MMO Updates

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• Blizzard trademark hints at next World of Warcraft or Diablo III expansion
• Is Rockstar announcing a GTA MMO?
• Massively Speaking Episode 259: The beginning of civilization
• Lend your ears to Guild Wars 2's Queen's Speech update
• The Daily Grind: Have you ever fallen into unhealthy play habits?
• Not So Massively: Hi-Rez Reddit controversy, new MOBA Strife, and Dota 2 World Championship
• Chaos Theory: A guide to The Secret World's tokens and currencies
• MechWarrior Online, Sarah's Jenner pull in $100k for cancer research
• Details on the class changes for World of Warcraft's 5.4 patch
• The Elder Scrolls Online answers questions about its livestream
• Aeria Games Announces Aura Kingdom at Otakon 2013
• Darkfall Unholy Wars accidentally logs everyone in as an administrator
• Ooh Ouya! Testing MMOs on a $99 console
• BLESS breaks update silence with new screenshots

Blizzard trademark hints at next World of Warcraft or Diablo III expansion Posted: 13 Aug 2013 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Events (Real-World), Expansions, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Rumors, Miscellaneous, Diablo III, MMORPG According to the ever-churning rumor mill, Blizzard Entertainment may be on the cusp of announcing a new expansion to World of Warcraft or Diablo III. The studio has just snagged a new trademark for The Dark Below and identified that trademark as "computer game software" and "downloadable electronic game." The trademark could be for a new game or unannounced IP, but it's more likely the title of an upcoming expansion to one of Blizzard's big existing titles. Smart money is on Diablo III, since Blizz did tease its August 21st Gamescom press conference by saying it would, "capture the attention of the Heavens, Burning Hells, and all the shadowed places that lie between." We also know that Blizzard plans to show off a brand new cinematic at Gamescom -- cinematics tend to come with either new games or new expansions. Any guesses on what The Dark Below might be? [Thanks to Sharvis for the tip!] Blizzard trademark hints at next World of Warcraft or Diablo III expansion originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 13 Aug 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: MMO-Champion

Is Rockstar announcing a GTA MMO? Posted: 13 Aug 2013 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items If you've been sitting back just waiting for a look at an online version of Grand Theft Auto, you'll have to wait a little longer... but at least not much! Rockstar Games has confirmed that Grand Theft Auto Online is on its way. The announcement, however, is just a teaser that the premiere of the game, along with a gameplay trailer and previews, will be incoming on Thursday, August 15th. The move to an official online version is not unexpected. Back in January, the voice chat update brought the franchise one step closer to MMO-dom. We've even done an impressions piece on a multiplayer version of GTA San Andreas. And last month, Massively mused on the possibility of an MMO after noting some online features in the reveal trailer for GTA V. But will GTA Online be an actual MMO, or will it just be a multiplayer lobby for GTA V? The answer may be forthcoming Thursday. [Thanks to Dengar for the tip] Is Rockstar announcing a GTA MMO? originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 13 Aug 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Announcement Via: MMO Cast

