MMO Updates

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• Infinite Crisis video introduces Atomic Wonder Woman
• Xsyon hosts two months of GM-run events
• Gotta tame 'em all: Dragon's Prophet open beta impressions
• Guild Wars 2 claims the 'fastest selling MMO of all time' title
• The Daily Grind: How do you define roleplaying?
• The Guild Counsel: Filling gaps when guild members leave
• The Summoner's Guidebook: How to be the best at League of Legends
• Nether gives unique twist to post-apocalyptic survival
• Final Fantasy brings version 1.0 characters into beta
• Black Gold Online's payment model will make your head hurt
• NCsoft looking ahead to Lineage Eternal beta, WildStar launch
• World of Warcraft's 5.4 trailer features Orc on Panda violence, boats
• Rockstar reveals Grand Theft Auto Online
• The Perfect Ten: Literal kill 10 rats quests
• Trion Worlds to close EU branch

Infinite Crisis video introduces Atomic Wonder Woman Posted: 16 Aug 2013 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Super-hero, Video, Classes, New Titles, PvP, News Items, Free-to-Play, MOBA, Infinite Crisis Who needs a lasso when you can wield a chainsaw? Not Atomic Wonder Woman! Meet this new champion and her chainsaw in Infinite Crisis' latest video. After the world is devastated by the nuclear firestorm of World War III, Wonder Woman's mission changes from peace to restoration, and she uses her new weapon of choice to fight for that end. A melee assassin, Atomic Wonder Woman has low survivability and huge burst damage. Her skills include Vault, Smite, and Savage Sweep, and her ultimate is Reclaimer. All of these skills are boosted by her passive, Rev, which builds up and offers a little something extra to each. If you are heading to Gamescom 2013, you can play as Atomic Wonder Woman (complete with Rosie the Riveter scarf) at the Infinite Crisis booth in the Electronic Sports League hall CM Storm Arena. Otherwise you'll have to wait until she's released to closed beta on August 21st. In the meantime, catch all her moves -- along with a plenty of tips and tricks -- in the video after the cut. [Source: Turbine Entertainment press release] Continue reading Infinite Crisis video introduces Atomic Wonder Woman Infinite Crisis video introduces Atomic Wonder Woman originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 16 Aug 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Xsyon hosts two months of GM-run events Posted: 16 Aug 2013 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Events (In-Game), News Items, Free-to-Play, Xsyon, Post-Apocalyptic, Sandbox The post-apocalyptic world of Xsyon may be harsh and unrelenting, but it also has its moments of fun and frivolity. And those moments are often found in the various GM-run events. Luckily for players, the next couple of months are chock full of them! Most events will run several times, affording those in different time zones the chance to participate and nab some prizes. Here's a run-down: Aug 17, Handy-Man Provider Challenge: An orienteering-style event utilizing navigation, crafting, and organization. Aug 24, Haunted House: Find hidden treasure with a partner in a haunted house filled with frights. Aug 31, Ironman Race: Run, swim, and pull a cart all the way around founder's island. Sep 7, Gladiator Event: A PvE event involving the dreaded Shadow Bear. Sep 14: For the time-pressed, a weekend full of mini-events. Sep 21, Crazy Basket Hunt: Search for the treasure cart to find prizes galore. Sep 28, Mega Cross Country Challenge: A race across multiple zones with Guides (GMs) waiting at various checkpoints. [Source: Notorious Games press release] Xsyon hosts two months of GM-run events originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 16 Aug 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Gotta tame 'em all: Dragon's Prophet open beta impressions Posted: 16 Aug 2013 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Game Mechanics, Previews, Opinion, Free-to-Play, Hands-On, First Impressions, Dragon's Prophet Ever since SOE announced its latest free-to-play MMORPG, Dragon's Prophet, it's been clear that the game aimed to break some molds. Eschewing the commonplace tab-target combat system, Dragon's Prophet looks to meld action-packed brawler-style combat with the completionist's paradise (or nightmare, depending on your perspective) of Pokemon-esque creature collection, and in fact the whole game hinges on this somewhat strange combination. I recently set out to spend some time with the game's "open beta" (read: soft launch) to see whether that combination is more peanut butter and jelly or toothpaste and orange juice. I found that, while the game is full of fun times, it gets bogged down by a few issues and ultimately becomes an exercise in "how much are you willing to put up with?" Continue reading Gotta tame 'em all: Dragon's Prophet open beta impressions Gotta tame 'em all: Dragon's Prophet open beta impressions originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 16 Aug 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Guild Wars 2 claims the 'fastest selling MMO of all time' title Posted: 16 Aug 2013 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, MMO Industry, Guild Wars 2, Buy-to-Play According to a new report by ArenaNet and DFC Intelligence, Guild Wars 2 is the fastest selling MMO of all time with more than three million units sold in the game's first nine months. DFC Intelligence is a "strategic market research and consulting firm focused on interactive entertainment" that came to this conclusion through multiple data sources, according to a press release. ArenaNet is looking forward to further growth of the brand as Guild Wars 2 is set to release in China soon. And if you'd like to try the game out for yourself, the studio is offering a free trial for new accounts from August 23rd through August 25th. Guild Wars 2 claims the 'fastest selling MMO of all time' title originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 16 Aug 2013 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Daily Grind: How do you define roleplaying? Posted: 16 Aug 2013 