General Gaming Article

General Gaming Article


Facebook Aims to Keep It Real by Removing Fake ‘Likes’

Posted: 03 Sep 2012 10:54 AM PDT

In Mark Zuckerberg's relentless effort to improve the world's largest social playground, Facebook is waging war against bogus "Likes" that may have originated from false accounts. This isn't something that will affect the average user, but it will eliminate Likes gained by malware, compromised accounts, and other nefarious means, the company recently announced.

"When a Page and fan connect on Facebook, we want to ensure that connection involves a real person interested in hearing from a specific Page and engaging with that brand's content," Facebook Security stated in a blog post. "As such, we have recently increased our automated efforts to remove Likes on Pages that may have been gained by means that violate our Facebook Terms."

According to Facebook, less than 1 percent of Likes on any given Page will be removed, so long as they and their affiliates are abiding by the rules.

Bogus Likes are part of a larger problem on Facebook. In a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing earlier this year, Facebook disclosed that as many as 83 million fake accounts exist, which is nearly 9 percent of its total userbase.

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Browser Wars: End of August 2012 Edition

Posted: 03 Sep 2012 10:38 AM PDT

Another month is in the books, and that means another thirty-some days of browser share data to crunch and analyze. One of the problems with doing that, however is that different stat trackers report conflicting numbers. Net Applications (NetMarketShare), for example, shows Chrome closing out the summer in  third place, sitting behind Firefox (second) and Internet Explorer (first) as the most used browsers on the planet. But if you head over to StatCounter, Chrome is out in front.

As we've explained before, the disparity boils down to how each tracking firm collects data. StatCounter examines page views from 3 million websites, while Net Applications focuses on daily unique visitors from more than 40,000 sites. Is one better than the other? That's up for debate.

In any event, Net Applications has IE continuing to lose market share. In the past two years, IE has gone from commanding a 61.45 percent of the global browser market to 53.6 percent. In that same time frame, Firefox has dropped from 23.69 percent to 20.05 percent, while Chrome has gained considerable ground, climbing from 8.24 percent to 19.13 percent.

According to StatCounter, things shake out a little differently. StatCounter has Chrome leading all other browsers with a 33.59 percent of the market at the end of August 2012. IE is close behind at 32.85 percent, followed by Firefox at 22.85 percent.

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MMO Updates

MMO Updates


New Marvel Heroes trailer is all about cleaning up the kitchen

Posted: 03 Sep 2012 10:00 AM PDT

Filed under: , , , , , ,

In the Marvel universe you don't take cover when being shot at.
Yes, you read that title correctly. Marvel Heroes has put out a trailer that's all about cleaning up the kitchen. Specifically, cleaning up Hell's Kitchen, one of the cheapest areas of Manhattan and a hotbed of organized crime and ethnic tensions. (In the Marvel universe, anyway. In the real world it's pretty high-rent now.)

Fans of Marvel can probably guess at the major players in the trailer just by knowing the area. Even if you're not familiar with the comics, however, the trailer makes it clear that the area is crawling with crime under the direction of the infamous Kingpin, with both relatively normal thugs with guns and superpowered threats like Electra and Bullseye. Plenty of space for an enterprising hero to clean things up, in other words.

Check out the full trailer just past the break. If that makes you curious for more information about how the game plays, you can jump back a little and read our hands-on impression.

[Source: Gazillion Entertainment press release]

Continue reading New Marvel Heroes trailer is all about cleaning up the kitchen

MassivelyNew Marvel Heroes trailer is all about cleaning up the kitchen originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 03 Sep 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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    Guild Wars 2 tops UK sales, lags behind SWTOR

    Posted: 03 Sep 2012 09:00 AM PDT

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    Guild Wars 2 tops UK sales, lags behind SWTOR
    Guild Wars 2 is the second largest non-World of Warcraft PC MMO launch in UK history according to Chart-Track. The new fantasy title from ArenaNet topped sales charts this week but still sold less at retail than Star Wars: The Old Republic did at launch.

    That said, Chart-Track doesn't release exact sales figures, nor does it count digital sales. Guild Wars 2 is the first PC-only title to take the UK top spot since Football Manager 2011 in 2010.