Massively Speaking Episode 259: The beginning of civilization Posted: 13 Aug 2013 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Podcasts, MMO Industry, Massively Meta, Massively Speaking, Miscellaneous It's the dawning of a new age... a grand age... an age of civilization! Unless you live anywhere else but South Korea, in which case you're plumb out of luck. Bree returns to give us her thoughts on EverQuest Next, Justin laments that Civilization Online might never come here, and the two debut a new feature on Massively Speaking: stand-up comedy hour! 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 259: The beginning of civilization Massively Speaking Episode 259: The beginning of civilization originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 13 Aug 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Lend your ears to Guild Wars 2's Queen's Speech update Posted: 13 Aug 2013 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Events (In-Game), Patches, Guild Wars 2, Anniversaries, Buy-to-Play Have you been aching for clues as to what ArenaNet has in store for the first anniversary of Guild Wars 2? We've received word that Queen Jennah is preparing to deliver her state of the nation address to the citizens of Kryta, but ArenaNet isn't ready to spoil what might happen next. The answer to whether Tyrians should await further developments with anticipation or dread may literally be up in the air. Players, on the other hand, have plenty to look forward to: As characters created at launch reach their first birthdays, they'll receive a gift in the form of a miniature Queen Jennah, a 24-hour birthday booster item, and an experience scroll. Completion of the event meta-achievement will award an infinite watchknight tonic that will allow you to turn into one of Jennah's spooky clockwork gynoids whenever your heart desires. Other features include a new trebuchet mastery trait line and Healing Oasis skill in World vs. World, as well as an increase to the rate of world experience gain. From August 23rd, the Black Lion Trading Company will run a 10-day sale during which limited weapon skins and items from the past year will be available for purchase. The Queen's Speech update goes live on August 20th, and GW2 will mark its one-year anniversary on August 28th. Lend your ears to Guild Wars 2's Queen's Speech update originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 13 Aug 2013 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Daily Grind: Have you ever fallen into unhealthy play habits? Posted: 13 Aug 2013 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous Pretty much no one who plays video games regularly likes to be called a game addict. There's a stigma attached to gaming, one that makes a lot of players particularly uncomfortable. But we are frequently able to recognize when we're putting in more hours than are entirely healthy in various games. We don't want to be called addicts, but we recognize that spending our entire weekends in Final Fantasy XI or World of Warcraft or Guild Wars 2 is probably not a great sign. Sometimes it's just an isolated thing when we have a free weekend and wind up spending all of it gaming. Other times we step back and realize we're devoting too much of our time and energy to our games of choice and we need to back off a little bit. So does that sound like you? Have you ever fallen into unhealthy play habits by accident? Or do you feel you've never been a bit too focused on playing your MMO of choice? 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: Have you ever fallen into unhealthy play habits? originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 13 Aug 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Not So Massively: Hi-Rez Reddit controversy, new MOBA Strife, and Dota 2 World Championship Posted: 12 Aug 2013 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Video, Business Models, Events (Real-World), Events (In-Game), Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, Patches, PvP, News Items, PvE, Free-to-Play, Casual, Dev Diaries, Not So Massively, Sandbox, MOBA, Diablo III, Crowdfunding, Star Citizen, Elite: Dangerous, Infinite Crisis, Path of Exile Controversy struck the Tribes: Ascend community this week as developer Hi-Rez Studios shut down the game's forum and told players to go to Reddit instead. Threads erupted on the third-party site asking for official Hi-Rez accounts to be banned from /r/Tribes. Dota 2's World Championship tournament got underway this week as top competitive teams from around the world fought for a slice of The International's $2.8 million US of prize money. And it looks like Heroes of Newerth has a companion on the way, as developer S2 Games recently revealed its new and potentially more casual MOBA Strife. In a new video devblog, Elite: Dangerous creator David Braben discussed plans for ship passengers and luxury cruise liners in the upcoming space sandbox game. Diablo III Community Manager Grimiku hinted that developers are looking into the possibility of adding an official self-found mode, and Blizzard announced its plans for Gamescom 2013. Path of Exile wrapped up the end of its third season of race events and announced that seasons four and five are already in the planning stages. And Star Citizen's weekly updates focused on the upcoming Hangar module. Continue reading Not So Massively: Hi-Rez Reddit controversy, new MOBA Strife, and Dota 2 World Championship Not So Massively: Hi-Rez Reddit controversy, new MOBA Strife, and Dota 2 World Championship originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 12 Aug 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Chaos Theory: A guide to The Secret World's tokens and currencies Posted: 12 Aug 2013 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Horror, Real-Life, Economy, The Secret World, Guides, Chaos Theory, Buy-to-Play In life and in games, the overarching method of commerce involves currency. Occasionally, you might find a game (or a friend) that will work with the bartering system, but that is far from the norm around these parts. Then you have The Secret World. TSW has the best -- or worst, you could say -- of both worlds. Bet you didn't know you would take up coin collecting when you started playing, did you? With a plethora of different currencies that can be spent only at certain places for certain things, players have keep tabs on whom they can spend what with and where said whos actually are. Wondering what those Credits of Ca' d'Oro are good for? What about whether Sequins of Solomon Island can be used in Transylvania? This handy guide will help demystify coin collecting and show you the ins and outs of all those tokens filling up your wallet. Continue reading Chaos Theory: A guide to The Secret World's tokens and currencies Chaos Theory: A guide to The Secret World's tokens and currencies originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 12 Aug 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

MechWarrior Online, Sarah's Jenner pull in $100k for cancer research Posted: 12 Aug 2013 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Culture, MMO Industry, News Items, Free-to-Play, MechWarrior Online A while back we reported on Piranha Games' decision to honor MechWarrior Online fan Sarah Parries with with Sarah's Jenner. Sarah, age five, favored the Jenner while playing MWO with her father, so when she succumbed to cancer, Pirahna decided to sell a special version of her favorite ride and donate all of the proceeds to the Canadian Cancer Society in her name. Game Informer reports that the event has brought in $100,000, with more to come since Sarah's Jenner remains on sale through August 20th. "The response from the MechWarrior community and from the games industry at large has been overwhelming," said Piranha creative director Bryan Ekman. "We can't thank everyone enough for unifying in this effort to raise money for the Canadian Cancer Society and cancer research." [Thanks SpaceCobra!] MechWarrior Online, Sarah's Jenner pull in $100k for cancer research originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 12 Aug 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Game Informer

Details on the class changes for World of Warcraft's 5.4 patch Posted: 12 Aug 2013 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Classes, Game Mechanics, Patches, News Items, Subscription It's one of the last patches of World of Warcraft's Mists of Pandaria expansion, and that means one more set of adjustments to the game's classes. You could, naturally, assume that all of the changes are being made because Blizzard hates your favorite class and loves your least favorite class. Or you could take a look at the most recent development post detailing why class abilities are being changed for better or worse. While the changes for each class are different, all of the classes have had several unappealing talents improved and a few overpowered talents toned down a bit. There are also several changes based on situational power -- Holy Paladins, for example, had too much mana when able to get into melee and too little mana when forced to stay at range. If you want to see how your class fared in this round of rebalancing, take a look at the full rundown before posting your rant about being horribly nerfed. Details on the class changes for World of Warcraft's 5.4 patch originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 12 Aug 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Patch 5.4 Class Changes

