| MMObility: Project Theralon puts players deep in the browser sandbox Posted: 07 Sep 2012 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Screenshots, Trailers, Video, Game mechanics, Interviews, New titles, Free-to-play, Browser, Mobile, MMObility, Sandbox If you're a sandbox fan who's not familiar with the browser-based sandbox called Project: Theralon, become familiar with it. For sandboxers as well as browser-based MMO fans, this game will nudge the genre up in quality and help undermine the notion that browser-based gaming is limited, linear, and boring. In Project: Theralon, players will be able to make characters how they want and can eventually become dragon-riders, powerful characters who can fly through the environment causing havoc as they go. During my interview with the game's Associate Creative Director Sven Ehrentraut and Public Relations Director Piotr Pilich, I watched live as the game was loaded in a browser and a character mounted a dragon, flew through the landscape, and hopped off into a fight. The game has been in development for only six months, but there's already plenty to get excited about. Click past the cut and I'll give you all the details! Continue reading MMObility: Project Theralon puts players deep in the browser sandbox  MMObility: Project Theralon puts players deep in the browser sandbox originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 07 Sep 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Comments |
| The Firing Line: DUST 514 beta impressions Posted: 07 Sep 2012 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, EVE Online, Classes, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, Previews, PvP, News items, Opinion, Free-to-play, Hands-on, MMOFPS, Massively Hands-on, First Impressions, DUST 514, Sandbox, The Firing Line I haven't played DUST 514's beta in a while, so I figured that this week's installment of The Firing Line was a good excuse to give it another go. As for first impressions, my initial session some months back wasn't worth writing about (plus there was that pesky NDA thing). It was also quite a short session that I've basically forgotten, so my intent today is to jot down some proper thoughts about CCP's new EVE-inspired shooter based on a solid evening of uninterrupted playtime. Continue reading The Firing Line: DUST 514 beta impressions The Firing Line: DUST 514 beta impressions originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 07 Sep 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Comments |
| The Secret World's group finder coming next week Posted: 07 Sep 2012 08:30 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Horror, Game mechanics, MMO industry, News items, PvE, The Secret World, Dungeons Are you friendless in The Secret World? Has your guild game-hopped to the next new shiny, leaving you to wander the paths of Transylvania cold and alone? Take heart! Next week's Digging Deeper update will not only feature a bunch of new content but also a new group finder tool. It's cross-dimensional too, so you're free to pick from the entire online playerbase when forming a party. The patch drops on Tuesday, September 11th. The Secret World's group finder coming next week originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 07 Sep 2012 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Comments |
| New Black Desert trailer impresses Posted: 07 Sep 2012 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Trailers, Video, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Family One of the more spectacular MMO trailers we've seen in a while comes to us courtesy of a company called Pearl Abyss. The MMO in question is Black Desert, the firm's maiden offering that is apparently getting ready for public testing in either Korea or Japan. We say apparently because official details are sketchy. Fan site Steparu.com says that publisher GameOn recently signed a contract with Pearl Abyss, but no dates or territories have been announced. In terms of the trailer itself, there are plenty of gorgeous environmental fly-throughs, mounted combat, and several stunning character model examples. See for yourself after the break. Continue reading New Black Desert trailer impresses New Black Desert trailer impresses originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 07 Sep 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Comments |
| Guild Wars 2 dominates European sales Posted: 07 Sep 2012 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Business models, MMO industry, Guild Wars 2 Guild Wars 2 is on a goodwill tour through Europe, and it appears that the crowds love ArenaNet's latest release. The fantasy title has topped the charts in not one, not two, but 10 countries in the region. NCsoft reports that Guild Wars 2 is at the number one sales spot for UK, Germany, France, Spain, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, the Netherlands, and Belgium. And as the saying goes, when you win over Finland, you've won over the world. ArenaNet President Mike O'Brien is bowled over by the accomplishment: "Our games have always been well-received in Europe, but this level of enthusiasm is both awesome and humbling. It also impresses upon us the responsibility we have to our players and explains why we've taken steps recently to constrain sales of Guild Wars 2 to ensure the highest quality of service. Of course, we hope to remedy this in the near future." Even with ArenaNet temporarily halting sales from its website, Guild Wars 2 is selling strong elsewhere. Amazon currently has it at both the #1 and #2 position on its top video game sales chart. Guild Wars 2 dominates European sales originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 07 Sep 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Comments |
