MMO Updates

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• Massively Exclusive: Red 5 talks pay-to-win and Firefall's open beta
• Watch these ArcheAge Japanese launch commercials
• Age of Conan composer joins PlanetSide 2 and Starcraft II nominees for music award
• Patent troll strikes small indie MMO devs
• Snail announces Age of Wushu mobile and console titles, feature film
• The Stream Team: NDA edition, July 15 - 21, 2013
• The Daily Grind: What's your favorite MMO dungeon?
• MMO Week in Review: World of microtransactions
• EVE Evolved: First impressions of DUST 514
• WildStar business model reveal coming 'in the next month or so'
• Stick and Rudder: How dare you spend money on Star Citizen!
• Rise and Shiny: Eden Eternal

Massively Exclusive: Red 5 talks pay-to-win and Firefall's open beta Posted: 15 Jul 2013 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-Fi, Interviews, Launches, MMO Industry, PvP, PvE, Free-to-Play, MMOFPS, Post-Apocalyptic, Firefall, MMORPG If you haven't yet noticed, Red 5's open-world, MMOFPS, action-adventure, jet-boot-featuring Firefall is now in open beta. The sci-fi shooter saw an extended closed beta period marked by major overhauls to core systems and a slow-but-steady trickle of new content, and last week's open beta launch is the next big step in pushing Firefall toward its eventual release. We posed a few questions to Red 5 about the nature of beta testing, the complications brought on by monetizing a game in progress, and the future of Firefall. Continue reading Massively Exclusive: Red 5 talks pay-to-win and Firefall's open beta Massively Exclusive: Red 5 talks pay-to-win and Firefall's open beta originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 15 Jul 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Watch these ArcheAge Japanese launch commercials Posted: 15 Jul 2013 09:30 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Launches, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, PvE, ArcheAge, Sandbox, Crafting, Subscription ArcheAge launched in Japan last week, and MMO Culture got its hands on the two launch trailers that aired on Japanese television. Both focus on the game's non-combat activities, from crafting to farming to life on the open sea. They're not completely violence-free, though, as we get to see the kraken make mincemeat out of a player-built ship. The website also reports that ArcheAge launched with a subscription business model in Japan despite the game's recent free-to-play conversion in its native Korea. Check out the trailers after the cut! [Thanks Dengar!] Continue reading Watch these ArcheAge Japanese launch commercials Watch these ArcheAge Japanese launch commercials originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 15 Jul 2013 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: MMO Culture

Age of Conan composer joins PlanetSide 2 and Starcraft II nominees for music award Posted: 15 Jul 2013 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Age of Conan, Culture, Events (Real-World), News Items, Free-to-Play, Music Say what you will about the rest of the game, there's little argument that Age of Conan has impressive music. And now, soundtrack composer Knut Avenstroup Haugen joins the list of nominees for the Best Score in a Video Game at the 2013 Hollywood Music in Media Awards. His nomination comes for his work heard in AoC's latest content update, Dragon's Spine, which can be heard in the trailer. Other nominees include Jeff Broadbent (Planetside 2) and Russel Bower, Derek Duke, Glenn Stafford, and Neal Acree (Starcraft II: Heart of the Swarm), nominated in January and March, respectively. The winner for best score will be selected at the HMMA ceremony at Hollywood's Fonda Theatre November 21st. Interested in listening to these impressive soundtracks for yourself? You'll find selections for both AoC and PS2 (and many more) in our own Jukebox Heroes feature. Age of Conan composer joins PlanetSide 2 and Starcraft II nominees for music award originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 15 Jul 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Knut Haugen award nomination, HMMA nominees

