MMO Updates

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• World of Tanks staggers release of artillery-laden Update 8.6
• Jagex appoints filmmaker as new creative director for Transformers Universe and RuneScape 3
• City of Steam's Tears of the Oracle patch hails the return of the greenskins
• World of Warcraft unleashes the summer sale
• Bungie's Chris Butcher talks about Destiny's public areas
• The Daily Grind: Should weather systems impact gameplay?
• WAKFU's Haven Worlds update postponed
• EU EverQuest II launching with ProSiebenSat.1 'on or around June 20'
• Gazillion adds Colossus, Ms. Marvel costumes to Marvel Heroes
• Quickdraw added to MechWarrior Online's hangar
• Double your pleasure and double your experience in Star Wars: The Old Republic
• Superman saves the world... of warcraft
• RIFT adds warfront modes on a daddy's day off
• Massively Speaking Episode 252: Eee Eee Eee
• EverQuest Next's official title is... EverQuest Next
• Hyperspace Beacon: The roleplayer's guide to SWTOR event planning
• Black Desert Online closed beta slapped with delay
• Cryptic introduces Dilithium Mine Outpost to Star Trek Online
• Neverwinter to launch with alchemy profession
• MapleStory rewards new and existing players for this week's World Transfer event

World of Tanks staggers release of artillery-laden Update 8.6 Posted: 19 Jun 2013 09:30 AM PDT Filed under: Galleries, Screenshots, Trailers, Video, Classes, Patches, PvP, News Items Artillery fans in Europe waiting for World of Tank's update 8.6 can start enjoying the all the goodies that this patch brings today, from the new artillery units to the new Korean-based Sacred Valley battle arena. Other areas of the globe, however, will have a longer wait before they can participate in the patch; it will go live in Southeast Asia on June 20th, followed by the American release on June 25th, and then finally hit South Korea on July 4th. Also included in this update are new SPGs that boost that line to Tier X and the A33 Excelsior, a new premium British tank. Take a look at the vehicles in the renderings, screenshots, and artwork in the gallery below. And in case you missed the teaser trailer for this update, we've tucked it behind the break for you! Gallery: World of Tanks 8.6 Update [Source: Wargaming press release] Continue reading World of Tanks staggers release of artillery-laden Update 8.6 World of Tanks staggers release of artillery-laden Update 8.6 originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 19 Jun 2013 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Jagex appoints filmmaker as new creative director for Transformers Universe and RuneScape 3 Posted: 19 Jun 2013 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-Fi, MMO Industry, New Titles, RuneScape, Free-to-Play, Browser, Miscellaneous, Transformers Universe Jagex has announced today the appointment of Alex de Rakoff as Creative Director to the popular MMO studio. Not only has de Rakoff directed award-winning music videos, but he's also well-known for his films, working with actors like Orlando Bloom and Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson. No, that doesn't mean Jagex is working on a Legolas or a gangsta rap MMO, but it does mean that the upcoming Transformers Universe and RuneScape 3 will both benefit from de Rakoff's experience and creativity. In fact, before being officially hired in-house by Jagex, de Rakoff had already been writing the story for Transformers Universe under contract. You can learn more about Alex on his IMDb profile. [Source: Jagex press release] Jagex appoints filmmaker as new creative director for Transformers Universe and RuneScape 3 originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 19 Jun 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

City of Steam's Tears of the Oracle patch hails the return of the greenskins Posted: 19 Jun 2013 08:30 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Classes, New Titles, Patches, News Items, Free-to-Play, Browser, Races, Dungeons, Crafting, City of Steam, Steampunk When City of Steam threw open its browser-based beta doors to all players, certain classes and races were noticeably missing from the soirée. But some fan-favorites have finally gotten their invitation and will be rejoining the party when the 1.3 patch Tears of the Oracle hits next week; greenskins, dwarves, and Channelers will once again be available to play. And that's not even the half of it! This next patch will also be raising the level cap, expanding questlines, and adding plenty of new things, including the Founder's Annex suburb, a PvP event, a collection system, rare mobs in dungeons, plenty of cosmetic items, and even a new crafting system. On top of that, levels one through nine can resurrect for free in dungeons and the salvage system got an overhaul. So get ready to get your goblin (or hobbe, or orc) on next week! [Source: Mechanist Games press release] City of Steam's Tears of the Oracle patch hails the return of the greenskins originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 19 Jun 2013 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