| Exclusive Ryzom interview details player wipes and server merges Posted: 07 Sep 2012 06:30 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-fi, Business models, Interviews, Ryzom, News items, Free-to-play, Massively Interviews, Post-Apocalyptic, Miscellaneous, Sandbox If you have been a Ryzom fan as long as I have, you know that the road to Atys has been long and bumpy. Unfortunately, the bumps haven't stopped. Winchgate has just announced that it's planning to merge existing servers and wipe existing characters. That means if you have built characters over these last several years, they will no longer be as they were Massively interviewed Vianney Lecroart, Ryzom's CTO, to ask about what this means for the game and community, so read on for first the official announcement and then Lecroart's comments. Continue reading Exclusive Ryzom interview details player wipes and server merges Exclusive Ryzom interview details player wipes and server merges originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 07 Sep 2012 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Comments |
| The Daily Grind: Do you report gold spammers? Posted: 07 Sep 2012 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous There you are, minding your own business, when someone named Fghdsjfta walks up to you and says "***---~~~BUY GOLD CHEAP FAST DELIVERY <<500 = $5>> FAST DELIVERY!! CHEAP GOLD TO YOU NOW!!~~~---***" This wouldn't happen in real life (besides, how would someone pronounce a tilde?), but it can and does in your favorite MMOs. Most of the time these gold-selling messages are repeated in your chat window over and over again as you try to figure out how to report the character for being an annoying spammer. Or do you? After having this conversation with some friends, I've found that not everyone reports these gold sellers. Some block the name, some turn off chat channels completely, and others simply ignore it in hopes that someone else will deal with it. So where do you stand? Let us know 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!The Daily Grind: Do you report gold spammers? originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 07 Sep 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Comments |
| PAX Prime 2012: Our first look at MMORTS Novus Aeterno Posted: 06 Sep 2012 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Events, real-world, Previews, Opinion, MMORTS, Massively Event Coverage, Miscellaneous  The MMORTS genre is a relatively unexplored one, generally relegated to free-to-play titles that tend to be mediocre at best and warcrimes at worst. It's beginning to pick up some steam these days, though, with titles like Trion Worlds' upcoming End of Nations. But I'm not here to talk about Trion or other big AAA studios; I'm here to talk about one guy who got bored and decided he'd make the game he wanted to play. That's Nick Nieuwoudt, the mastermind behind in-development MMORTS Novus Aeterno. As a hardcore StarCraft II player, he realized that he enjoyed the RTS playstyle but was left wanting something more. So as any sensible person would do, he gathered together a team and got to work creating the game he wanted to play. Many months of work later, TAITALE Studios has put together the foundation of Novus Aeterno. And as luck would have it, I had the opportunity to take a look at the game at PAX Prime 2012, so if you'd like to take a look behind the curtain at a potentially promising new MMORTS, follow on with me and I'll give you all the details. Continue reading PAX Prime 2012: Our first look at MMORTS Novus Aeterno PAX Prime 2012: Our first look at MMORTS Novus Aeterno originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 06 Sep 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Comments |
| City of Heroes fans will hold a protest rally at Atlas Park [Updated] Posted: 06 Sep 2012 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, Culture, Events, in-game, News items, Free-to-play Odds are good that most City of Heroes fans can't picket NCsoft's corporate headquarters over the game's sudden closing announcement. But fans can picket in the game itself, and that's the plan behind the in-game rally on Saturday at 5 p.m. EDT. The event planners are asking players to congregate en masse on the stairs in Atlas Park on the Virtue server in the hopes of spawning an awe-inspiring number of zone instances. The rally is followed by a costume contest at 6 p.m. EDT with a similar theme: Players will be making costumes based on Paragon Studios employees -- not the pseudonyms of the employees but the employees themselves. Players are encouraged to put a personal twist on the costumes, but the rules emphasize that mean-spirited costumes are disallowed. If you want to show your solidarity with the game and the studio, head over to the Virtue server this Saturday and get ready to strut your stuff in truly epic fashion. [Update: Massively plans to be on hand to stream the event on our Twitch channel. Join us then!]City of Heroes fans will hold a protest rally at Atlas Park [Updated] originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 06 Sep 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Comments |
| Anarchy Online feels the impact of Funcom layoffs, recommits to engine upgrade Posted: 06 Sep 2012 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Anarchy Online, Free-to-play, Dev Diaries Game Director Fia Tjernberg begins her monthly development update for Anarchy Online on a somber note, saying that the layoffs at Funcom have put a hold on the team's growth and a number of planned projects, such as the improved character creation system. Tjernberg did transition into a more upbeat tone as she emphasized that the team is still progressing with the graphical update: "Our Dreamworld engine upgrade is still one of our top priorities! We believe this is an important step in evolving AO and building for the future, and as this work is done in parallel to the rest of our commitments, we do not have to delay any other content because of this!" Other topics of the letter include a report from AO-Con, improvements to seasonal content, testing the new player experience, strengthening the community, and discussions revolving around the game's PvP. Anarchy Online feels the impact of Funcom layoffs, recommits to engine upgrade originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 06 Sep 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Comments |