    MassivelyGuild Wars 2 tops UK sales, lags behind SWTOR originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 03 Sep 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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    MV Guide: September 3 - 9, 2012

    Posted: 03 Sep 2012 08:00 AM PDT

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    MV Guide September 3  9, 2012
    MV Guide is a weekly rundown of the MMO gaming events planned on Massively TV.

    Every week, the Massively Stream Team logs in to play various MMOs live and in person, and we'd love for you to drop by the channel and visit. We have a combination of regular weekly games and new surprises each week, so you'll find a variety of titles to watch. During our streamed events, you can participate in the live chat, ask questions to learn about the game, or simply spend some time with Massively staff and readers. (Of course, streaming is subject to the whims of outside forces like server-side gremlins once in a while.)

    Follow along after the jump to see what's on this week's schedule, and let us know if there's a specific game you'd like to see streamed next week!

    Continue reading MV Guide: September 3 - 9, 2012

    MassivelyMV Guide: September 3 - 9, 2012 originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 03 Sep 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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      Age of Conan heralds Secrets of Dragon's Spine update series

      Posted: 03 Sep 2012 07:00 AM PDT

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      Age of Conan heralds Secrets of Dragon's Spine update series
      Hyboria's about to get a lot more rowdy, as if that was possible. Funcom announced that it is planning a series of updates for Age of Conan called Secrets of Dragon's Spine, with the first update coming in the next few months. The key focus for this content will be in the titular desert region of the Dragon's Spine, located southwest of Pteion.

      These updates will not only introduce a new zone, but also plenty of additional quests, dungeons, challenges, and even a new mount type. Funcom says that the Dragon's Spine will be around the same size as the coast of Ardashir, and will feature a new raid and PvP area. The three dungeons to be introduced are the Coils of Ubah Kan, the Sepulchral of the Wyrm and the Slithering Chaos.

      Creative Director Craig Morrison hopes that this announcement gets fans pumped up: "Our version of Hyboria has grown into a vast online world since we launched back in 2008. With the Secrets of Dragon's Spine update, we are moving into an incredibly exciting part of Robert E. Howard's work, and I think both Age of Conan players and fans of Howard's work alike will find a lot to enjoy once they get to explore this new content."

      [Source: Funcom press release]

      MassivelyAge of Conan heralds Secrets of Dragon's Spine update series originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 03 Sep 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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        The Daily Grind: How long will you suffer bugs and outages?

        Posted: 03 Sep 2012 06:00 AM PDT

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        Failguaggan
        In the 10 days since its head start launch, Guild Wars 2 has suffered multiple outages and bugs, seemingly a new one every day. Even if we discount those players who lost their accounts to hacking, we've still seen players affected by in-game mail outages, exploits, overflow bugs, character creation and deletion issues, server transfer problems, guild system implosions, and a new email authentication system (which was meant to reduce the rate of hackings) that rendered even some Massively commenters and staffers unable to play the game over chunks of this holiday weekend.

        Perhaps the issue affecting the most people over the course of the last week has been the near-permanent offline status of the Black Lion Trading Company, the game's auction hall. Quaggans are cute and all, but I'm starting to get impatient myself; I've yet to see the trading post live for even a minute.

        So today we're wondering when exactly your patience runs out when it comes to large-scale MMO launches and their immediate aftermath. How long do you give a just-launched game to get its act together before you give up and go back to more established, tried-and-true MMOs? And if you leave in a huff, do you forgive and forget and return when the game has settled down?

        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: How long will you suffer bugs and outages? originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 03 Sep 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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          MMO Week in Review: PAX Prime 2012

          Posted: 02 Sep 2012 06:00 PM PDT

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          At this point, NCsoft is coming close to having closed as many games in the States as it's left open
          At the end of every week, we round up the best and most popular news stories, exclusive features, and insightful columns published on Massively and then present them all in one convenient place. If you missed a big MMO or WoW Insider story last week, you've come to the right post.

