MMO Updates

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• LoL video previews 3.7 patch, introduces Custom Item Sets
• The Summoner's Guidebook: Teaching ourselves LoL matchups
• The Think Tank: What got you started in MMOs?
• Wargaming celebrates 15 years with new World of Tanks tournament
• EA to publish new Dawngate MOBA
• The Daily Grind: Which MOBA do you recommend for newbs?
• Free for All: Celebrating MUD May with Gemstone IV
• MMO Family: First Impressions of World of Trinketz
• TUG hopes to make guilds more meaningful by not having them
• Vivendi still trying to sell Activision-Blizzard
• Catch ArenaNet's Spring Break tour of Southsun Cove replay on Twitch
• A Mystical Land changes name to Villagers & Heroes, adds content
• STO's Legacy of Romulus expansion adding Nimbus adventure zone
• Get your epeen on with these new Final Fantasy XIV screenies
• Choose My Adventure: Beyond the walls of safety in Darkfall
• Unicorn poop, beer cans, and housing dungeons: WildStar's Jeremy Gaffney preps us for closed beta 2
• Hi-Rez reveals SMITE's Isis, the Goddess of Magic
• Kingdom Under Fire II gets 2013 launch window in SE Asia
• A Mild-Mannered Reporter: How Champions Online could get its groove back

LoL video previews 3.7 patch, introduces Custom Item Sets Posted: 16 May 2013 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Game Mechanics, Patches, PvP, Free-to-Play, MOBA, League of Legends Instead of just rolling out a wall of text to discuss the changes and updates hitting League of Legends in the 3.7 patch, Riot Games offers players a video preview to get a glimpse of what's to come. And among the goodies is one of the most player-requested features -- Custom Item Sets. Want to create a specific set of items, tailored to individual champions and/or maps before you get into a match and the fighting begins? Or how about just browse through the entire item shop on PVP.net just to see what's available? Both will be possible with the new Custom Item Sets feature. Initially, these custom builds will be stored on players' local machines only, but the devs plan on adding server-side storage in the future. The video also discusses some balance changes to the champions Rumble, Twisted Fate, Caitlyn, and Nunu. Check out the specifics after the break. Continue reading LoL video previews 3.7 patch, introduces Custom Item Sets LoL video previews 3.7 patch, introduces Custom Item Sets originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 16 May 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: PC Gamer

The Summoner's Guidebook: Teaching ourselves LoL matchups Posted: 16 May 2013 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: PvP, Opinion, Free-to-Play, Guides, MOBA, League of Legends, The Summoner's Guidebook I'm always looking for things to teach players in the Summoner's Guidebook. We have, however, covered a lot of the low hanging fruit in one way or another. In League of Legends, and virtually every other asymmetric competitive game, matchup knowledge comprises the huge bulk of information that is truly useful to read about. This week was originally going to be a counter-Ryze guide, but then I decided to cover a broader topic to help reach more people. I don't really like discussing specific character matchups largely because the character you're using matters almost as much as your opponent's. What does Ryze do against Kassadin in lane, for instance? The answer is not a whole lot if the Kassadin is decent. I could write a counter-Kassadin guide, but a lot of it wouldn't be usable by Ryze. Instead, this week we'll discuss how to think about the opponent's kit and develop a strategy to win on your own (or at least survive). Continue reading The Summoner's Guidebook: Teaching ourselves LoL matchups The Summoner's Guidebook: Teaching ourselves LoL matchups originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 16 May 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Think Tank: What got you started in MMOs? Posted: 16 May 2013 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Opinion, Massively Meta, Miscellaneous, The Think Tank Can you remember your first MMO buying experience? What series of events led to your interest in massively multiplayer gaming? What made you finally accept that paying monthly for a game is a thing that's OK? Or did you wade through countless free-to-play games before finding one that suited you? As the guys and gals you turn to each day for your MMOs news, the team at Massively has a solid history with this genre. So I dug a bit deeper to get those stories from a few members of the team. Feel free to leave your own MMO origins story in the comments below as you enjoy our own after the jump. Continue reading The Think Tank: What got you started in MMOs? The Think Tank: What got you started in MMOs? originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 16 May 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Wargaming celebrates 15 years with new World of Tanks tournament Posted: 16 May 2013 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Historical, Events (Real-World), Events (In-Game), War, Free-to-Play, World of Tanks You may be familiar with Wargaming through the development studio's wildly successful game World of Tanks, but did you know that the company has been around for 15 years and has developed almost a dozen other games? To help celebrate this special 15th anniversary, Wargaming has announced a global World of Tanks tournament that will see winning teams from Europe, North America, Russia, South Korea, Southeast Asia, China, Vietnam, and more represent their regions with an all-expense-paid trip to the World of Tanks studio in Minsk, Belarus. The tournament will be a traditional 7 v 7 format and will run from May until the end of June. Check out the Wargaming site for more info. Wargaming celebrates 15 years with new World of Tanks tournament originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 16 May 2013 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Wargaming Press Release

