/early access type of situation, even if it means paying for a premium product or turning their Facebook timelines into a giant ad for the game. Then you have the folks who are OK with just being there on launch day, even though it's really like launch plus three days at that point. Finally, there are the "wait and see-ers" who prefer to let the initial crush of the stampede pass so that they can enjoy the game at their leisure. Which are you? Vote after the jump and let the world know of your idiosyncrasies! Continue reading Leaderboard: Launch strategies Leaderboard: Launch strategies originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 20 Aug 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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There's still no word from Rockstar Games on when exactly it plans to launch Grand Theft Auto V, the fifteenth installment in the popular GTA series that was announced back in October of last year. In lieu of a release date, the rambunctious developers decided to drop a trio of screenshots on its blog, each one depicting a different type of vehicle you'll have the chance to pilot in the upcoming game.
CyberPower PC today introduced the Gamer Pro FTW, a new series of desktop PCs intended to seamlessly mesh gaming performance with live HD streaming capabilities, without breaking the bank. The Gamer Pro FTW starts at $1,085 and is available in half a dozen base configurations built around the user's choice of Intel's X79 Sandy Bridge-E platform, Z77 Ivy Bridge, or with an AMD FX Bulldozer foundation.
Summer might be coming to an end in the coming weeks, but the GPU price wars between AMD and Nvidia are just starting to heat up. To wit, AMD rolled out a series of price reductions in July for its Radeon HD 7970, 7950, and 7870 graphics cards, and now that Nvidia has made Kepler affordable with its GeForce GTX 660 Ti part, AMD is once again responding in kind with another round of cuts.
Samsung, the world's largest producer of memory chips, is planning to invest a whopping $4 billion in its Austin, Texas factory in order to renovate the facility and boost production of mobile chips used in smartphones and tablets, according to several reports. The investment is in addition to nearly $2 billion the company committed to spending on a new plant in South Korea last June.
Who knew that all you really needed to fight the inevitable zombie apocalypse is a well kept garden filled with a variety of plants and those ever-important sunflowers? It's a survival lesson PopCap Games, a division of Electronic Arts, taught us with its highly addictive Plants vs Zombies title, and lest you forgot the power a green thumb wields, the developer plans to launch a sequel in the first half of 2013.
So you bought a new Windows 7 PC on or after June 2, 2012 and you're anxious to upgrade to Windows 8 Pro already, is that right? Well, you might be in the minority on the latter part (see 
Amazon Web Services (AWS) has 