Patent troll strikes small indie MMO devs Posted: 15 Jul 2013 08:30 AM PDT Filed under: MMO Industry, Legal, Miscellaneous Late last year, Treehouse Avatar Technologies filed a still-pending lawsuit against Turbine for copyright infringement claims surrounding the use of "character-enabled" and "character-attribute data linked with one or more character data." Well, they're back and claiming patent infringement on three more studios. This time, though, the studios are all small indie developers including Starpires developer Bad Pug Games, Minions of Mirth developer Prairie Games, Aces High developer HiTech Creations, and A Tale in the Desert developer eGenesis. The patent infringement claim centers on U.S Patent 8,180,858: "Methods for Presenting Data Over a Network Based Network User Choices and Collecting Real-time Data Related to Said Choices," which is the same patent infringement claimed against Turbine. Each letter looks to have been sent out on or around July 1st of this year. No word yet on any legal developments beyond these letters. [Thanks for the tip, Avaloner81!] Patent troll strikes small indie MMO devs originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 15 Jul 2013 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: GamePolitics Via: Gamasutra

Snail announces Age of Wushu mobile and console titles, feature film Posted: 15 Jul 2013 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Culture, MMO Industry, News Items, Free-to-Play, Mobile, Consoles, Sandbox, Age of Wushu Snail Games has huge plans for its successful Age of Wushu IP. The firm has already announced an expansion for its wuxia-powered MMORPG, but now it's aiming at a console port, a mobile port, and a feature film set in the same universe. The company's press release offers no details on any of the new projects aside from promising more details "at a later date." As for the big-screen treatment, Snail founder and chairman Shi Hai says it's only natural. "The Age of Wushu game looks and plays like a major martial arts motion picture, so bringing the property to movie screens is a logical evolution," he explained. "Our goal has always been for the property to reach the widest audience so evolving to a feature film and expanding the experience to consoles and mobile devices continues our plan." [Source: Snail press release] Snail announces Age of Wushu mobile and console titles, feature film originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 15 Jul 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Stream Team: NDA edition, July 15 - 21, 2013 Posted: 15 Jul 2013 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Massively Meta, Livestream, Miscellaneous, The Stream Team Boy, I really wish I could tell you all the great stuff about this week's Stream Team adventures, but it's all under NDA. I mean, it's going to be EPIC, with a capital E! (And P and I and C, for that matter.) The adventures, the intrigue, the... but alas, I have pledged on the honor of my goldfish that I will not share even a single morsel of the tasty buffet of livestreams coming your way on Massively TV. And I aim to keep that promise. Not even a pack of wild heroic mobs can drag it out of me... Oh wait, you can actually get a teaser of what's ahead in the following schedule. Stuff like tours of new areas and patches, games in alpha, and the like. Well OK, then. But to really know what happens, you will still have to watch them for yourself! Continue reading The Stream Team: NDA edition, July 15 - 21, 2013 The Stream Team: NDA edition, July 15 - 21, 2013 originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 15 Jul 2013 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Daily Grind: What's your favorite MMO dungeon? Posted: 15 Jul 2013 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, PvE, Opinion, Free-to-Play, The Daily Grind, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Dungeons I've been running a lot of flashpoint PUGs in Star Wars: The Old Republic lately, mainly because I'd like to finish my story quests but I can't bear to level via the usual FedEx-this-and-kill-that paradigm any longer. I've never been a dungeon crawler, but the SWTOR variants I've done thus far have been pretty enjoyable, mainly because of their nods to Star Wars lore. What are some of the dungeons you've most enjoyed over the years? Did you enjoy them due to the mechanics, the story, or both? What's your favorite MMO dungeon? 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: What's your favorite MMO dungeon? originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 15 Jul 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

MMO Week in Review: World of microtransactions Posted: 14 Jul 2013 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: World of Warcraft, Massively Meta, Week in Review, Miscellaneous At the end of every week, we round up the best and most popular news stories, exclusive features, and insightful columns published on Massively and then present them all in one convenient place. If you missed a big MMO or WoW Insider story last week, you've come to the right post. World of Warcraft already offered an external cash shop; it sold character transfers and sparkleponies and similar mundanities for years. But this week, Blizzard confirmed that the almost-nine-year-old MMO will soon receive an in-game cash shop. Though it's called a Pet Store, the shop hopes to sell subscribers more than mere minipets; Blizzard also wants you to pay for cosmetic gear and TCG-inspired toys. Is Blizz double-dipping or just aligning with the times? Like it or not, it's probably both. Read on for a look at the rest of this week's top MMO stories -- no subscription required. Continue reading MMO Week in Review: World of microtransactions MMO Week in Review: World of microtransactions originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 14 Jul 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