EA to publish new Dawngate MOBA Posted: 16 May 2013 06:30 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-Fi, MMO Industry, MOBA "Dawngate is a new MOBA, built from the ground up to look and feel familiar while offering a whole new way to experience MOBA gameplay." These are the opening words of a new website for Dawngate, developed by Waystone Games and published by EA. Joystiq notes that the Twitch, Twitter, and YouTube links on the site are either inactive or private, leading us to believe that this game wasn't exactly meant to be public knowledge just yet. There is also speculation that Waystone Games is a dev studio reborn from the ashes of Dead Space 3's Visceral Games, which dissolved last year. You can register for the upcoming beta through your EA Origin account. EA to publish new Dawngate MOBA originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 16 May 2013 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Joystiq

The Daily Grind: Which MOBA do you recommend for newbs? Posted: 16 May 2013 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, Opinion, The Daily Grind, MOBA Thus far I've sat out the whole MOBA craze. I don't have a good reason, really, other than all of the rest of the games on my plate coupled with a lack of time to play them. Lately I'm getting more and more intrigued, though, and I've been nosing around websites and forum communities to see which title might make a good starting point. SMITE looks promising, and I'm a big fan of Hi-Rez thanks mostly to all the fun I had in Global Agenda. Infinite Crisis looks cool, too, though admittedly that's because I'm an incurable fan of the IP. And of course there's League of Legends, HoN, and the other big dogs. What say you, Massively MOBA players? Do you recommend a particular MOBA for newbs? 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: Which MOBA do you recommend for newbs? originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 16 May 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Free for All: Celebrating MUD May with Gemstone IV Posted: 15 May 2013 07:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Business Models, Events (In-Game), Game Mechanics, Interviews, MMO Industry, Opinion, Roleplaying, Free for All, Subscription MUD May has been a blast so far, but I won't lie to you and say that I hope to even make a dent in the decades-old history of many of these titles. I decided instead to use some examples from my favorite MUDs that I have come across over the last couple of years. It's admittedly been a challenge to think about what to cover. Do I cover the communities? The in-game mechanics? The publishers? This week I decided to attempt to kill several birds with a handful of stones (and questions) and snagged Simutronics Producer Eric Latham for an video interview. Simutronics has been in the business for 26 years, and the publisher makes my favorite MUD, Gemstone IV. Latham has been with the company for 15 of those years! Technically I am using the interview and video as part of my Rise and Shiny series, but the questions and answers are more relevant to the general topic of MUDs. You might see it now as well as later, but it will hopefully provide some insight into the world of making MUDs. Continue reading Free for All: Celebrating MUD May with Gemstone IV Free for All: Celebrating MUD May with Gemstone IV originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 15 May 2013 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

MMO Family: First Impressions of World of Trinketz Posted: 15 May 2013 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Business Models, Game Mechanics, Opinion, Free-to-Play, Browser, Hands-On, First Impressions, Kids, MMO Family, Family, Miscellaneous I have to begin this week's column with a disclaimer: I am not a fan of Facebook, and I'm even less a fan of Facebook games. The only one I found enjoyable was Ian Bogost's Cow Clicker because it was a giant middle finger to the bottom-feeding practices so commonly found in Facebook Villes. But when I got a Google alert in my inbox about the world's first family-friendly 3-D MMO for Facebook, I had to head back to the blue-and-white wasteland of Facebook and see it firsthand. Could it be that the era of isometric views and mindless clicking is finally over? Have we finally moved on from agriculturally themed games? I decided to check out World of Trinketz to seek some answers. Continue reading MMO Family: First Impressions of World of Trinketz MMO Family: First Impressions of World of Trinketz originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 15 May 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

TUG hopes to make guilds more meaningful by not having them Posted: 15 May 2013 05:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Guilds, News Items, Sandbox, Crowdfunding Guilds are pretty much ubiquitous in MMOs -- they serve as a way to bind players together into a group. But the team behind TUG thinks that all too often guilds come about mostly so you can have a name and a chat channel all to yourself. Which is why the latest design post about the game explains that the designers want to remove that sense of artificially created communities. To strengthen that sense of forming player groups, guilds have to go. As the post explains, too often guilds become things formed for the purpose of having a guild, placing an artificial limitation on what groups players belong to. Instead, the goal is to get players to form societies and groups organically, creating more freedom by removing arbitrary restrictions. It's an idea with a lot of promise, and as the game's Kickstarter continues you can decide if that promise is something you feel like supporting. TUG hopes to make guilds more meaningful by not having them originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 15 May 2013 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: On Guilds in TUG

