MMO Updates |
- Massively seeks a new Guild Wars 2 columnist
- Is Turbine's shadowofmordor.com for LotRO?
- Derek Smart teases new Line of Defense E3 preview
- Second Wind: Returning to Wurm Online is a process
- Ragnarok Online celebrates 10 years with content update 14.2
- Ran Online gets publishing deal for Europe
- CCP claims DUST 514 is 'driving' PS3 sales
- The Daily Grind: What must E3 deliver to MMO fans this year?
- Cryptic North studio formed to polish Champions Online
- Arcane Saga launches with Steam bonus packs
- The Summoner's Guidebook: Team leaders roam League of Legends' jungle
- Meet the art director behind Ultima Forever
- Neverwinter balance and gameplay update detailed
- The making of an arena and reading of minds at Champions Online
- Free TERA server transfers through June 11
- RIFT tops Raptr's May most-played list
- EVE Online flirts with virtual reality
- EverQuest Next teaser photo posted
- Marvel Heroes compensates for early access delay
- WildStar's devs break all the things in the latest stress test
- Ask Massively: No one loves blog comment systems
| Massively seeks a new Guild Wars 2 columnist Posted: 07 Jun 2013 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: MMO Industry, Guild Wars 2, Massively Meta, Miscellaneous  Here's the skinny on us: Massively is Joystiq's geeky MMO cousin. We're owned by AOL; we're all paid, remote contractors; and we uphold a strict set of ethical standards you won't find among our rivals. We focus on high-quality writing with fair sourcing and a mix of news and features. We employ actual copyediting and editorial oversight, so you won't see trainwreck English in every headline. In short, we are the MMO site the other sites use as an RSS feed. This position would be an awesome chance to break into paid gaming journalism if you happen to have just the right blend of Guild Wars 2 experience, availability, excellent writing skills, and passion for the MMO genre. If that describes you, then read on and apply! Continue reading Massively seeks a new Guild Wars 2 columnist
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| Is Turbine's shadowofmordor.com for LotRO? Posted: 07 Jun 2013 09:30 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Expansions, MMO Industry, Free-to-Play, Rumors  From here, we can do nothing but speculate, but Goldenstar over at the A Casual Stroll to Mordor blog can't help but point out some interesting possibilities for a connection to Lord of the Rings Online. For one, this is the same pattern we saw when riderofrohan.com was first trademarked. Another domain, firesofmordor.com, was originally thought to be our ticket to the dark lord's land way back in 2009, but this may actually be a revision of that. Even if this has nothing to do with LotRO and is for an entirely new game, we're happy to see Turbine growing as much as it has in the past few years. I just want to pinch its little cheeks!
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| Derek Smart teases new Line of Defense E3 preview Posted: 07 Jun 2013 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-Fi, Galleries, Screenshots, New Titles, Previews  The six screenshots below don't tell us anything juicy like a release date, but we can still admire the art direction taken by the game and be assured that it's still in development. If you're curious about gameplay, we spent some quality time with the game during last year's GDC. We'll be sure to keep you up-to-date on any Line of Defense news coming from E3.
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| Second Wind: Returning to Wurm Online is a process Posted: 07 Jun 2013 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Wurm Online, Opinion, Free-to-Play, Sandbox, Crafting, Second Wind  In fact, once I determined that my house, my boat, and most of my possessions hadn't been taken by other players in my absence, I had to log back off. I just had to do something else offline for a bit while that anxiety flow slowed to a trickle. But I soon answered that unexplainable call to log back in and start my new life as a reborn Wurmian. I've heard so many great things about the game's improvements over the last few months that I just had to check them out for myself. Continue reading Second Wind: Returning to Wurm Online is a process
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| Ragnarok Online celebrates 10 years with content update 14.2 Posted: 07 Jun 2013 07:30 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, MMO Industry, Patches, Free-to-Play, Anniversaries  This sequel to 2011's Bifrost update introduces new maps, dungeons, foes, equipment, and a continued questline from 14.1. An in-game festival helps celebrate the 10th anniversary with players completing mini-games for prizes. To join in the festivities, head over to the official site to sign up. [Source: WarpPortal press release]
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| Ran Online gets publishing deal for Europe Posted: 07 Jun 2013 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, MMO Industry, New Titles, Free-to-Play, Legal  Games-Masters.com signed a publishing deal with Min Communications to bring Ran Online to Europe, initially with an English-only version. Ran Online has an eight-year history in Asia, boasting 26 game updates and a graphic engine overhaul during its lifespan. Games-Masters.com CEO Thorsten Schauer is hopeful that the new market will embrace the title: "Ran Online is one of the most successful MMOs in Asia due to its deep content and customization, and we are looking forward to seeing fans all over Europe playing the EU version." [Source: Games-Masters.com press release]
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| CCP claims DUST 514 is 'driving' PS3 sales Posted: 07 Jun 2013 06:30 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, MMO Industry, Free-to-Play, Consoles, MMOFPS, DUST 514  "We already see that DUST 514, during open beta, had been driving hardware sales for Sony. We actually track that together," Gunnarsson said. "We know that our fanbase, DUST-curious players, are buying the PlayStation 3 to get into our game." Recently, the studio claimed that DUST 514 was vital to the "long-term trajectory" of the company.