World of Warcraft unleashes the summer sale Posted: 19 Jun 2013 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Promotions, Subscription For this week only, Blizzard is lowering the price of World of Warcraft and all expansions for the popular MMO's annual summer sale. From now until June 24, you can get the WoW Battle Chest (including the original game, The Burning Crusade, and Wrath of the Lich King) for only $5 US. 2010's Cataclysm is also $5, and the recently launched Mists of Pandaria is half price at $19.99. That means you can get the complete game and everything launched since 2004 for only $29.99. Head over to the official summer sale page for more info. [Thanks to Sharvis for the tip!] World of Warcraft unleashes the summer sale originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 19 Jun 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Summer Sale

Bungie's Chris Butcher talks about Destiny's public areas Posted: 19 Jun 2013 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Video, Interviews, Previews, News Items, Consoles, MMOFPS, Destiny Is Destiny a shooter with MMO elements or an MMO with a lot of shooting elements? According to a recent video interview with Chris Butcher, it's the former, and seeing as he's the Engineering Lead at Bungie he probably knows what he's talking about. But there's also some more nuance to the game which Butcher explains, and while it might not fall comfortably within the MMO header it's got a lot of persistent options. Butcher explains in the video how the game's many public areas work -- there's no UI elements to let you know that you've entered a shared space, just the sudden sight of other players alongside the announcement of dynamic events in the area. It's certainly an interesting take on shared spaces, and it's more than you might expect from a straight shooter. If you're looking forward to the game, the video embedded past the cut is well worth your time. Continue reading Bungie's Chris Butcher talks about Destiny's public areas Bungie's Chris Butcher talks about Destiny's public areas originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 19 Jun 2013 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Joystiq

The Daily Grind: Should weather systems impact gameplay? Posted: 19 Jun 2013 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Culture, Game Mechanics, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous We've talked about weather systems and day/night cycles before, although generally MMOs and gamers seem to think of them mostly as cosmetic features that are fine to have as long as they don't get in the way. But what if they do get in the way? What if weather actually has an impact on your character and the game world? What if a pass got snowed in so that you couldn't reach a certain area? What if whiteout conditions kept you from seeing that face-eating monster 10 feet away? What if wind gave your character an extra bounce in his or her step if it came from behind or actually slowed you down if you were facing into it? What if lakes dried up in drought or lightning could strike metal objects (like, um, your plate mail)? Would it be more immersive for you or just more annoying? Seeing as most of the potential ways that weather could interact with us are negative, this might be a silly question. Still, I'm putting it out there: Should weather systems impact gameplay, and if so, how? 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: Should weather systems impact gameplay? originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 19 Jun 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

WAKFU's Haven Worlds update postponed Posted: 18 Jun 2013 08:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Patches, Free-to-Play, Dev Diaries WAKFU is pushing back its Haven Worlds update a week to June 25th as the team cites testing concerns. "Our forums and internal discussions, as well as the internal playtest, raised concerns on some of the main aspects of the Haven Worlds," Ankama posted. "Since our intention is to offer quality content that matches your expectations, we decided to take one more week to improve a few gameplay details." The team decided not to implement tollbooths in the patch but created a more "malleable" system to fill the role. Several other small changes, including those to taxes and GvG features, are detailed in the delay post. To fill the void between now and the 25th, Ankama has put up a new dev diary to show off Haven Worlds and all the goodness that is to come. Check it out after the break! Continue reading WAKFU's Haven Worlds update postponed WAKFU's Haven Worlds update postponed originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 18 Jun 2013 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Delay announcement