          NCsoft dominated the MMO headlines this week, and not necessarily the way it might prefer. While the studio ushered in the launch of ArenaNet's Guild Wars 2, it also announced it plans to shut down beloved superhero MMO City of Heroes and developer Paragon Studios in November. And though Guild Wars 2 can claim a million prepurchase copies sold and a 400,000-person concurrency peak, it's also been hampered by a hastily implemented new email authentication system, phishing scams, and exploits, not to mention forum, in-game mail, and trading post outages.

          Meanwhile, at PAX Prime 2012, we caught a glimpse of PlanetSide 2, WildStar, Torchlight II, Phantasy Star Online 2, RIFT's Storm Legion, League of Legends, World of Warplanes, SMITE, and Dungeons and Dragons Online.

          We've posted a few more of this week's top MMO stories just past the jump.

          Continue reading MMO Week in Review: PAX Prime 2012

          MassivelyMMO Week in Review: PAX Prime 2012 originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 02 Sep 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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            PAX Prime 2012: Riot and the North American regionals

            Posted: 02 Sep 2012 05:00 PM PDT

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            PAX Prime 2012 Riot and the North American regionals
            It's a good time to be a League of Legends fan. With the European regionals at Gamescom and North American regionals here at PAX Prime, there's plenty of excitement. The Riot team is gearing up for big changes in Season Three while continuing to support its incredibly large community. We sat down with the busy and gracious Associate Producer Paul Bellezza to talk about what Riot is looking forward to in the near future.

            Continue reading PAX Prime 2012: Riot and the North American regionals

            MassivelyPAX Prime 2012: Riot and the North American regionals originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 02 Sep 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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              EVE Evolved: Fitting a brawler frigate for PvP

              Posted: 02 Sep 2012 04:00 PM PDT

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              EVE Evolved title image
              EVE Online's PvP usually has more in common with a game of chess than a dogfight; it helps to have more pieces on the board than the other guys, and tactics usually play a more important role than the size or cost of your ship. You can't automatically win by bringing a gun to a knife fight in EVE, but you can win by being better with a knife than the other guy or by bringing a dozen knives and just flinging them all over the place. The lowly tech 1 frigate may not seem so ferocious on its own, but a hundred frigates can smash even capital ships to bits.

              Despite the advantage of bringing more pilots to a fight, the frigate is also one of the best ships for soliciting solo PvP. Its superior speed and maneuverability will help you avoid groups of enemy ships and pursue individual targets. It's most common to find lone players in faction warfare areas and the borders of nullsec, and there are even dedicated wardec corps that will let you find solo PvP in highsec. Frigate duels can provide a fun and much more twitch-based style of combat than you'll find elsewhere in EVE, and a well-designed frigate can punch far above its own weight. The Rifter has always been the ship of choice for close-range frigate PvP, but Inferno 1.1 gave all four races an equivalent option.

              In this week's EVE Evolved, I give close-range PvP setups for the Minmatar Rifter, Amarr Punisher, Gallente Incursus and Caldari Merlin that make full use of the Inferno 1.1 overhaul.

              Continue reading EVE Evolved: Fitting a brawler frigate for PvP

              MassivelyEVE Evolved: Fitting a brawler frigate for PvP originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 02 Sep 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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                One Shots: Abyss

                Posted: 02 Sep 2012 02:00 PM PDT

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                One Shots - Abyss
                Who doesn't know Nietzsche's famous quote about the abyss? When you look into an abyss, the abyss entices you to buy some stuff in the cash shop. It was something like that, anyway.

                Today's breathtaking featured screenshot of a character meditating before an abyss originated in none other than The Secret World. Submitter Aedesius wrote to One Shots,
                I've really been enjoying TSW; it's like a breath of fresh air and such a beautiful-looking game. Enjoy this screenshot of one of many amazing vistas in TSW.
                Let's go do that! Aedesius' pic and a few others are just a leap into infinity past the break.

                Continue reading One Shots: Abyss

                MassivelyOne Shots: Abyss originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 02 Sep 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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                  Rise and Shiny revisit: Order and Chaos Online

                  Posted: 02 Sep 2012 12:00 PM PDT

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                  Order and Chaos Online screenshot
                  It's been over a year since I last officially looked at Order and Chaos Online. The funny thing is that when I reread my older article, I immediately notice how my experience has not really altered since then. I pretty much had the exact play experience. What has changed is my appreciation for much of what the game does. I am still impressed by certain parts and quite bored by others, but overall the presentation is where the mobile title shines.