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| The Daily Grind: What must E3 deliver to MMO fans this year? Posted: 07 Jun 2013 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Business Models, MMO Industry, Opinion, Massively Meta, The Daily Grind, Events (Massively's Coverage), Community Q&A, Miscellaneous  But even with a full roster of games to preview, I've worried the last few years that E3 is being eclipsed, at least for MMO fans, by more player-friendly and MMO-friendly venues like PAX. What do you guys think -- am I wrong? What must E3 deliver to MMO fans specifically this year to seem more like a chance for the industry to showcase games in one convenient location and less like an advertising platform for the biggest companies as they trample each other with hype? Bonus question: What, above all else, do you want Massively's attendees to focus on at E3 this year?  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!
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| Cryptic North studio formed to polish Champions Online Posted: 07 Jun 2013 05:30 AM PDT Filed under: Super-hero, MMO Industry, Star Trek Online, Free-to-Play, Champions Online, Miscellaneous, Neverwinter  Led by Flying Lab co-founder Russell Williams, Cryptic North is looking to grow the team by recruiting Seattle-based talent. When asked if the new studio will be working on any projects independent of Cryptic's Redwood City, California branch, Jack Emmert called that a "definite possibility." Be sure to read the entire interview over at Gamasutra for more. [Thanks to Psi for the tip!]
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| Arcane Saga launches with Steam bonus packs Posted: 06 Jun 2013 07:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Launches, New Titles, News Items, Free-to-Play  Arcane Saga's main selling points are fast leveling, job combinations, and a competitive PvP endgame. The stated design goal is to get players into the meat of the game quickly and provide players ample opportunities to forge their own paths. No events are scheduled to celebrate the game's launch, but considering the number of free-to-play titles that simply add a full cash shop onto an open beta, the official launch is compelling enough. [Source: Netmarble press release]
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| The Summoner's Guidebook: Team leaders roam League of Legends' jungle Posted: 06 Jun 2013 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: PvP, Opinion, Free-to-Play, Guides, MOBA, League of Legends, The Summoner's Guidebook  With this responsibility comes great power, however. The jungler has the ability to influence a match in numerous covert and overt ways. He can steal enemy creeps to disrupt the opposing jungler or even influence lanes by stealing the enemy blue buff. He can make his presence known via ganks and directly impact the outcome of lane confrontations. Perhaps most notably, the jungler can place wards to warn his teammates of enemy incursions and/or allow them to make better strategic decisions. While the support can be a team leader as well, the role defaults to the man in the jungle. When he comes from the cover of the trees to strike at his foes, they quake in terror. Continue reading The Summoner's Guidebook: Team leaders roam League of Legends' jungle
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| Meet the art director behind Ultima Forever Posted: 06 Jun 2013 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Previews, News Items  This was the core idea behind using background tiles rather than a 3D engine; as Lipman puts it, he wanted to take the beautiful concept art that people would come up with and put it directly into the game rather than just make something similar. You can hear all of Lipman's observations on designing the game in the video just past the cut, including a discussion of changing the game's overall art style to help make the game stand out more for players. Continue reading Meet the art director behind Ultima Forever
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| Neverwinter balance and gameplay update detailed Posted: 06 Jun 2013 04:30 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Free-to-Play, Neverwinter  The post touches on everything from classes and the queue system to PvP, the auction house, the gateway, and game performance. Grab yourself a cup of your favorite caffeinated beverage and click through the link below to start reading.