Vivendi still trying to sell Activision-Blizzard Posted: 15 May 2013 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Economy, MMO Industry, News Items French telecom company Vivendi is still looking to sell off gaming giant Activision-Blizzard, according to the Wall Street Journal. Vivendi announced its quarterly results yesterday and also said that Acti-Blizz's board of directors is still weighing multiple sale options for a company that's been up for grabs since the summer of 2012. GamesIndustry.biz reports that Activision-Blizzard was worth more than $8 billion when it was put on the open market. Vivendi still trying to sell Activision-Blizzard originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 15 May 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Wall Street Journal Via: GamesIndustry.biz

Catch ArenaNet's Spring Break tour of Southsun Cove replay on Twitch Posted: 15 May 2013 04:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Events (In-Game), MMO Industry, News Items, Guild Wars 2, Buy-to-Play Did you miss ArenaNet's Southsun Cove developer livestream? Do you have a spare 27 minutes and 31 seconds? If you answered yes to both of those questions, you can head to the Guild Wars 2 Twitch page and watch the replay. Even if you didn't answer yes to both of those questions, you can still watch the replay, and yes, I am attempting to fill out what is otherwise an extremely cut-and-dried news post. Let's see, what else? ANet's Scott McGough and Leah Rivera are the developers on record, and there's plenty of gameplay footage and commentary packed into the half-hour block. Catch ArenaNet's Spring Break tour of Southsun Cove replay on Twitch originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 15 May 2013 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Twitch

A Mystical Land changes name to Villagers & Heroes, adds content Posted: 15 May 2013 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, News Items, PvE, Free-to-Play, Casual, Player-Generated Content Remember A Mystical Land? Well, forget about it, at least under that name. Mad Otter and Neonga have sent out a press release announcing that the title is now called Villagers & Heroes in an effort to "better match the content and focus of the game." The name change isn't the only change, either, as gameplay has been upgraded by the addition of player-created custom gear, new realms to explore, and new epic bosses. Animal ranching is a thing now, too, so you can raise sheep, chicken, and pigs alongside those crops in your backyard. Additional improvements are planned for future updates, and Villagers & Heroes is also seeking your approval on Steam's Greenlight service. [Source: Neonga press release] A Mystical Land changes name to Villagers & Heroes, adds content originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 15 May 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

STO's Legacy of Romulus expansion adding Nimbus adventure zone Posted: 15 May 2013 03:30 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Expansions, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, News Items, PvE, Star Trek Online, Free-to-Play Cryptic is pumping out the Star Trek Online dev blogs as the game's Legacy of Romulus expansion draws near. The latest comes to us from content designer Sean "Commander Ander" McCann, and it's all about the Nimbus adventure zone. Nimbus is a crime-ridden locale currently lorded over by the Orion Syndicate. The new episode series Wasteland takes gamers all over the planet, from the run-down fugitive haven of Paradise City to a destroyed ship that doubles as an Orion stronghold to a Gorn-filled canyon that houses some sort of mysterious project. Nimbus also boasts dailies, open missions, and accolade rewards for said missions and for exploration. More details are yours at the official STO website. STO's Legacy of Romulus expansion adding Nimbus adventure zone originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 15 May 2013 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Nimbus blog

