MMO Updates

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• Divergence: Online aims to Kickstart 'true player freedom' with a new sandbox
• Massively Exclusive: Episode 9 of Mabinogi the Saga: Iria
• The Mog Log Extra: Tips for a Final Fantasy XIV beginner
• The Stream Team: Summer lovin' edition, August 26 - September 1, 2013
• The Daily Grind: What kind of death penalty do you want in EQ Next?
• MMO Week in Review: The Elder Subs Online
• Gorgeous new Black Desert screens feature mounts, housing
• EVE Evolved: Grid-Fu and bending space
• Stick and Rudder: Star Citizen's risky hangar module reveal
• Rise and Shiny: Herokon Online

Divergence: Online aims to Kickstart 'true player freedom' with a new sandbox Posted: 26 Aug 2013 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Sandbox, Crowdfunding If the name Divergence: Online looks familiar, then the summer sun hasn't melted all your memories. Last February, the hard-core sandbox hopeful resurfaced with an IndieGoGo campaign to get started and create a working demo. Having met that goal, creator Ethan Casner is back with another crowdfunding campaign to spur development even farther. What does Divergence bring to the table? It claims "Maximum. Player. Freedom." with features like a skill-based system, a virtually limitless gaming word for exploration, and terrain that can be modified by either redistributing the ground itself or planting and harvesting resources. And if those features don't spell freedom for you, how about this one: Dancer, architect, tailor, and bio engineer are among the non-combat professions offered. The project is pretty close to its modest goal, but the end is swiftly approaching; those wanting to lend their support will need to do so before the campaign closes this weekend. Check out some pre-alpha footage of player-generated content in the video clip after the cut. [Thanks to Lewis for the tip!] Continue reading Divergence: Online aims to Kickstart 'true player freedom' with a new sandbox Divergence: Online aims to Kickstart 'true player freedom' with a new sandbox originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 26 Aug 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Divergence: Online Kickstarter

Massively Exclusive: Episode 9 of Mabinogi the Saga: Iria Posted: 26 Aug 2013 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Lore, News Items, Free-to-Play, Mabinogi What time is it? It's Monday Mabinogi time! (Not to confused with Howdy Doody.) That means it's time for another installment of the epic tale of the Iria Saga. If you've fallen behind, don't worry -- we've got a recap of the latest episodes to bring you up to speed. This week's chapter of the story, dubbed Fate's Design: The Stand, finds the Human/Giant/Elf alliance going strong and making attack plans to help out Shamala, Akule, and the player with diversionary tactics. There's also shape-shifting, revelations, and the destruction of the Lia Fail artifact. Watch the continuation of the saga after the break, and then join in the Massively play-through on Tuesday, August 27th @ 5:00 p.m. EDT on Massively TV. Continue reading Massively Exclusive: Episode 9 of Mabinogi the Saga: Iria Massively Exclusive: Episode 9 of Mabinogi the Saga: Iria originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 26 Aug 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Mog Log Extra: Tips for a Final Fantasy XIV beginner Posted: 26 Aug 2013 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Launches, Opinion, Consoles, Final Fantasy XIV, The Mog Log, Guides We're all kind of beginners with the new version of Final Fantasy XIV. Some of us have high-level characters already, but none of us has years of experience with the game. At best, you have memories of how things worked in the last beta test or two. But there's still a difference between having a character from version 1.0 dripping with high-level items and having a fresh guy or gal stepping off the boat into Limsa. Fortunately, the game's tutorials now do a solid job of introducing you to how the game works. But there are still some tips and tricks to consider, and it's with that in mind that I present this column. If you're new to the game completely or even just an occasional dabbler in the previous beta tests, here's some advice to help you out during your first steps. Continue reading The Mog Log Extra: Tips for a Final Fantasy XIV beginner The Mog Log Extra: Tips for a Final Fantasy XIV beginner originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 26 Aug 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Stream Team: Summer lovin' edition, August 26 - September 1, 2013 Posted: 26 Aug 2013 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Polls, Massively Meta, Livestream, Miscellaneous, The Stream Team Ahh, summer love. With the vacations, the longer days, and the elevated moods brought on by all that additional sunshine, it's no wonder that romantic interludes are known to crop up before and after the vernal equinox. Between the extra time and the good feelings, the summer season is an optimal time for a dalliance or two. We know you've had your eye on that special one for a while now, so why not just dive on in? Take a chance -- you don't have to worry about long-term commitment. Just lose yourself in a summer fling; go grab that game you've been waiting to play and throw yourself into its loving content! Still a bit hesitant? Then take a peek at what you're missing by tuning in to Massively TV this week and watch The Stream Team members as they romp about their favorite games. Continue reading The Stream Team: Summer lovin' edition, August 26 - September 1, 2013 The Stream Team: Summer lovin' edition, August 26 - September 1, 2013 originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 26 Aug 2013 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Daily Grind: What kind of death penalty do you want in EQ Next? Posted: 26 Aug 2013 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest, EverQuest II, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, Opinion, Free-to-Play, The Daily Grind, EverQuest Next SOE hasn't mentioned much about about what it has in mind for the death penalty mechanic in EverQuest Next. You might recall that the original EverQuest was famous for its unforgiving death penalty, which included corpse runs and XP loss. EverQuest II, on the other hand, did what most newer MMOs do and reduced the death penalty to an inconvenience, and in some cases, a preferred form of fast travel! So what'll it be for EQN? Inquiring minds want to know. A lot of inquiring minds, if an article and the resulting discussion on fan site EQ Nexus are any indication. What say you, Massively readers? What kind of death penalty do you want in EQN? [Thanks Maclypse!] 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 kind of death penalty do you want in EQ Next? originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 26 Aug 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