EVE Evolved: First impressions of DUST 514 Posted: 14 Jul 2013 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, EVE Online, Culture, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, Patches, Previews, PvP, Opinion, Free-to-Play, Hands-On, Consoles, First Impressions, EVE Evolved, DUST 514, Sandbox Every time I'm in a conversation about DUST 514, I find myself excusing its gameplay problems on the basis that it's treading new ground and has years of development ahead of it. But even though CCP has revealed an aggressive new schedule of big monthly updates, console gamers aren't willing to give it a free pass today based on future potential. I finally convinced my console gamer friends to pick the game up this week and gave it a fair go myself. I absolutely love the idea of DUST 514 and want to see the game succeed, but console gamers just don't seem impressed. When the game officially launched on May 14th, it was largely regarded as just another mediocre and buggy first-person shooter with a perishable gear system. The MMO components such as territorial control aren't very visible or accessible to new players, the gameplay balance and graphics need serious work, and the link with EVE Online feels practically non-existent. It pains me to say it, but DUST is neither a great FPS nor a great MMO. In this week's EVE Evolved, I delve into DUST 514 and give my first impressions of it as an EVE player. Continue reading EVE Evolved: First impressions of DUST 514 EVE Evolved: First impressions of DUST 514 originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 14 Jul 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

WildStar business model reveal coming 'in the next month or so' Posted: 14 Jul 2013 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Video, Business Models, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, WildStar WildStar's business model is still a mystery, and even though executive producer Jeremy Gaffney recently hosted a Develop panel on game monetization, he didn't provide any details relating to Carbine's upcoming sci-fi title. Develop interviewed Gaffney following the event, and while he avoided specifics, he did say that Carbine is gearing up for a "big reveal here in the next month or so about what we're doing that's really compelling." "We're trying to find our own sweet spot in this market where people aren't feeling like they're getting screwed over," Gaffney continued. You can watch the interview clip after the cut. Continue reading WildStar business model reveal coming 'in the next month or so' WildStar business model reveal coming 'in the next month or so' originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 14 Jul 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Develop YouTube Via: ZAM

Stick and Rudder: How dare you spend money on Star Citizen! Posted: 14 Jul 2013 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Business Models, Culture, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, Opinion, Sandbox, Star Citizen, Buy-to-Play I've got to perform a public service this week because there's a certain subset of our audience that simply doesn't get Star Citizen. Granted, taking the time to explain things to trolls may do nothing but invite additional trolling, but hey, at least now I'll have a handy link to copy/paste any time I see some of the how-dare-you-bankroll-Star-Citizen bellyaching going forward. And no, today's column isn't addressed to you personally. If you think it is addressed to you personally, though, that's probably a good indication that you should do what well-adjusted people do and refrain from continually posting about games you don't like! Continue reading Stick and Rudder: How dare you spend money on Star Citizen! Stick and Rudder: How dare you spend money on Star Citizen! originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 14 Jul 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Rise and Shiny: Eden Eternal Posted: 14 Jul 2013 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Screenshots, Video, Game Mechanics, Opinion, Free-to-Play, Casual, Rise and Shiny, Livestream, Sandbox It's been a while since I last played Eden Eternal. I have enjoyed it off and on over the last year, but mostly because of how much I loved the graphics. As a matter of fact, I would vote Eden Eternal as one of the best-looking MMOs out there, up there with The Chronicles of Spellborn, Guild Wars 2, and Ryzom. Sure, it covers a more stylized branch of the graphical tree than other games, but that's a pretty important job. Every year designers try to make games that look fun and bright, but they almost always come out generic. Eden Eternal is just awesome to look at. How is the gameplay, though? Being that the last major patch we talked about consisted mostly of graphical updates, I didn't expect to enjoy the game this time around as much as I did when I first discovered it. Luckily I enjoyed myself just as much -- if not more -- thanks to the game's easy pace and sandbox gameplay. Continue reading Rise and Shiny: Eden Eternal Rise and Shiny: Eden Eternal originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 14 Jul 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

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