The Elder Scrolls Online answers questions about its livestream Posted: 12 Aug 2013 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Game Mechanics, Previews, News Items, Community Q&A, The Elder Scrolls Online If you're a fan of The Elder Scrolls Online, you were probably glued to the livestream earlier this month. But a single stream doesn't give you nearly as many answers as you'd like to have. So the development team took the opportunity to answer questions that potential players had about the stream, from game mechanics to elements as innocuous as UI components. And even if you were watching the stream with rapt attention, there are probably details that you missed. For example, the answers reveal that the game no longer includes a minimap, using a compass instead to encourage more player exploration. The party seen in the dungeon was also roughly level-appropriate, meaning that the healing and damage on display was roughly indicative of what players can expect from actual combat. Several of the animations shown were more or less finalized, but other elements (such as first-person mode) are still being tweaked. You can catch a few more tidbits from the full set of answers on the official site. The Elder Scrolls Online answers questions about its livestream originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 12 Aug 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Livestream AMA

Aeria Games Announces Aura Kingdom at Otakon 2013 Posted: 12 Aug 2013 01:30 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Events (Real-World), MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Free-to-Play, MMORPG Attendees at Otakon 2013 were treated to the first reveal of Aeria Games' upcoming Aura Kingdom, a fantasy-based title with interactive companions, "elaborate" skill trees, and an anime-style world. Developed by X-Legend of Eden Eternal fame, Aura Kingdom is set for closed beta launch in both English and French sometime in the near future. Aeria Games is calling Aura Kingdom its "biggest title to date." Players with an Aeria account can sign up for a closed beta slot on the official website; in the meantime, check out the teaser trailer after the break. [Thanks to Skurvel for the tip!] Continue reading Aeria Games Announces Aura Kingdom at Otakon 2013 Aeria Games Announces Aura Kingdom at Otakon 2013 originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 12 Aug 2013 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Darkfall Unholy Wars accidentally logs everyone in as an administrator Posted: 12 Aug 2013 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Darkfall, Bugs, Game Mechanics, Patches, News Items, Sandbox, Subscription Everyone who logged in to Darkfall Unholy Wars to test the latest patch got an unexpected surprise not listed in the patch notes. Sure, everyone was expecting new warships and combat changes, but everyone was not expecting to log in as an administrator. That was apparently true of every single player logging in immediately after the patch, prompting immediate forum speculation that a rollback was imminent. According to an official statement, the addition of the admin tag was purely a display glitch and no players actually had access to admin powers. Whether that's accurate or it's simply a matter of no players figuring out the admin commands before the issue was fixed is slightly ambiguous. Either way, the patch is now live and everyone can enjoy it, but not everyone can enjoy the sort of unfettered PvP you'd find in a world of admins -- which is probably a good thing. [Thanks to MandatoryDDs for the tip!] Darkfall Unholy Wars accidentally logs everyone in as an administrator originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 12 Aug 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: We are all admins, Patch notes

Ooh Ouya! Testing MMOs on a $99 console Posted: 12 Aug 2013 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-Fi, MMO Industry, Previews, Opinion, Free-to-Play, Hands-On, Consoles, Casual, First Impressions My big birthday present this year was an Ouya -- the $99 Android console that was funded by Kickstarter, powered by dreams, and promoted as a "revolution" by its makers. I've not been big on either consoles or Android platforms as of late, mostly due to being preoccupied elsewhere. But something about Ouya's roguish underdog status and the combination of being a fully functional console and a development kit in one attracted me to it. Plus, it's so dang tiny! You can only fit one-half of a magical elf inside it, and even that took some intense pushing. Obviously this is not a bleeding-edge console that's going to pump out realistic graphics at 100 fps, but that's not Ouya's thing anyway. So you might be forgiven in thinking that MMO studios might stay far away from it, what with its limited storage space and processing power, but that's actually not the case. Two MMOs that I know of have been released on the Ouya, Vendetta Online and Order and Chaos Online, and to me that signals the possibility that there might be more in the future. So I downloaded both of them fairly quickly and settled onto my couch to check out MMO gaming with a controller on a TV powered by a console smaller than a Coke can. What kind of MMO experience was I going to get with a $99 machine? Continue reading Ooh Ouya! Testing MMOs on a $99 console Ooh Ouya! Testing MMOs on a $99 console originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 12 Aug 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

BLESS breaks update silence with new screenshots Posted: 12 Aug 2013 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Screenshots, Trailers, Video, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items If you've wondered about the fate of BLESS, we've got something for you! Although all has been quiet on the news front for the Korean game (and by quiet, we mean not a peep since our interview last fall), it has not disappeared into obscurity forever; the official website has posted an update and a number of screenshots highlighting the world built on the Unreal Engine 3. Even without an English translation, the update offers folks a peek at the progress of the game with various screenshots that show off a bit of the landscape, cities, and wildlife mounts (one of which appears to be a giant!). BLESS breaks update silence with new screenshots originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 12 Aug 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Steparu.com

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