                  There have been a few developments over the last year but not many. One of the biggest was the addition of mounts. I checked them out and basically spent my time between the two servers: one for Android players and another for iOS. I even struggled with streaming the game from my iPad!

                  Continue reading Rise and Shiny revisit: Order and Chaos Online

                  MassivelyRise and Shiny revisit: Order and Chaos Online originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 02 Sep 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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                    PAX Prime 2012: Hands-on with PlanetSide 2

                    Posted: 02 Sep 2012 10:00 AM PDT

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                    PAX Prime 2012 Handson with PlanetSide 2
                    Sony Online Entertainment's PlanetSide 2 is still in the process of development and beta testing, but the team brought the game to PAX for its North American tradeshow debut. If you really want to know what it's like, you can always sign up for the beta yourself. Otherwise, you can skip below this cut to hear about our hands-on time with the game on the show floor.

                    Continue reading PAX Prime 2012: Hands-on with PlanetSide 2

                    MassivelyPAX Prime 2012: Hands-on with PlanetSide 2 originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 02 Sep 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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                      MMOGaming News

                      MMOGaming News


                      [PAX Prime 2012] Cosplay Show

                      Posted:

                      [PAX Prime 2012] Cosplay Show


                      PAX Prime 2012 was held in Seattle, WA Aug 31-Sep 2, 2012. Below is the photo gallery of cosplay sharing to you. We can see all kinds of Cosplay dress: luxury, low-key, funny, curious and more. Have fun.

                      [PAX Prime 2012] Up Close and Personal with Torchlight II

                      Posted:

                      [PAX Prime 2012] Up Close and Personal with Torchlight II


                      During PAX Prime on Friday, Perfect World Entertainment and Runic Games announced that Torchlight II would be arriving on September 20th.

                      Guardians of Middle-Earth Trailers Cover Arathorn, Hildi, Sauron, and Runsig

                      Posted:

                      Guardians of Middle-Earth Trailers Cover Arathorn, Hildi, Sauron, and Runsig


                      Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment has released two new Battle Profile gameplay videos for Guardians of Middle-earth. The first Battle Profile features Hildifons, a resourceful Hobbit who can kindle fires and create explosions from almost nothing and Sauron, the ultimate embodiment of evil in Middle-earth.

                      FFXIV's New Trailer Reveals Male Miquote and New Limit Breaks

                      Posted:

                      FFXIV's New Trailer Reveals Male Miquote and New Limit Breaks


                      PAX 2012 attendees who stopped by Square Enix's Final Fantasy presentation were treated to a lengthy demo as well as a brand new trailer. A Realm Reborn is supposed to massively overhaul their existing MMO and will even allow PS3 users to get in on the action. The trailer revealed a Male Miquote, which is not currently playable in the existing game. Final Fantasy XIV servers will go offline November 11th and existing players will migrate to a Realm Reborn. An alpha test is expected to begin this winter and players looking to sign up can do so by clicking here. And be sure to check out the sweet new limit breaks and male Miquote in the trailer below.

                      Paragon Studios Closing, City of Heroes to End This Year

                      Posted:

                      Paragon Studios Closing, City of Heroes to End This Year


                      City of Heroes will shut down before the end of the year, and recurring billing as well as Paragon Market purchasing will be discontinued immediately.

                      The Repopulation's August Update Talks New Models And Engagements

                      Posted:

                      The Repopulation's August Update Talks New Models And Engagements


                      If you've a waiting for a heaping helping of patch notes -- or you're having trouble sleeping -- the latest end-of-the-month update for The Repopulation is here. OK, that was mean, but wow there's a lot to read about for August!