| Lord of the Rings Online spills the beans on Rohan's epic story Posted: 06 Sep 2012 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Expansions, Lore, Free-to-play, Dev Diaries It's not just enough for Turbine to release a new war-pony expansion for Lord of the Rings Online and call it a day. No, the team has to maintain its high standards of storytelling, which is why Content Designer Jeff Libby wrote the latest set of quest notes for the upcoming addition to the epic tale of the game. According to Libby, Riders of Rohan will contain three new books of the epic story, titled A Fellowship Endangers, Into the Riddermark, and the Third Marshal. He paints a few broad strokes about the writing process, and then goes into spoiler-heavy territory for those who like behind-the-scenes explanations. The writer is excited to the point of needing sedation about finally entering this area of the books. "Rohan is a land that we knew we had to get right," Libby said. "For that reason alone, we've spent a great deal of time ensuring that we could do it justice. After all, the stretch of The Lord of the Rings that we have gotten up to is often cited as the favorite of readers and film-lovers alike. We need our version of the Riddermark to be equally as beloved." Lord of the Rings Online spills the beans on Rohan's epic story originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 06 Sep 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Comments |
| EA goes 100% online with gaming Posted: 06 Sep 2012 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: MMO industry, Free-to-play, Miscellaneous  From now on, don't expect to see EA coming out with single-player offline titles, because there won't be any. EA Labels President Frank Gibeau said that the company is full-on embracing cloud gaming and online interaction: "I have not green lit one game to be developed as a single player experience. Today, all of our games include online applications and digital services that make them live 24/7/365."
Forbes speculates that this approach might be a boon to MMO players, who might witness a movement toward more integrated services. EA isn't looking to turn all of its titles into MMOs, however, but is definitely adding multiplayer components and more social interaction to them going forward.
Gibeau claims that this is what the players are demanding. "People want to access games anytime and anywhere, they want to connect with friends, and they want to be recognized across multiple devices," he said. "Cloud gaming is going to make it easier to step over walled gardens." EA goes 100% online with gaming originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 06 Sep 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Comments |
| EverQuest gets its 19th expansion: Rain of Fear Posted: 06 Sep 2012 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, EverQuest, Expansions, Free-to-play Not to be outdone by the news of EverQuest II's new expansion and SOE's Player Studio, faithful ol' EverQuest is muscling its way back into the spotlight with its 19th expansion, titled Rain of Fear. Rain of Fear picks up the story from House of Thule, where nasty shards of power are falling from the sky and becoming ripe for the taking. Players will hop across the world to gather these shards and prevent their use by evil forces. Of course, if you're more into numbers than story, you'll be interested to hear that the expansion will raise the level cap to an even 100, add nine zones, 13 raids, 110 quests, and 1800 new spells. SOE also plans to institute an aggro meter, new collection and hunter tasks, fun titles, and an autonomous brokering system to boost the player economy. As with EverQuest II: Chains of Eternity, Rain of Fear is slated for a November release. Players who attend SOE Live this year will get a free copy of both expansions. EverQuest gets its 19th expansion: Rain of Fear originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 06 Sep 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Comments |
| Create (and sell) your own in-game items with SOE's Player Studio Posted: 06 Sep 2012 12:15 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest II, Business models, Game mechanics, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play EverQuest II's new expansion reared its head earlier today, as did the latest content drop for the original EverQuest. Sony Online Entertainment didn't stop there, though. The firm has unveiled something called SOE Player Studio, which is a new endeavor designed to give creative customers a way to develop their own in-game items. While user-generated content has been a staple in SOE titles for many years, Player Studio is different because it's built on a for-profit foundation. Players may "download sample geometry for actual in-game objects and through the use of third party art tools, learn how to develop, design and personalize items of their own." After an item passes the SOE approval process, it can be purchased by other players in the SOE Marketplace. Player content authors will then receive 40 percent of the net amount that SOE receives from the sale. The service will initially cover both EQ and EQII. SOE's website says Player Studio is coming soon for both Vanguard and Free Realms. [Source: SOE press release] Create (and sell) your own in-game items with SOE's Player Studio originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 06 Sep 2012 14:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Comments |