MMO Week in Review: The Elder Subs Online Posted: 25 Aug 2013 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: 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. It doesn't seem to matter whether you're a fan of subs, a fan of free-to-play, or just a fan of good games: Every time an MMO reveals its business model, chaos ensues. So it was this week when both The Elder Scrolls Online and WildStar announced subscription models. But don't get excited just yet, purists; ESO has admitted to a cosmetics-and-services cash shop, and WildStar is adopting a currency-to-sub conversion scheme akin to EVE Online's PLEX. So maybe let's wait until both games release in and survive 2014 before we call F2P "dead," eh? In the meantime, check out the rest of this week's top MMO stories! Continue reading MMO Week in Review: The Elder Subs Online MMO Week in Review: The Elder Subs Online originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 25 Aug 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Gorgeous new Black Desert screens feature mounts, housing Posted: 25 Aug 2013 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Sandbox, Housing, Black Desert MMO Culture has posted some gorgeous screenshots from Black Desert, the new sandbox MMO currently being developed by Korea's Pearl Abyss. Most of the images focus on mounts and player housing. Earlier this year Pearl Abyss showed off portions of the title's housing system, and MMO Culture has included a cam-quality video that we've embedded for you after the break. The site notes that it is unclear how much the housing system has changed from the functionality shown in the video to the current build which is reflected in the new screenshots. [Thanks Dengar!] Continue reading Gorgeous new Black Desert screens feature mounts, housing Gorgeous new Black Desert screens feature mounts, housing originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 25 Aug 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: MMO Culture

EVE Evolved: Grid-Fu and bending space Posted: 25 Aug 2013 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Video, EVE Online, Bugs, Game Mechanics, Lore, PvP, EVE Evolved, Sandbox, Subscription In last week's article, I described how EVE Online maintains the illusion of full-scale solar systems by dynamically creating small pockets of high-detail space called grids. It's within these discrete bubbles that everything we do in space takes place, from mining asteroids to running missions or shooting at other players. The system is designed to split up space into manageable chunks to reduce server load while still maintaining persistent 3-D space that appears to span the entire scale of a solar system. Grids have been in EVE since it was first created, but over the years people have noticed a few odd things about how the system works. Flying about 250km-400km away from a stargate causes your ship to disappear from that grid and pop into a newly created adjacent one, for example, but this doesn't always happen. Bizarre occurrences such as abnormally shaped grids and ships mysteriously disappearing and re-appearing on the same grid were always thought to be freak accidents or unintended bugs until an interesting document emerged in 2009. Titled Grid-Fu: A Practical Manual, the 18-page PDF described the process of bending and manipulating space for a tactical advantage. In this week's EVE Evolved, I look at the various ways that players have manipulated space to their advantage. Continue reading EVE Evolved: Grid-Fu and bending space EVE Evolved: Grid-Fu and bending space originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 25 Aug 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Stick and Rudder: Star Citizen's risky hangar module reveal Posted: 25 Aug 2013 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Video, Business Models, Events (Real-World), Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Sandbox, Crowdfunding, Stick and Rudder, Star Citizen, Buy-to-Play Man, I'm excited for next Thursday! Not because it's the day before Friday -- although that's pretty great, too -- but because we're going to get our hands on the first official release of Star Citizen. Chris Roberts called it the "baby Star Citizen" during last night's Gamescom love-in, which you should watch if you'd like to see the Cloud Imperium crew overwhelmed by the rock star treatment it received from the backers who journeyed to Cologne. Anyway, the hangar module! The devs have been showing it off to fans and press, and if initial reactions are anything to go by, it's going to be a successful mini-launch. It's still a risky move, though. Continue reading Stick and Rudder: Star Citizen's risky hangar module reveal Stick and Rudder: Star Citizen's risky hangar module reveal originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 25 Aug 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Rise and Shiny: Herokon Online Posted: 25 Aug 2013 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Video, Game Mechanics, New Titles, Opinion, Free-to-Play, Browser, Hands-On, Casual, Humor, Rise and Shiny, Livestream I knew I would likely enjoy my time in Herokon Online, but not because I enjoy every game I come across. The truth has always been that I will gladly complain, tear up, and criticize any game that deserves it. No, I knew I would like Herokon Online for established reasons. First, I covered the game in its initial stages at GDC Online in 2012. I loved the fact that it runs in a browser (the "mobile app" that came before mobile apps) and that it came from the same incredible IP that Drakensang Online and its standalone cousins boast. The Dark Eye is one of those IPs that I have always wished I could dig into more deeply. It's been going strong for a long time, and I know that there must be layers and layers in its lore that I can hopefully dive into one day soon. So Herokon Online had a grip on me before I began to play it. It's by no means perfect, but I'll explain that. Continue reading Rise and Shiny: Herokon Online Rise and Shiny: Herokon Online originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 25 Aug 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

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