EU EverQuest II launching with ProSiebenSat.1 'on or around June 20' Posted: 18 Jun 2013 07:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest II, MMO Industry, News Items, Free-to-Play SOE will be transferring it's EU EverQuest II services to ProSiebenSat.1 "on or around June 20," according to a news post on the EQII website. The blurb says that European players will continue to be able to play on U.S. servers, and vice versa, and SOE has uploaded a list of FAQs to help ease the transition. SOE also says that Euro players will have their own localized forums and customer service, but players with existing SOE accounts will still be able to access the U.S. forums. Hit the link to read the full announcement. EU EverQuest II launching with ProSiebenSat.1 'on or around June 20' originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 18 Jun 2013 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Announcement

Gazillion adds Colossus, Ms. Marvel costumes to Marvel Heroes Posted: 18 Jun 2013 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Super-hero, MMO Industry, News Items, Free-to-Play, Marvel Heroes If you've been thinking that what Marvel Heroes really needs is another couple of costumes, well, the game's newest blog post is probably going to put a smile on your face. Gazillion's new title already boasts over 110 costumes, but the company says it's just getting started. The newest update adds a pair of 1980s-era outfits, one for Ms. Marvel and one for Colossus. Both are available either via an in-game loot drop or the cash shop. Click through to the original post for more info and a couple of close-up images. Gazillion adds Colossus, Ms. Marvel costumes to Marvel Heroes originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Announcement

Quickdraw added to MechWarrior Online's hangar Posted: 18 Jun 2013 05:30 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Video, Patches, News Items, Free-to-Play, MechWarrior Online It can be hard to get close to someone. Especially in MechWarrior Online, where the people you want to get close to are riding walking battle tanks designed to vaporize you at long range. But the newly added Quickdraw is all about getting in close, at which point it can unleash the full might of its short-range missile launchers and medium lasers. Which is probably why people don't want to get close to one another in the first place, really. Fortunately for Quickdraw pilots, the machine is quick, jump-capable, and generally very able to get in close and unleash its payload. This new 'Mech is available in three variants alongside the new Champion Hunchback, and you can take a look at the precise loadouts in the patch notes. Or you can take a gander at the preview video for the machine embedded just past the cut. [Source: Piranha Games press release] Continue reading Quickdraw added to MechWarrior Online's hangar Quickdraw added to MechWarrior Online's hangar originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 18 Jun 2013 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Patch Notes

Double your pleasure and double your experience in Star Wars: The Old Republic Posted: 18 Jun 2013 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Events (In-Game), News Items, Free-to-Play, Star Wars: The Old Republic Are you ready to start leveling in Star Wars: The Old Republic? More to the point, would you like to level a whole lot faster? That's good, because you're going to have the chance to do just that starting this weekend. Double experience weekends are back for the next three weekends, including an extra-long version during the fourth of July, so that all of your characters can enjoy the freedom to scream up in levels and possibly skip some of the more tedious planets. The first weekend starts on June 21st at 2:00 p.m. EDT and runs until 3:00 a.m. EDT on June 24th, while the second weekend runs at the same hours from June 28th to July 1st. The third and final weekend starts at 7:00 a.m. EDT on July 4th and runs all the way until July 8th at 3:00 a.m. EDT, which should give you ample time over the holiday to buff up your levels. Double your pleasure and double your experience in Star Wars: The Old Republic originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 18 Jun 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Double XP weekends are back!

