MMO Updates |
- Tamriel Infinium: Four alternative payment models for The Elder Scrolls Online
- Be vewy, vewy qwiet: Wakfu's hunting wabbits in new update
- Super Adventure Box is returning to Guild Wars 2 and we got the LEGOs to prove it
- Behind the scenes as a [REDACTED] Game Master
- Some Assembly Required: Conflating story content and MMORPGs
- The Daily Grind: What can PAX Prime 2013 do for you?
- Star Citizen's hangar module is live
- The Guild Counsel: What's the worth of a website?
- The Summoner's Guidebook: Performing under pressure in League of Legends
- Trion teases new RIFT five-player dungeon
- CCP adds email verification to EVE Online accounts
- Double XP and giant cake mark Champions Online's fourth anniversary
- The Think Tank: What motivates your MMO advancement?
- Diablo III: Reaper of Souls loot designed to make auction house a 'last resort'
- Neverwinter invites players to the Summer Festival
- Funcom announces LEGO Minifigures Online
- Perfect Ten: My favorite classes
| Tamriel Infinium: Four alternative payment models for The Elder Scrolls Online Posted: 30 Aug 2013 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Business Models, The Elder Scrolls Online, Subscription, MMORPG, Tamriel Infinium  So why does a subscription feel so wrong for ESO? First, players are tired of subscriptions, and for most people, a sub means they can play only one or maybe two games in any given month. Many players prefer variety instead. Second, ESO developers have already suggested that the game is less an MMO and more a multiplayer Elder Scrolls game. This in and of itself suggests that the game will not fall under the traditional constraints of an MMORPG and will operate more like a single-player game even though the model feels like an MMORPG model to my wallet. In last week's Tamriel Inifinium, I talked a lot about why I thought the subscription model was completely wrong for this Elder Scrolls game, so I don't want to rehash that discussion this week. Instead, let's dream about alternative payment models that might have worked instead. Continue reading Tamriel Infinium: Four alternative payment models for The Elder Scrolls Online
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| Be vewy, vewy qwiet: Wakfu's hunting wabbits in new update Posted: 30 Aug 2013 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Patches, News Items, Free-to-Play  Besides the new furry nemeses, the island has new quests, new monster families, and new items as well. There are even five new dungeons open to players until September 24th. Wabbit Island is available for those levels 120 and higher. With Wakfu's new level cap increase, players can get up to level 140. On top of all that, four new Haven worlds will be on auction each week, the Dragon Pig returns (with a new combat arena, modified spells, and other surprises), and markets are now international. For more details, check out the official site. And if you want a peek at Wabbit Island, check out the clip after the cut. [Thanks to Avaera for the tip!] Continue reading Be vewy, vewy qwiet: Wakfu's hunting wabbits in new update
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| Super Adventure Box is returning to Guild Wars 2 and we got the LEGOs to prove it Posted: 30 Aug 2013 08:30 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Patches, Guild Wars 2, Buy-to-Play  If you're a parent and a Guild Wars 2 fan, then you have multiple things to celebrate in September. Not only will your rugrats be returning to school, but the Super Adventure Box is coming back to Tyria! Players will be able to explore World 2 for the first time and challenge themselves in the soul-crushingly difficult Tribulation Mode. ArenaNet sent us a LEGO BRICKSTORMS kit to get us ready for the return of this 8-bit world and I enlisted the help of my son Logan to assist with the assembly. Click past the break to witness our construction project! Continue reading Super Adventure Box is returning to Guild Wars 2 and we got the LEGOs to prove it
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| Behind the scenes as a [REDACTED] Game Master Posted: 30 Aug 2013 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: MMO Industry, MMOFPS, MMORTS, Miscellaneous, MOBA, MMORPG  In my work as a GM, I saw many amazing things. I saw guild members contact support staff because they were worried about another player's real-life wellbeing. I saw incredibly complex scams across multiple players and accounts that, while infuriating and exceptionally against the rules, were astonishing in their genius. And of course, I saw lots and lots of cybering. Continue reading Behind the scenes as a [REDACTED] Game Master