| The Summoner's Guidebook: Breaking down the skills to win in League of Legends Posted: 06 Sep 2012 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: PvP, Opinion, Free-to-play, MOBA, League of Legends Although seasoned League of Legends veterans might suggest otherwise, LoL is a hard game with a lot of complexity. Even though the Summoner's Rift metagame (and to some degree the Dominion metagame as well) is fairly solidified, expert players tend to take the numerous skills to win for granted. This week I'm going to go over a basic rundown of the things that help you win and separate you from the noobs who just play mindlessly. Even the players who exhibit poor skills in one area might perform well in another, and it's easy for us to assign blame due to any poor performance at all. This means we really need to focus on our weaknesses and get them up to speed. Experts will find this kind of thing a no-brainer, but there are plenty of players who have no idea about all the things they need to perform better. This week, we'll cover all the major skill areas and why they're important. Continue reading The Summoner's Guidebook: Breaking down the skills to win in League of Legends The Summoner's Guidebook: Breaking down the skills to win in League of Legends originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 06 Sep 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Comments |
| EverQuest II's Chains of Eternity expansion slated for November Posted: 06 Sep 2012 11:30 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest II, Expansions, Game mechanics, MMO industry, News items, PvE, Free-to-play Sony Online Entertainment has taken the wraps off EverQuest II's ninth expansion this afternoon. Chains of Eternity will release in November, and it will pile even more content on top of one of the MMO genre's most content-rich games. All the new stuff takes place in EQII's version of the afterlife, or as it's known in Norrath: Ethernere. Adventuring and tradeskill level caps will tick up to 95, new prestige abilities are coming, and of course there are plenty of new quests on the way as well. Producer Holly " Windstalker" Longdale also hints at "another event that we're keeping under wraps." She says it, whatever it is, will debut around the same time as the expansion. EverQuest II's Chains of Eternity expansion slated for November originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 06 Sep 2012 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Comments |
| The Guild Counsel: Help, other games are stealing my members! Posted: 06 Sep 2012 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Guilds, Opinion, The Guild Counsel, Miscellaneous I have to start off this week's column with a hearty show of sympathy for current guild leaders because in some ways, it's much harder to manage a guild now than it was a decade ago when MMOs were just in their infancy. When I first created a guild in EverQuest with a friend, we had the luxury of knowing that "our way or the highway" really did apply. If you got booted or chose to leave, your choice was to join another guild (which was pretty hard to do if you were a problem because word got around) or basically hang up your MMO hat for good. Now, there are more MMOs to choose from than ever before, and with the flurry of game launches over the past year, it's sometimes hard to manage the ebb and flow of guild members on the roster. Guild departures are a fairly common problem, but what if the reason for the departure isn't a "grass is greener" guild but a "grass is greener" game? In this week's Guild Counsel, we'll look at what to consider when treating the issue. Continue reading The Guild Counsel: Help, other games are stealing my members! The Guild Counsel: Help, other games are stealing my members! originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 06 Sep 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Comments |
| Chaos Theory: The Secret World's bright (player-driven?) future Posted: 06 Sep 2012 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Horror, Game mechanics, MMO industry, PvE, Opinion, The Secret World, Sandbox, Chaos Theory Apologies for not following through with part three of my crafting guide this week. I fully intended to do so, but a couple of interesting things happened over the past few days that merit some discussion. First off, Ragnar Tornquist published what can only be called a defiant state of the game letter. The Secret World's creative director engaged in some rabble-rousing penmanship that managed to inspire a metaphorical fist-pump from yours truly, even though I've been covering games long enough to cast a cynical eye toward similar rally-the-troops developer rhetoric. Tornquist admitted that TSW's competition is stiff, in particular new releases like Guild Wars 2 and Mists of Pandaria, but he didn't shy away from singing his game's praises. More importantly, he reiterated what early adopters have known for a while now: The Secret World is that increasingly rare MMO horse of a different color, and despite financial and personnel losses, Funcom knows it has a winner on its hands and is fighting to keep it. Continue reading Chaos Theory: The Secret World's bright (player-driven?) future Chaos Theory: The Secret World's bright (player-driven?) future originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 06 Sep 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Comments |
Halloween is still more than a month away, but that didn't stop 