Superman saves the world... of warcraft Posted: 18 Jun 2013 04:30 PM PDT Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Culture, MMO Industry, News Items What does Superman -- sorry, Kal-El -- do when he's not punching General Zod out of the sky or making googly eyes at Lois Lane? Could be that he's playing World of Warcraft, possibly even in your PUG. Man of Steel star Henry Cavill recently told GQ that he quite enjoys both Skyrim and World of Warcraft. Cavill's such a big fan of the latter, in fact, that he missed Man of Steel director Zack Snyder's telephone call offering him the role of Superman. "I saw it was him [calling]," Cavill told British GQ, "but the thing is, you can't save World of Warcraft, you can't pause it. It's live." Superman saves the world... of warcraft originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 18 Jun 2013 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: GQ Via: WoW Insider

RIFT adds warfront modes on a daddy's day off Posted: 18 Jun 2013 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Patches, PvP, Free-to-Play, RIFT While most fathers were enjoying brand-new ties and meals out on the town this past Sunday, RIFT Lead Game Designer Bill Fisher decided that he'd be a papa to the PvP game community and take care of their needs. Fisher went into the office on his day off, asked players what they wanted added, and whipped up two new game modes for warfronts. The Black Garden warfront got a domination mode added, which allows players to wrest for the control of two key points. Also sporting a new domination mode is the Karthan Ridge warfront, although this one is a little more complex. Players in Karthan Ridge have to fight over five control points; the control points on the enemy's side of the map award more score points than do those on the on the home team side. The hotfix also reinstated the second dimension option to players which had been disabled after the 2.3 patch. RIFT adds warfront modes on a daddy's day off originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 18 Jun 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Hotfix notes

Massively Speaking Episode 252: Eee Eee Eee Posted: 18 Jun 2013 03:30 PM PDT Filed under: Podcasts, MMO Industry, Massively Meta, Massively Speaking, Miscellaneous Jasmine is back from covering this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo, and boy does she have stories! Cool stories, not just ones about bears that get their heads stuck in honeypots. What impressed each of us from E3? Listen and find out! Have a comment for the podcasters? Shoot an email to podcast@massively.com. We may just read your email on the air! Get the podcast: [RSS] Add Massively Speaking to your RSS aggregator. [MP3] Download the MP3 directly. [iTunes] Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. [Stitcher] Follow the podcast on Stitcher Radio. Listen here on the page: Read below the cut for the full show notes. Continue reading Massively Speaking Episode 252: Eee Eee Eee Massively Speaking Episode 252: Eee Eee Eee originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

EverQuest Next's official title is... EverQuest Next Posted: 18 Jun 2013 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, EverQuest Next, Sandbox At SOE Live last year, fans were told that the EverQuest Next moniker was only a working title for the upcoming sandbox sequel to the Norrathian franchise. Most believed that the true name would not be revealed until the annual convention this year. However, one fan took to Twitter and point blank asked Dave Georgeson, the franchise director, about the impending title. And Georgeson answered! So the official title for EQ Next is -- *drum roll* -- EverQuest Next! Yes folks, the working title has now been declared the official title. Surprise! OK, maybe it isn't really a surprise, but there were plenty of creative ideas floating around for possible names that could have been used, not to mention ones I'm sure we haven't even heard yet. But for now, EQN is set in stone... or is it? The game itself was totally blown up and redesigned from scratch, so it stands to reason the name could follow suit. Tell us, Massively readers, what name would you slap on the side of this sandbox? Give us your best ideas in the comments below. EverQuest Next's official title is... EverQuest Next originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Twitter

Hyperspace Beacon: The roleplayer's guide to SWTOR event planning Posted: 18 Jun 2013 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Events (In-Game), Game Mechanics, PvP, PvE, Opinion, Free-to-Play, Roleplaying, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Guides, Hyperspace Beacon, Player-Generated Content, MMORPG Amidst the critiques and patch reviews, the reasons I stick with Star Wars: The Old Republic sometimes get lost in the shuffle. Despite being irritated by the way BioWare handled specific parts of this Star Wars MMORPG, I still find the setting and the storytelling to be superb. These interwoven tales of adventure and chaos provide an incredible platform for my favorite thing to do in an MMO: roleplay. I've covered several topics about roleplay in this column. From breaking into the community to an RP wishlist to resolving RP-related conflicts, I've might have covered everything except for one of the most basic of roleplay elements: How do you host a roleplay event in SWTOR? Although Star Wars: The Old Republic varies in its presentation and tools, the types of events you can throw are pretty similar to the ones you can throw in any other MMOs. The tiny details vary, but the three basic type of events can be narrowed down to social, PvE, and PvP. Continue reading Hyperspace Beacon: The roleplayer's guide to SWTOR event planning Hyperspace Beacon: The roleplayer's guide to SWTOR event planning originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Black Desert Online closed beta slapped with delay Posted: 18 Jun 2013 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, New Titles, PvP, PvE MMO players eagerly awaiting a taste of Black Desert Online will be waiting just a bit longer than expected; the closed beta phase has been delayed from sometime this summer to sometime this fall. Apparently, Pearl Abyss wanted a little bit of extra time to add some polish and shine to the beta, thus completely defying the point of having a beta in the first place. This delay appears to apply to the Korean closed beta test, and there's no clear word on what's going on with any of the game's other localizations beyond rumors of a 2015 launch. Black Desert Online closed beta slapped with delay originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Steparu