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| Some Assembly Required: Conflating story content and MMORPGs Posted: 30 Aug 2013 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Business Models, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, Opinion, Guild Wars 2, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Some Assembly Required, Sandbox, Player-Generated Content  Skoryy wrote (in part): "Since when did enjoying content, especially story content, actively require skill? Any literate person can read a book; why do I also need to know how to be a master crafter or master warrior or master whatever to get to enjoy the game's true content?" For further context, this was a response to the line of thinking that says successful games like baseball, chess, and RISK are not linear dev-driven content treadmills but rather a set of rules that result in endless permutations of player-generated content. When I first read the remark I was taken aback. I mean, really, my initial response to the "since when" bit was "since you decided to play an interactive video game instead of read a book!" And that's still true to a large extent. As I thought about the overall discussion, though, I sympathized with his perspective even though I think it's terrible that some MMO companies are hell-bent on conflating the definition of game with the definition of story. Continue reading Some Assembly Required: Conflating story content and MMORPGs
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| The Daily Grind: What can PAX Prime 2013 do for you? Posted: 30 Aug 2013 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Culture, Events (Real-World), MMO Industry, Opinion, Massively Meta, The Daily Grind, Events (Massively's Coverage), Miscellaneous  Now you know what we're hoping to see. What are you hoping to see (other than "let me in the beta!")? Which games do you wish were going? What do you want to see from the big-name MMOs, launched, relaunched, and not-yet-launched, and the little indies? What announcements weren't made at Gamescom last week that really ought to land at PAX before the last pre-holidays convention opportunity is gone?  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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| Star Citizen's hangar module is live Posted: 29 Aug 2013 05:30 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Game Mechanics, Launches, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, PvE, Sandbox, Star Citizen, Buy-to-Play  If you've met the pledging prerequisites, you can download the Star Citizen launcher directly from the game's website. From there, you'll need to wait out the three GB patch before logging in to your personal hangar space where you can tour your pledge ships both inside and out. System requirements for the module include eight GB of memory, a quad core CPU, and a DirectX11 capable GPU with at least one GB of onboard memory. Click through the links below for the hangar module FAQ. Pew pew!
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| The Guild Counsel: What's the worth of a website? Posted: 29 Aug 2013 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Guilds, Opinion, The Guild Counsel, Miscellaneous  But websites come with their fair share of drama and potential problems, and game changes through the years have put into question whether guild sites are still relevant. Have guilds outgrown guild sites? Let's look at whether they're worth it in this week's Guild Counsel. Continue reading The Guild Counsel: What's the worth of a website?
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| The Summoner's Guidebook: Performing under pressure in League of Legends Posted: 29 Aug 2013 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Opinion, Free-to-Play, Guides, MOBA, League of Legends, The Summoner's Guidebook  But I am not one of those people who can claim mastery in this skill. I mostly rely on improving my overall play level, which naturally improves my ability to play under stress. However, coping with stress in tough situations is important. If I'm in a bad situation and my play gets worse, that's no good even if my skill level is high. I want to step up when the chips are down, not struggle. Continue reading The Summoner's Guidebook: Performing under pressure in League of Legends
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| Trion teases new RIFT five-player dungeon Posted: 29 Aug 2013 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, Patches, News Items, PvE, Free-to-Play, RIFT, Dungeons  There's no release date mentioned, but there are some slick-looking screenshots. Hit the links below to see for yourself.
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| CCP adds email verification to EVE Online accounts Posted: 29 Aug 2013 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, EVE Online, MMO Industry, News Items, Sandbox, Subscription, MMORPG  The process will be familiar to MMO veterans: When creating an EVE account, all new players must validate the registered email address by following instructions provided in an email from CCP. Existing EVE players have the option of verifying their email addresses as well; a new "Verify Email Address" option has been added to the game's account management page. CCP encourages all users to log into EVE's account management system to ensure their information is correct and to take advantage of the new verification system.
