MMO Updates

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• How SOE deals with bad seeds, in-game and out
• Marvel Super Hero Squad Online surpasses 6 million and offers free sub
• Japanese tank line coming to World of Tanks
• Closed beta begins for Heva Clonia Online
• Court puts a stop to Activision Blizzard independence
• The Daily Grind: What MMO did you unexpectedly love?
• Free for All: What a Memoria MMO might look like
• Choose My Adventure: I believe I can die in Age of Wushu
• MMO Family: Are kid-friendly MMOs doomed to extinction?
• Warhammer Online to close December 18th
• Champions Online sheds some light on how powers get designed
• SMITE unveils Thanatos, Hand of Death
• WildStar gives beta testers a wacky housing challenge
• RIFT 2.4 brings challenging instances to bear
• Guild Wars 2 world first: Tequatl the Sunless is down
• Leaderboard: Do you make time for MMOs on your vacation?

How SOE deals with bad seeds, in-game and out Posted: 19 Sep 2013 10:30 AM PDT Filed under: Interviews, MMO Industry, Miscellaneous At this year's GDC Europe, SOE's director of global community relations, Linda Carlson, talked about her management philosophy for a community infected by trolls and bullies. GamesIndustry.biz caught up with Carlson after the panel to further discuss this growing issue. Interestingly enough, Carlson also commented on the scope at which SOE monitors player behavior -- even outside of its games. "If we know who you are and you're abusing somebody on Twitter, we will ban your game account and we will not accept you as a customer ever again. It's not always possible to identify people [in that way], but we take that seriously." Carlson goes on to say, "A very influential player, high up in a huge guild - we'll still ban them... In our games, if you are an exploiter we don't care who you are, how big your guild is, how many people you threaten to take with you when you go." Take a look at the entire interview for more on how SOE plans to deal with levels of negativity in its community. How SOE deals with bad seeds, in-game and out originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 Sep 2013 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: GamesIndustry.biz

Marvel Super Hero Squad Online surpasses 6 million and offers free sub Posted: 19 Sep 2013 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Super-hero, News Items, Free-to-Play, Giveaways When reaching a major milestone, it's pretty common to celebrate. Many even mark the occasion with gifts. And that's exactly what Marvel Super Hero Squad Online is doing for surpassing six million registrations -- and the players are the gift recipients! Until October 31st, 2013, Gazillion Entertainment is offering one week of paid subscription for the free-to-play game. Each account can claim this gift one time by entering the code 6MILPLYRS in the "Redeem a Game Code!" box on the official site. Marvel Super Hero Squad Online has over 100 playable heroes to choose from, including such favorites as Black Widow, Spider-Man, Wolverine, Hawkeye, Thor, Hulk, Iron Man, Captain America, and more. The game also offers various game modes, sidekicks, titles, world events, arcade games, and even a collectible card game starring Super Heroes from the game. To play, head on over to the site to sign up. [Source: Gazillion Entertainment press release] Marvel Super Hero Squad Online surpasses 6 million and offers free sub originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 Sep 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Japanese tank line coming to World of Tanks Posted: 19 Sep 2013 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Historical, Video, Patches, PvP, War, Free-to-Play, World of Tanks Now that Update 8.8 is in the books, Wargaming has announced that its wildly popular World of Tanks will be adding Japanese tanks to the mix. "The introduction of Japanese tanks allows us to explore the design and innovation of a number of legendary armored vehicles and give players the chance to experience their technological evolution throughout the mid-20th century," said World of Tanks Producer Mikhail Zhivets. "Tank models based on original designs of Japanese engineers will offer players a wide selection of authentic upgrade schemes, each tailored for particular combat objectives." The Japanese tank tree, which will initially consist of nine medium and five light machines, will be the seventh national line added to the game. Be sure to check out the new trailer for this upcoming content just after the jump. [Source: Wargaming press release] Continue reading Japanese tank line coming to World of Tanks Japanese tank line coming to World of Tanks originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 Sep 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Closed beta begins for Heva Clonia Online Posted: 19 Sep 2013 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, New Titles, News Items, Free-to-Play Why should only a select few classes get to play around with pets? That's a question posed by Heva Clonia Online, a new free-to-play title entering closed beta testing today. Heva Clonia Online allows players to clone monsters encountered throughout the game, use them as pets, and even pit them directly against other pets in arena battles. This is somewhat reminiscent of a title from Nintendo, but it is completely legally distinct. If pets aren't so much your thing, the game also features a variety of minigames and two-person dungeons to break up the usual format of MMO gameplay. OGPlanet is also giving away a free gamepad to 10 lucky players who manage to reach level 10 between now and the time the beta ends on September 30th. If you'd like a chance to get in and start pocketing monsters, you can sign up for the beta test on the official site. [Source: OGPlanet press release] Closed beta begins for Heva Clonia Online originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 Sep 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Court puts a stop to Activision Blizzard independence Posted: 19 Sep 2013 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: MMO Industry, News Items, Miscellaneous So here's a short story for the morning told over one act. First, Activision Blizzard announces that it is separating from its parent company Vivendi and going independent, which surprises many people. Then a shareholder sues the company to prevent this from happening, claiming that it's a huge waste meant to cover a power grab. As a result, the separation is now officially on hold by the order of the Delaware Chancery Court, which was probably not the result most people had expected thus far. In order for the separation to continue, either the injunction must be modified on appeal or a majority vote by non-Vivendi stockholders must come down in favor of continuing the process. Activision Blizzard's representatives restated that they were dedicated to this course of action and are exploring options to ensure it still takes place. Vivendi has been trying to divest itself of Activision Blizzard for nearly a year now in hopes of boosting its overall stock price. Court puts a stop to Activision Blizzard independence originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 Sep 2013 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Via: Polygon