Get your epeen on with these new Final Fantasy XIV screenies Posted: 15 May 2013 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Galleries, Screenshots, Final Fantasy XIV, Subscription My, that's a large... sword that you're holding at a very interesting angle, there. Compensating for something, perhaps? Maybe it's impotence caused by the long wait until Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn comes to a home PC or PS3 near you? Then we have the cure! No, it's not a little blue pill; it's a new gallery full of FFXIV screenshots and concept art from the upcoming reboot. Check them out and feel assured that your epeen will once again be in action. Gallery: Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn screenshots and concept art [Source: Square-Enix] Get your epeen on with these new Final Fantasy XIV screenies originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 15 May 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Choose My Adventure: Beyond the walls of safety in Darkfall Posted: 15 May 2013 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Polls, Darkfall, PvP, Opinion, Choose My Adventure, Sandbox Man up MJ, you said. Forsake the fetters of safety and wander the wilds of the world. Yes, folks, for the next phase of our Choose My Adventure project, you directed me to leave the confines of the starting cities and surrounding lands to explore and harvest in the unprotected areas in Darkfall Unholy Wars. That, and get familiar with the workbench for crafting. So said you all, and so I did. I ran little Emey Brokenclaw beyond the bounds of the safe zones and introduced her to the vast lands stretching across Agon. I enjoyed some exciting experiences as well as learned quite a few things during that journey, though not necessarily what you'd expect. Gallery: Choose My Adventure: Darkfall Unholy Wars Continue reading Choose My Adventure: Beyond the walls of safety in Darkfall Choose My Adventure: Beyond the walls of safety in Darkfall originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 15 May 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Unicorn poop, beer cans, and housing dungeons: WildStar's Jeremy Gaffney preps us for closed beta 2 Posted: 15 May 2013 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-Fi, Interviews, Previews, PvP, WildStar, Dungeons, Housing "This is going to be the best game most of us have built in our lives," Carbine Studios Executive Producer Jeremy Gaffney said bluntly. The game in question, of course, is WildStar, and it represents Gaffney's 10th or so trip through the beta development chute on the way to release. There's an undeniable note of pride and calm confidence in his voice as he talks about the baby that's growing inside Carbine's womb right now, and he was definitely not shy in opening up about all of the decisions and work the team's made as WildStar heads into its second trimester... er, closed beta test. Before that, however, Gaffney provided a recap of the first closed beta test. He said that it was pretty limited, with only 2,000 players testing out the lowbie Exile zones. The team moved some of the elder game content down in level so that people could test it out, and developers spent some time doing impromptu Q&A sessions with players in the field. As a result, Carbine is ready to shift over to the Dominion side and greatly expand the beta in size and content. Read on for the full scoop on what the next step will entail. Continue reading Unicorn poop, beer cans, and housing dungeons: WildStar's Jeremy Gaffney preps us for closed beta 2 Unicorn poop, beer cans, and housing dungeons: WildStar's Jeremy Gaffney preps us for closed beta 2 originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 15 May 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Hi-Rez reveals SMITE's Isis, the Goddess of Magic Posted: 15 May 2013 12:30 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, PvP, News Items, Free-to-Play, MOBA Ready for the latest SMITE character reveal? Isis is here, and Hi-Rez has published a blog post and a gameplay video heralding her arrival. The Goddess of Magic is a sceptre-wielding mage -- no surprise there -- who relies on her Funeral Rites passive ability and spiffy attacks like Wing Gust and Spirit Ball. Hi-Rez has also tweaked SMITE's level system in the latest patch. God leveling earns you worshippers after every victory, which in turn translate to God Rank for a given avatar. The devs have also changed the old player level to something called Beta level. If you reach Beta level 30 prior to SMITE's official release, you'll get a free Ymir Cocadeamon skin. There's more info on all the changes at the SMITE website, and don't forget the Isis trailer after the cut. [Thanks Don!] Continue reading Hi-Rez reveals SMITE's Isis, the Goddess of Magic Hi-Rez reveals SMITE's Isis, the Goddess of Magic originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 15 May 2013 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Isis reveal

Kingdom Under Fire II gets 2013 launch window in SE Asia Posted: 15 May 2013 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Launches, Free-to-Play, Consoles, MMORTS It's been a couple of years since we last heard about Kingdom Under Fire II, so it's good to check in with one of our neighborly MMOs to see... oh hey! You're launching! What are the odds that this would happen during a completely random house call? OK, so the good news is that Kingdom Under Fire II has been scheduled for a 2013 launch. Unfortunately, the bad news is that so far this release will be limited to Southeast Asia at first. Apparently developer BlueSide wants to see the game in action in that region first before rolling it out elsewhere. The title is a combination of action-RPG and real-time strategy, promises battlefields with "thousands" of soldiers fighting at once, and will be launching on the PC and PlayStation 3. [Thanks to Steparu for the tip!] Kingdom Under Fire II gets 2013 launch window in SE Asia originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 15 May 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Steparu.com

A Mild-Mannered Reporter: How Champions Online could get its groove back Posted: 15 May 2013 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Super-hero, Game Mechanics, Opinion, Free-to-Play, Champions Online, A Mild-Mannered Reporter, Player-Generated Content It's hard to be a fan of Champions Online right now. The game has not been in a good state for pretty much any of its life cycle, but as I've discussed previously, its woes have really come into focus lately. It's been a long time since the game really sat down and advanced any sort of story, and it's been even longer since the game offered players something new in the endgame. When Cryptic has two other games with lots of ambition and promise, Champions Online is left looking like the unwanted sibling. Part of the problem is the fact that CO currently has a skeleton crew working on it and a minimal budget. I suspect (without having hard numbers) that it's at the same sort of uneasy place as Vanguard was for a long while -- making just enough money to justify its continued operation while not making enough money for additional development staff. So with all of that in place, what can the game do to prop itself up a bit more without requiring a huge infusion of additional money? How can Champions Online get its act back together? Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: How Champions Online could get its groove back A Mild-Mannered Reporter: How Champions Online could get its groove back originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 15 May 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

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