Cryptic introduces Dilithium Mine Outpost to Star Trek Online Posted: 18 Jun 2013 12:30 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, News Items, PvE, Star Trek Online, Free-to-Play Earlier this month, Cryptic hinted at some big changes to fleet holding projects in Star Trek Online. Executive producer Daniel Stahl went on the record in the company's Ask Cryptic column and explained that the STO team had something planned involving "dilithium-based mechanics." Today's dev blog finally explained what all that means: Starting soon, fleets will have the option of working on the Dilithium Mine, a brand-new fleet outpost. The Dilithium Mine features both indoor and outdoor environments and is accessible through the Beta Ursae Block or through an unlockable transwarp. If you play Star Trek Online, those are probably words that make sense to you. The mine's appearance will change as fleet members upgrade its facilities by following its three progression tracks. Completing the main progression track for the Dilithium Mine will reward fleets with discounts on project dilithium input costs, new construction projects, daily missions, and a daily repeatable that allows fleet members to refine ore beyond their normal cap. The sub tracks offer a variety of bonuses, mostly related to discounts on fleet projects. Fleets will have access to the Dilithium Mine the moment it goes live but will need to reach the first tier of its main track before being granted access to the physical space. Cryptic introduces Dilithium Mine Outpost to Star Trek Online originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: STO Dev Blog

Neverwinter to launch with alchemy profession Posted: 18 Jun 2013 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Launches, New Titles, PvP, News Items, PvE, Free-to-Play, Neverwinter, MMORPG Neverwinter formally launches in just two days, but it appears as though the folks at Cryptic aren't quite done adding features to the game. The company has just announced that an entirely new profession, alchemy, will go live at the same time as the game's official launch. This brings the total number of professions in Neverwinter up to six. Alchemy works in the way you might expect: You use resources gathered from the environment to make potions that enhance your abilities or restore your health. There are also unstable concoctions that provide random buff or debuff effects depending on your luck. Alchemists will be able to create dyes that can be used for color customization. Alchemy joins endgame PvE and PvP dungeon Gauntlgrym as day-one new content for Neverwinter players. Neverwinter is set for officially official release on June 20th. Neverwinter to launch with alchemy profession originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Never Winter Blog

MapleStory rewards new and existing players for this week's World Transfer event Posted: 18 Jun 2013 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Trailers, Video, MapleStory, Events (In-Game), Free-to-Play, Promotions, Family All this week from June 19 to 26, MapleStory is holding a special World Transfer event where anyone who wants to move characters over to a new world can do so for only one meso. But the best part is the free stuff! For any new players that sign up for a MapleStory account through June 30, a Blue Dragon Adventure Pack is waiting in the game. This adventure pack includes customization coupons for face, hair, eye color, and style, as well as a set of Maple items that boosts your character's stats. Pet accessories are also included, as well as the coveted Blue Dragon pet. Check out the videos and run-down of the Blue Dragon Pack features after the cut for more information. [Source: Nexon press release] Continue reading MapleStory rewards new and existing players for this week's World Transfer event MapleStory rewards new and existing players for this week's World Transfer event originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 18 Jun 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

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