MMO Updates |
- New MapleStory character returns from the dark side
- Second Wind: Ultima Online
- Storyboard: Both sides of roleplaying
- The Daily Grind: What's the sneakiest cash-shop trick in MMO land?
- The Guild Counsel: Three problem players and how to handle them
- The Think Tank: Do you play single-player games as well as MMOs?
- The Summoner's Guidebook: League of Legends is hard but satisfying
- DUST 514 prepares to deploy Uprising 1.2
- Pathfinder to feature hands-on construction, building, planning
- EverQuest starts testing Heart of Fear update
- Blizzard brings out the Diablo III banhammer
- PlanetSide 2 is letting players make the missions
- Talk about internet spaceships and lose money at EVE Vegas 2013
- MU Rebirth begins beta sign-ups
- The next chapter of The Aurora World launches with in-game events
| New MapleStory character returns from the dark side Posted: 28 Jun 2013 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, MapleStory, Classes, News Items, Free-to-Play  Armed with both his lightsaber Energy Sword and a mastery of the Energy Control System, Xenon -- the first character to utilize a hybrid fighting style -- set out to fully rediscover his past. Players will participate in special stories that will help Xenon regain his memory and possibly unveil more mysteries along the way. [Source: NEXON Europe press release]
|
| Posted: 28 Jun 2013 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Screenshots, Business Models, Economy, Events (In-Game), Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, Endgame, Opinion, Ultima Online, Hands-On, Sandbox, Dungeons, Crafting, Housing, Second Wind, Player-Generated Content, Subscription, MMORPG  I was wrong. A year later I was back in UO with a new account, prowling around Britannia. And the year after that. And every year since, only I never again made the mistake of selling my accounts even when I took extended breaks. It has a special magic that only a handful of MMOs have captured (let alone topped) since, and what it lacks in modern conveniences it often makes up for in unique features. The granddaddy of MMORPGs and one of the only true sandboxes still standing turns 16 this autumn, having survived EverQuest, World of Warcraft, the internet bubble, EA's blundering, Mythic's takeover, layoffs, price hikes, a recession, and disastrous design shifts. But is it still worth playing? Continue reading Second Wind: Ultima Online
|
| Storyboard: Both sides of roleplaying Posted: 28 Jun 2013 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Culture, Game Mechanics, Opinion, Roleplaying, Storyboard, Miscellaneous  You won't be surprised to know that I spend a good portion of my time thinking about how the divide in roleplaying has happened. It's definitely there, and it often gets painted as a divide between newer and older players. There are people who point to Star Wars Galaxies as one of the greatest games for RP of all time, and there are those who look at it and just don't see what the big deal was. It's too much to come down purely to difference in taste. The idea has been rolling around in my head for a while, but a few discussions on the topic finally pushed me into the conclusion that what we're looking at is a split between ramblers and orienteers. We're treating two distinct hobbies as the same thing because they've got a lot of overlap, but despite what we think, that overlap is narrower than it seems at a glance. Continue reading Storyboard: Both sides of roleplaying
|
| The Daily Grind: What's the sneakiest cash-shop trick in MMO land? Posted: 28 Jun 2013 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Business Models, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, Opinion, Miscellaneous  I don't know of any MMOs that use this exact trick, but they certainly could. An MMO could easily track how many mobs you're willing to kill for a drop or how many lockboxes you're willing to buy before you stop playing and stop buying altogether, then trigger a drop custom-tailored for you just to keep you around. The thought of it is a little creepy but not entirely unwelcome after all the Dragon Chests I've opened to no avail lately. That day is not yet upon us, so today, we're wondering just what is the sneakiest cash-shop trick in MMO land?  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 Guild Counsel: Three problem players and how to handle them Posted: 27 Jun 2013 07:00 PM PDT Filed under: Guilds, Opinion, The Guild Counsel, Miscellaneous  While it's practically impossible to avoid all guild drama, there are a few player types that are pose a bigger threat to a guild's happy atmosphere. In today's Guild Counsel, let's look at three player types to watch out for and consider a few ways to keep them, and the guild, happy together. Continue reading The Guild Counsel: Three problem players and how to handle them
|
| The Think Tank: Do you play single-player games as well as MMOs? Posted: 27 Jun 2013 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Opinion, Massively Meta, The Think Tank  Since everyone on the Massively staff is obviously an expert in the field of MMOs, I thought it might be interesting to pick the writers' brains and find out what single-player games (and features of those games) they also enjoy. Continue reading The Think Tank: Do you play single-player games as well as MMOs?