                      [MMOsite Exclusive] Knight Age First Look

                      Posted:

                      [MMOsite Exclusive] Knight Age First Look


                      Knight Age is a new MMORPG that is being published by Joymax, the same people who publish the Silkroad and Digimon Online games. Knight Age however, has been advertised a bit since its Korean debut which received some mix reactions from the game looking interesting to just silly or bad. But now that it is in the Open Beta phase to the English community, it is a great time to check the game out and see if it is good or just another generic mmo.

                      Dragon Nest T4 Destroyer Skill Build (Level 60 Cap) by Opal

                      Posted:

                      Dragon Nest T4 Destroyer Skill Build (Level 60 Cap) by Opal


                      With the lack of up to date builds for Destroyers, I figured I'd share mine. This is more of a reference for those who might be lost on what they would want to invest in skill point wise. It mainly just revolves around what I've been comfortable with so far in terms of nesting and dungeons in general. (You don't have to follow it 100%)

                      WOW And Raph Koster To Be Honored At GDC Online Awards

                      Posted:

                      WOW And Raph Koster To Be Honored At GDC Online Awards


                      SAN FRANCISCO — August 30, 2012 — Organizers of the Game Developers Conference® Online (GDC Online) have revealed that Raph Koster, a key industry veteran behind the prodigious massively multi-player online role-playing games (MMORPGs) Ultima Online and Star Wars Galaxies, will be honored with the Online Game Legend Award at the third annual Game Developers Choice Online Awards. Blizzard Entertainment's influential World of Warcraft® MMORPG will be inducted into the Choice Online Awards Hall of Fame during the ceremony, taking place Wednesday, October 10 at GDC Online in Austin, Texas. The special awards categories recognize developers and titles that have had significant impact in the world of online games.

                      Planetside 2 First Look

                      Posted:

                      Planetside 2 First Look


                      Planetside 2 is a new MMOFPS published by Sony Online Entertainment. Planetside 2 pits thousands of players against each other in large persistent worlds.

                      Continue reading Planetside 2 First Look.

                      [PAX Prime 2012] Rift's Storm Legion Approaches

                      Posted:

                      [PAX Prime 2012] Rift's Storm Legion Approaches


                      The Storm Legion is coming. Here caught up with the Trion team at PAX to catch a glimpse of what the oncoming storm will bring.

                      First-look at Vehicle Combat and Nighthawk in Champions Online

                      Posted:

                      First-look at Vehicle Combat and Nighthawk in Champions Online


                      Super-heroism has wings and jet engines in the Nighthawk update for Champions Online, including the first taste of the superhero, action MMORPG's brand new vehicle system. Framed by a corporate super-villain, the vigilante hero Nighthawk must clear his name. The call has been made for players to band together, taking the fight to the skies with Hawkwing jetfighters.

                      Age of Conan: Funcom Reduces Operational Costs

                      Posted:

                      Age of Conan: Funcom Reduces Operational Costs


                      Many of you will have already heard that Funcom has had to reduce our operational costs. This meant that this month's Age of Conan development update had the potential to be quite depressing in light of Funcom's recent layoffs.

                      Ghost Recon Online: No Deaths All Killstreak, My Experience

                      Posted:

                      Ghost Recon Online: No Deaths All Killstreak, My Experience


                      I have been playing ghost recon lately and I have finally played a perfect game. With Ghost Recon's gameplay of having skills, abilities, a cover and level up system I have finally manage to play one match consisting of two rounds (15min long) without having any deaths. There has been many games where I have played and only had one to five deaths, so exclusively for MMOSITE I have tried very hard to get a high kill streak and a no death game.

                      MechWarrior Online Revealed the Catapault

                      Posted:

                      MechWarrior Online Revealed the Catapault


                      As your machine detonates, you'll know that you just got served an express load of missiles by the Catapault, a heavy 'Mech designed solely for delivering missiles at long range.

                      Official Teaser Site for Dragon Nest Europe Now Available

                      Posted:

                      Official Teaser Site for Dragon Nest Europe Now Available


                      eFusion MMOG GmbH, an European publisher of massively multi-player online games, announced today that it has opened an official teaser site for the upcoming Dragon Nest Europe. This teaser site is the first concrete realization of eFusion MMOG's plans to launch the official service of Dragon Nest in Europe before end of this year.

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