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Culture, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, Opinion, Star Wars Galaxies, Massively Meta, The Daily Grind, Roleplaying Like many of you, I've gone through so many stages of roleplaying; I started out as most people do, playing an idealized version of myself in Ultima Online. In EverQuest, I found myself funneling my roleplay into fan fiction and formal events because there was so little time between dungeon camps and raiding to actually step into a role. Star Wars Galaxies was my turning point; I finally became truly immersed and willing to play full-time as characters totally different from me, and that's partly because the game encouraged non-combat roles and activities. I never had to fight the game to be a real person in that world. And yet in the years since SWG's heyday, MMOs have pushed me away from formal roleplaying once again with mechanics and frustrations and contradictory goals. At best, my roleplaying now takes the form of respect for other roleplayers, in not breaking character where it might be annoying, and in selecting gear and names and planning backstory more than in participating in whatever epic plot my server's RPers are weaving. It still feels like roleplaying in my head. But is it? Without stepping too far into Storyboard territory, we're wondering today how you define roleplaying. Would you consider each stage of a roleplayer's evolution equally valid, or does it only "count" when you're actively participating? How do you express your RP in modern MMOs? 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: How do you define roleplaying? originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 16 Aug 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Guild Counsel: Filling gaps when guild members leave Posted: 15 Aug 2013 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Guilds, Opinion, The Guild Counsel, Miscellaneous Imagine a scenario where a baseball team is heading into a do-or-die game, and as the coach is making up his lineup, he hears that his best hitter decided to take a break and take up knitting. Or a business manager who is scheduling a crucial demo of his new product with investors, only to find out that his star performer just took a job with a rival company. The result would be nothing short of catastrophic. Just about every guild leader who's been around for any length of time has had to deal with sudden and unexpected gaps in the roster, and it usually comes at the worst time for the guild. While it can cause no end of stress for the leadership and become a potential guild breaker, it's actually a natural part of the game and of guild management. Let's take a look at the issue of filling gaps in this week's Guild Counsel. Continue reading The Guild Counsel: Filling gaps when guild members leave The Guild Counsel: Filling gaps when guild members leave originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 15 Aug 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Summoner's Guidebook: How to be the best at League of Legends Posted: 15 Aug 2013 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Opinion, Free-to-Play, MOBA, League of Legends, The Summoner's Guidebook What does it take to be a top League of Legends player? A lot of people sell themselves short, saying, "I could never be as good as HotshotGG," but I think that's a falsehood. Don't mistake me, I do think that most of the current LoL pros (including Hotshot) are prodigal. I do think that they got to where they are partially due to natural talent. I've watched a lot of streams and interviews and listened to pros talk about their training schedules, and I can honestly say that while they do practice a lot, most of them don't practice enough. But no amount of talent can replace the other skills you'll need. Even if Pobelter has a natural ability to dominate LoL matches, he has refined that talent through hard work. If you practice the skills here dilligently, you can get in the top levels of the solo-duo ranked ladder and you can get picked up by a pro team. Continue reading The Summoner's Guidebook: How to be the best at League of Legends The Summoner's Guidebook: How to be the best at League of Legends originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 15 Aug 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Nether gives unique twist to post-apocalyptic survival Posted: 15 Aug 2013 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Horror, Sci-Fi, Trailers, Video, New Titles, MMOFPS, Post-Apocalyptic Stop us if you've heard this game before: It's some time after the apocalypse, and you're one of the final survivors scrounging about for parts and gear to carve out a niche of safety. While that might sound like every zombie survival game that's come out in the wake of DayZ, Nether is eschewing zombies for something more insidious -- and interesting. The titular creatures are mutants that hunt by sound and teleport around, requiring players to adopt new strategies as they try to make it. The newly announced Nether is a persistent MMOish (well, 64 players per server) game where players explore West Chicago in the hopes of finding that one weapon or crate of goods that's needed to survive another night. Or you could just go to Chicago right now in real life and do the same thing. Phosphor Games Creative Director Chip Sineni says his title won't be the same-old zombiethon: "Our focus is to veer away from some of the 'traditional' survival-horror offerings in order to provide something new for the genre, with a great urban setting, a different type of story and an experience that excites us as fans and will be something definitely fresh and new for gamers." Nether is in alpha testing with an eye on a fall 2013 release for the PC and is currently accepting beta signups. You can check out its reveal trailer after the jump! Continue reading Nether gives unique twist to post-apocalyptic survival Nether gives unique twist to post-apocalyptic survival originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 15 Aug 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: PC Gamer