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| Double XP and giant cake mark Champions Online's fourth anniversary Posted: 29 Aug 2013 01:30 PM PDT Filed under: Super-hero, Events (In-Game), News Items, Free-to-Play, Champions Online, Anniversaries, MMORPG  Also on deck for the celebration is a double XP and double Questionite weekend, which kicks off Friday at 1:30 p.m. EDT (10:30 a.m. PDT) and ends Monday at 1:00 p.m. EDT (10:00 a.m. PDT). The special anniversary events run until September 13th.
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| The Think Tank: What motivates your MMO advancement? Posted: 29 Aug 2013 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Opinion, Massively Meta, Miscellaneous, The Think Tank  So do you go for a higher spot on the leaderboards? Do you go for a higher achievement score than your friend? Will you keep killing that boss until he drops his pants for you? Er, leg armor drop, that is. What motivates the Massively team members to reach their MMO goals? Let's find out! Continue reading The Think Tank: What motivates your MMO advancement?
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| Diablo III: Reaper of Souls loot designed to make auction house a 'last resort' Posted: 29 Aug 2013 12:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Economy, Expansions, New Titles, News Items, Dungeons, Diablo III  In an interview with PC Gamer, lead content designer Kevin Martens explained that the team likes trading between players but lamented that the auction house has become the primary method through which players obtain items: It is fun to go buy something instantly, the instant gratification feel, that sugar high; however, it's not the core fantasy, it's not the most fun, and by the endgame, for a variety of reasons, [players] tend to check the auction house first and play the game second.According to Martens, the looting and enchanting systems in Reaper of Souls are designed to "cut the legs out from the auction house" and to create an environment in which "the most fun way to play the game becomes the best way to play the game." Lead writer Brian Kindregan echoed Martens' sentiments, noting, "We want the auction house to be your last resort, right?" For more information on Reaper of Souls, check out Blizzard's Gamescom 2013 presentation and the new cinematic trailer, posted last week.
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| Neverwinter invites players to the Summer Festival Posted: 29 Aug 2013 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Events (In-Game), Patches, News Items, Free-to-Play, Neverwinter  Fighting trolls qualifies as standard maintenance in a world that includes trolls, honestly. So what do you get for your troubles? An array of cosmetic rewards, including new weapons and armor that have an appropriate summer theme. You can also earn an armored boar mount and a pig companion if you really want to go hog wild. Players can enjoy the content on the live servers starting today, so anyone who needs a respite from more serious fantasy fare is encouraged to log in and round up some pigs.
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| Funcom announces LEGO Minifigures Online Posted: 29 Aug 2013 11:40 AM PDT Filed under: Trailers, Video, New Titles, News Items, Free-to-Play, Kids, MMORPG  Additionally, new Minifigures toys will include codes for playable in-game versions of the character. There will be roughly 100 characters to collect. The game is aimed at kids, though Funcom is promising "gameplay depth" and "crazy fun" that will appeal to LEGO fans of all ages. According to the trailer, LEGO Minifigures Online will take place in an "epic" world where you'll be able to interact with "thousands of other players." Here's some PR fluffiness from executive producer Lawrence Poe: We could not be more excited to be working with LEGO on such a great franchise. I think you could even say the team has been training to make this game since we were little kids. That excitement carries over into everything we do, and we're throwing every ounce of our passion and creativity into the game. We are one hundred percent focused on delivering the fun, safe, quality experience that people expect when they think of LEGO minifigures.Check out the announcement trailer after the break. [Source: Funcom press release] Continue reading Funcom announces LEGO Minifigures Online
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| Perfect Ten: My favorite classes Posted: 29 Aug 2013 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Classes, Opinion, Humor, Perfect Ten, Miscellaneous  Seriously, how boring was life in the 1940s that tied-up brown packages were worth singing about? I've played a lot of MMOs over the past decade or so, and in each of them I've agonized about which class I would make my main. Sometimes this resulted in me creating a wide selection of possible candidates, each vying for my affection while I cruelly sentenced the losers to permanent deletion. But in the end, here are 10 classes from 10 separate MMOs that tickled my fancy and totally kicked woolen mittens in the interest department. Continue reading Perfect Ten: My favorite classes
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