|
| The Summoner's Guidebook: League of Legends is hard but satisfying Posted: 27 Jun 2013 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Opinion, Free-to-Play, MOBA, League of Legends, The Summoner's Guidebook  Some veterans insist that LoL is not a hard game. Recently, a pretty famous internet blogger set out to prove that indeed, League is not hard and anyone can be good at it. Ultimately, I don't like his methodology, but he did not disprove my point. League of Legends is a hard game. MOBA veterans and people who read and study guides don't find it that difficult, but if you're coming to LoL and don't read guides on how to play, it will be hard for you too. That doesn't mean it's a bad game; both awful players and experts can enjoy the game equally. It's the biggest game in the world. That means there has to be a way for bad players to feel comfortable too, right? Continue reading The Summoner's Guidebook: League of Legends is hard but satisfying
|
| DUST 514 prepares to deploy Uprising 1.2 Posted: 27 Jun 2013 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Patches, Previews, Free-to-Play, Consoles, MMOFPS, DUST 514, Dev Diaries  "We have decided to move into a faster, more iterative update cycle," said CCP Praetorian. "This is unique in the console space, only possible because our friends at Sony work with us to evolve the submission processes to suit free-to-play massively multiplayer titles like DUST." Uprising 1.2's star feature is the addition of the Commando dropsuit. This role allows players to equip dual light weapons to go all John Woo on the competition. Don't be jealous if you don't go Commando, as CCP's also prepping "Neo" dropsuits for every role. Other changes coming with 1.2 include shield energizer modules, unlocked conquered districts, ISK transfers, better visuals and game performance, optimal range limits on weapons, and improved sound.
|
| Pathfinder to feature hands-on construction, building, planning Posted: 27 Jun 2013 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Sandbox, Crafting, Crowdfunding, Pathfinder Online  How is it all going to work? That's a pretty lengthy discussion, which you'll find on the official Pathfinder dev blog. You'll also find a brief work-in-progress video clip that shows the progression of a market settlement. We've embedded that for you after the break. Continue reading Pathfinder to feature hands-on construction, building, planning
|
| EverQuest starts testing Heart of Fear update Posted: 27 Jun 2013 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, EverQuest, Patches, Free-to-Play  Heart of Fear's story began back in 2010's House of Thule and continued through EverQuest's various expansions and updates. Once Heart of Fear hits in July, players will finally get to see the exciting conclusion as they go up against the remnants of Cazic-Thule and his stronghold. The update includes the Heart of Fear fortress, new class-specific weapons that can be upgraded, and plenty of new collections, achievements, and missions to explore. Players who were in the Rain of Fear or Shadow of Fear betas automatically qualify to be a part of this test.
|
| Blizzard brings out the Diablo III banhammer Posted: 27 Jun 2013 01:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, News Items, Diablo III, Buy-to-Play  Reiterated in the ban-wave announcement are the things that Blizzard prohibits players from doing with third-party software, including automate gameplay, obtain information about the game that isn't normally available to players, modify D3's game files, and change the way the game interacts with Battle.net. Blizzard also noted that using hacks and bots isn't a victimless crime; third-party software can sometimes cause big technical issues for both the offender and other players. More info on Diablo III's exploitation policy is available on the official Blizzard support website.
|
| PlanetSide 2 is letting players make the missions Posted: 27 Jun 2013 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Game Mechanics, News Items, Free-to-Play, MMOFPS, PlanetSide 2, Player-Generated Content  The missions are meant to be short-term bursts of activity, with major experience bonuses for a limited series of objectives. So someone on the ground might put out a call for an air strike, offering big bonuses to flyers who divert and take out hardened ground targets. It's a fascinating idea that can offer mechanical bonuses for improved leadership and placement, something that players will have more reason to practice once the system gets rolled out later this summer.
|
| Talk about internet spaceships and lose money at EVE Vegas 2013 Posted: 27 Jun 2013 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, EVE Online, Events (Real-World), MMO Industry, News Items, DUST 514, Sandbox, MMORPG  The distance between the Americas and Iceland is one reason CCP holds another annual fan gathering in Las Vegas, known as EVE Vegas. And in a dev blog posted early this morning, the company outlined what attendees can expect from this year's romp in the desert. This year's EVE Vegas, will feature presentations from devs and players of both EVE Online and DUST 514, a tournament with prizes, and a pub and club crawl, with the main party taking place on the roof of the Rio hotel. CCP is also sending more devs this time around. Perhaps most interesting: Capsuleers can pay the $200 EVE Vegas ticket price with PLEX. EVE Vegas 2013 brings even more spreadsheets to the city of sin from October 18th to October 20th.
|
| MU Rebirth begins beta sign-ups Posted: 27 Jun 2013 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, MMO Industry, New Titles, PvP, Free-to-Play  MU Rebirth is a remake of MU Online with a heavy PvP emphasis. The level cap will remain at 400, although Webzen says that it is significantly speeding up the leveling process so that players will hit that number in two hours. Yes, you read that right. This plays into the "rebirth" feature, which allows players to go back to level 1 while retaining gained stats. The closed beta test of MU Rebirth will run from July 3rd to the 10th. Webzen will be hosting a global PvP tournament during the test, although details for this contest are forthcoming. [Source: Webzen press release]
|
| The next chapter of The Aurora World launches with in-game events Posted: 27 Jun 2013 10:30 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Events (In-Game), Patches, PvP, News Items, Free-to-Play  To celebrate the release of this next chapter, The Aurora World is kicking off two events. In the first, aptly dubbed The Leveling King, the first 10 players who reach level 70 from each nation will receive both a special title and a legendary dragon costume. Not one of those first 10? That's where the second event comes in: All players who obtain five level 60 purple armors and enhance them to +6 will get an exclusive level 70 unicorn Majinn. Interested players can jump in and enjoy the new content now. [Source: GBE Games press release]
|
| You are subscribed to email updates from Massively To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