Final Fantasy brings version 1.0 characters into beta Posted: 15 Aug 2013 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Video, Final Fantasy XIV, Subscription Returning players who log into Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn beta phase four will be given the option to import their version 1.0 characters for the first time since the game went offline in November 2012. The Lodestone reports that players will not only see their old characters once more, but also any items that they had on them at the time of the apocalypse. Players will have a one-time opportunity to alter that character's look, gender, race, and name, and these changes will carry over to live. Square-Enix is also handing out the legacy chocobo whistles with phase 4 for those that earned them through the legacy campaign. This will add a special mount to your character's stable. And if you've never played an MMO before and need a beginner's guide to partying up for dungeon runs, check out the following video (protip: Tell everyone you're a noob!). Continue reading Final Fantasy brings version 1.0 characters into beta Final Fantasy brings version 1.0 characters into beta originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 15 Aug 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Lodestone

Black Gold Online's payment model will make your head hurt Posted: 15 Aug 2013 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Business Models, Free-to-Play, Black Gold Black Gold Online's payment model might well be one of the most convoluted and bizarre plans ever instituted in an MMO -- and it's coming soon to the North American continent. Identical to the model that's being used in China, Black Gold's NA payment plan alleges to bypass subscriptions and cash shops entirely. How? Well, it's not explained very well, but that could just be because this monetization model was obviously crafted by a lawyer who hates gamers. The gist of it is that you won't be getting your good loot when you play; instead, your loot will go into a "save file" for optional cash purchase later on. The system holds back rare materials and premium equipment, giving you the chance to purchase the past one, two, four, or six hours of accumulated goods. You can also gamble to try to lower the cost of the purchased save. Snail Games Founder Shi Hai thinks this plan is just peachy: "We're focusing on giving our players choices when it comes to their gameplay experiences -- they decide what premium items to pay for and whether a play session is worth saving." [Thanks to Paul for the tip!] Black Gold Online's payment model will make your head hurt originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 15 Aug 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: A new system awaits

NCsoft looking ahead to Lineage Eternal beta, WildStar launch Posted: 15 Aug 2013 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Lineage, Lineage 2, MMO Industry, WildStar A couple of additional tidbits came out of this week's NCsoft earnings call that are relevant to fans of Lineage and WildStar. The studio said that it is preparing to roll out the beta schedule of Lineage Eternal, the third title in the series, by the end of this year. Lineage Eternal was announced in 2011, but we've heard precious little about the game since. The publisher also said that it's taking a close look at the performance of WildStar's closed beta testing and will use testing results to shape its plans for the launch. Previously, Carbine Studios said that it's aiming for a 2013 launch window for the title if all went well in the beta. NCsoft looking ahead to Lineage Eternal beta, WildStar launch originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 15 Aug 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: 2P Via: Reddit