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| The making of an arena and reading of minds at Champions Online Posted: 06 Jun 2013 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Super-hero, Events (In-Game), Previews, News Items, Free-to-Play, Champions Online  Seems like the developers read your mind? They might have. They did just redesign the Telepathy set, after all. You can also read all about that on the official site, detailing the new powers and their interplay. The new Telepathy set is meant to provide plenty of control and damage options for new or existing characters, so if your characters tend to be fond of mind games you'll want to take a look at the changes.
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| Free TERA server transfers through June 11 Posted: 06 Jun 2013 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, MMO Industry, News Items, Free-to-Play, TERA  The company has also opened up the Lake of Tears and Ascension Valley shards as part of its current transfer offer. More info on all of the rules and restrictions can be found on TERA's website.
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| RIFT tops Raptr's May most-played list Posted: 06 Jun 2013 02:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, MMO Industry, Free-to-Play, RIFT, Promotions, Neverwinter  RIFT jumped up 13 spots to garner a 7.76% share of player hours in May, topping even League of Legends and World of Warcraft. This was largely thanks to a reward campaign that quadrupled the number of players from March. The company notes that Neverwinter was also a "big mover" in the month among Raptr players, netting 11th place.
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| EVE Online flirts with virtual reality Posted: 06 Jun 2013 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, EVE Online, Events (Real-World), MMO Industry, Sandbox  CCP Karuck details the journey that led the team to adapting the studio's flagship title for a VR headset: "We brought up many genres and styles, but in the end decided to make a game in the EVE universe where players could fly fighter spaceships. That idea just checked all the boxes, and who hasn't wanted to experience first-person space flight in EVE?" Challenges for the team including modifying the UI to work with a headset and tweaking the experience so that users wouldn't get motion sickness. Karuck estimates that around a thousand players tried out the EVE VR demo at fanfest, and the team has plans to bring it to E3 for press previews. Still, he admits that he doesn't know what is in store for the future of it all: "We still don't know what will become of this little project of ours, with CCP considering various options."
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| EverQuest Next teaser photo posted Posted: 06 Jun 2013 01:30 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Screenshots, Events (Real-World), Previews, EverQuest Next, Sandbox  The photo shows a grimacing character model and various armor pieces on two screens. It's obvious that the screens are a work in progress, as the textures and colors aren't included. Although it's been lightly talked about by the studio for years now, EverQuest Next's full reveal will happen at this August's SOE Live. While we'll have to wait to see what's announced for the title, we have our own wish list of what should be included.
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| Marvel Heroes compensates for early access delay Posted: 06 Jun 2013 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Super-hero, Launches, Free-to-Play, Marvel Heroes  Ultimate pack purchasers will receive 2,000 Gs of store currency and a cosmetic pet, while premium pack purchasers will get 1,000 Gs and a pet. The currency will be delivered to those players starting on June 7th, although the pet may be a little later in coming, as the team hasn't decided on what it is just yet. "As you may know, we had issues that delayed our initial launch of Marvel Heroes," CEO David Brevik wrote. "We take our commitment to you very seriously, and that's why we had our team working around the clock to bring the game to you as fast as possible. However, a promise is a promise, and we were late -- so we're going to compensate those of you who were affected by that delay."
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| WildStar's devs break all the things in the latest stress test Posted: 06 Jun 2013 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-Fi, Bugs, Events (In-Game), News Items, Dev Diaries, WildStar  Bass specifically addresses the challenges of herding gamers who are "used to the usual 'STRESS TEST WEEKEND WOOOOOO!' hype," which is, you know, pretty much all of us. "The problem," he wrote, "was that we needed to do an actual stress test... one where we kept adding more and more players until something broke so that we could see where our weaknesses were." Like Bass, we're sure the "promise of a future beta invite" soothed any grumpiness.
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| Ask Massively: No one loves blog comment systems Posted: 06 Jun 2013 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Opinion, Massively Meta, Ask Massively, Miscellaneous  Chris wrote, "Is there some way to create an ignore list? I'm irritated by a few people in certain articles who try to make the comments entirely about themselves. I primarily read this site at work, and the work network is garbage, which means that the browser freezes up when I try to load more comments. Is there some way to filter out certain users' posts?" This is a good idea! Continue reading Ask Massively: No one loves blog comment systems
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