World of Warcraft's 5.4 trailer features Orc on Panda violence, boats Posted: 15 Aug 2013 12:30 PM PDT Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Patches, News Items, PvE, MMORPG It's been a long road for the Alliance and Horde, the perennially at-war factions that fuel much of World of Warcraft's lore (and PvP). Over the last few years, players waved the Alliance or Horde banner as they conquered old gods, dispatched massive dragons, toppled titans, and even crushed a walking constellation. But perhaps none of those battles will compare to the final showdown with the power-thirsty madmanorc Garrosh Hellscream, who seems to have angered pretty much everyone on both sides of the fence with his latest plans for world domination. Mists of Pandaria's patch 5.4, titled Siege of Ogrimmar, is almost here. With it comes new content, flexible raiding, a solo pet battle scenario, proving grounds, and one more raid to clear featuring the final showdown between Hellscream and those who would challenge him. Blizzard marked the approaching cataclysm (get it!?) with an all-new trailer, which you can watch after the break. Continue reading World of Warcraft's 5.4 trailer features Orc on Panda violence, boats World of Warcraft's 5.4 trailer features Orc on Panda violence, boats originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 15 Aug 2013 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: World of Warcraft Blog Via: WoW Insider

Rockstar reveals Grand Theft Auto Online Posted: 15 Aug 2013 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Real-Life, Trailers, Video, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Consoles, Sandbox, MMORPG Rockstar Games today lifted the curtain on Grand Theft Auto Online, showing off the new title via a lengthy announcement trailer. GTA Online appears to be more than just a simple multiplayer iteration of the Grand Theft Auto franchise, and features player housing, a persistent world, and player-generated content. The game shares game elements and geography with Grand Theft Auto V and supports up to 16 players co-habitating in their own little online world. Players will be able to purchase and customize vehicles, own property, shape their appearance, and work their way through the criminal underworld, in addition to participating all the random acts of chaos the series has offered since its inception. In Grand Theft Auto Online, players have the freedom to explore alone or with friends, work cooperatively to complete missions, band together to participate in activities and ambient events, or compete in traditional game modes with the entire community, all with the personality and refined mechanics of Grand Theft Auto 5. Purchasers of Grand Theft Auto V will receive access to GTA Online when it launches October 1st on PS3 and Xbox 360 (and not PC). It is unclear whether the game will be available as a standalone product; we have reached out to Rockstar for clarification. Check out the reveal trailer after the break. Continue reading Rockstar reveals Grand Theft Auto Online Rockstar reveals Grand Theft Auto Online originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 15 Aug 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Perfect Ten: Literal kill 10 rats quests Posted: 15 Aug 2013 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Asheron's Call, EverQuest II, Fallen Earth, Lord of the Rings Online, Star Wars Galaxies, RuneScape, Humor, Runes of Magic, RIFT, Allods Online, Perfect Ten, Miscellaneous Webster's Dictionary describes "kill 10 rats" as "something nerds do, now shut up and read a few intelligent words." I think the editors are getting a little lazy there at Webster's, but that's nothing compared to the OED crowd that routinely slips in paragraphs of cut-and-pasted Hunger Games fan fiction just to pad the volumes. Anyway, we all know that "kill 10 rats" is a derogatory term for those quests that make you slaughter a certain number of things to make life happier for the quest giver. Why that quest giver has a very specific number in mind has always fascinated me, but never mind. It stems from a long-standing RPG tradition by which lowbie characters typically start their career by doing a little rodent culling in the basement of a tavern. That's how all great people got their start, Abraham Lincoln included. With "kill 10 rats" already being a trope, developers have this habit of trying to be coy and meta by actually putting quests in their MMOs where you, yup, kill 10 rats. I get the feeling that they think they're doing something clever and cheeky, even though practically all of their competitors have done the same. So here we go: ten literal "kill 10 rats" quests that you can find in your games today. Continue reading The Perfect Ten: Literal kill 10 rats quests The Perfect Ten: Literal kill 10 rats quests originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 15 Aug 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Trion Worlds to close EU branch Posted: 15 Aug 2013 10:30 AM PDT Filed under: MMO Industry, RIFT, Miscellaneous, Defiance Only a week after acknowledging the closure of its San Diego office, Trion Worlds has announced in a statement that it will be closing down another office. Trion Europe in Guildford, UK, will be cutting 10 jobs in the process, including branch boss John Burns and communications boss Jon Goddard. "European localized versions of Trion's live and upcoming games will not be affected as all regional game development and support continues from Redwood City, CA," said the statement. Trion Worlds to close EU branch originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 15 Aug 2013 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: MVUK

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