The Daily Grind: What MMO did you unexpectedly love? Posted: 19 Sep 2013 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Culture, MMO Industry, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Final Fantasy XIV, Subscription You know, I quite like Final Fantasy XIV. I'm especially fond of the crafting, the harvesting, and all of the references to the larger IP sprinkled liberally throughout Eorzea. And of course, who doesn't like that level up victory music? I'm probably preaching to the choir here, since the game is so popular that Square actually had to stop selling it for a time, but I dunno. I guess I'm surprised by how much I'm digging it, and as a result I'm glad that the two MMOs I'm actually planning to enjoy are quite a ways off. What about you, Massively readers? Have you ever fallen for a game unexpectedly? Which one? 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 MMO did you unexpectedly love? originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 Sep 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Free for All: What a Memoria MMO might look like Posted: 18 Sep 2013 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Game Mechanics, Opinion, Free-to-Play, Browser, Mobile, Casual, Virtual Worlds, Free for All, Miscellaneous There are a few styles of gaming that we just don't see much of anymore, and point-and-click adventure games has been one of those. The good news is that compared to other older styles like text-based or email-gaming, point-and-click adventuring is making a comeback. Thanks to the mobile market and its resurrected titles like Broken Sword and amazing newer games like The Walking Dead, adventure-lovers have much to do. Personally, I find adventure gaming to be a thrilling experience because they generally allow a player to use her brain more than her reflexes, and the experiences are usually quite beautiful too. Memoria is Daedalic Entertainment's latest adventure game set in The Dark Eye universe. It's often described as "the German Dungeons and Dragons." I'm not sure that the description gives either IP full credit, but The Dark Eye is one interesting universe. As usual, though, my mind wondered how the game could be worked into a multiplayer version. A massively multiplayer version. I've asked the same question of other games before, so let's look at how Memoria might make a killer MMO! Continue reading Free for All: What a Memoria MMO might look like Free for All: What a Memoria MMO might look like originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 18 Sep 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Choose My Adventure: I believe I can die in Age of Wushu Posted: 18 Sep 2013 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Polls, Video, Game Mechanics, PvP, Opinion, Free-to-Play, Choose My Adventure, Livestream, Sandbox, Age of Wushu Wow. What a game, Age of Wushu. I mean, I have played many, many open-world, free-for-all PvP sandboxes in my time before this one, but Age of Wushu places all of those cool systems in a world that the West generally doesn't play in and then adds in little systems so that there is always something to do. Always. In fact the most common complaint I hear about the MMO is that there is too much to do but not enough explanation to cover all of the activities. I think the real frustration comes not from the lack of guides and pop-ups but from the fact that many of these "helpful" guides are localized for English-speaking audiences enough for them to make some sense, just not enough. I mean no offense here; this is just the truth: Broken English inside a game can make already complex gameplay much harder to understand. There are many small anomalies as well. For example, an NPC referred to me as a man although my character is a woman, and when a small icon indicated that I was hungry, I ate some food, but then an icon told me, "Hungry and Thirsty. HP and internal Energy Recovery speed increases slightly, but you will need some food." Huh? I just ate... I think? Now I can see why Patrick's Age of Wushu guides are so popular! Continue reading Choose My Adventure: I believe I can die in Age of Wushu Choose My Adventure: I believe I can die in Age of Wushu originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 18 Sep 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

MMO Family: Are kid-friendly MMOs doomed to extinction? Posted: 18 Sep 2013 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: MMO Industry, Opinion, Kids, MMO Family, Family, Miscellaneous Recently, the family-friendly segment of the MMO industry suffered a bit of a blow with the news of Disney's decision to shut down Pirates of the Caribbean Online and Toontown. These were both titles that had been around for years, and both had loyal fanbases. Toontown in particular has been around for about a decade and won several awards through the years. So when the sunsettings were announced, it raised questions about whether kid-friendly games are as successful as publishers might have hoped. In fact, these aren't the only relatively well-known kids' titles to be shut down over the past year. And while it might be premature to signal the death knell for kid MMOs, it's a good time to do an assessment on what's working and what might be hampering success. In this week's MMO Family, it's time to do a little state of the (kid-friendly) industry. Continue reading MMO Family: Are kid-friendly MMOs doomed to extinction? MMO Family: Are kid-friendly MMOs doomed to extinction? originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 18 Sep 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Warhammer Online to close December 18th Posted: 18 Sep 2013 02:10 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, MMO Industry, Warhammer Online, Anniversaries, Sunsets Today is Warhammer Online's fifth anniversary, but instead of getting a celebration, the players are getting a pink slip from Mythic. The studio announced that it will be shutting WAR down as of December 18th because its licensing deal with Games Workshop has come to an end. The official statement gives the important details: "We here at Mythic have built an amazing relationship working with Games Workshop creating and running Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning over the last 8 years. Unfortunately, as with all licensing deals they do eventually come to end and on December 18th, 2013 we will no longer be operating Warhammer Online. As such we will no longer be selling three-month game time codes or have the ability to auto renew your accounts for three months as of September 18th, 2013. From all of us here at Mythic we thank you again for your dedication and support over the last five years." Producer Carrie Gouskos also posted her own memories of the game on this somber occasion, including the revelation of a now-cancelled Asian F2P edition of the game and a vampire-themed expansion. "It has been a tremendous honor to work with Games Workshop and even though we may be parting ways, our relationship with them remains strong," she wrote. "And now, hopefully, because this may be the last thing I ever write about Warhammer, I'll be allowed to acknowledge the existence of Chaos Dwarves. Or maybe not." Warhammer Online to close December 18th originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 18 Sep 2013 16:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Shutdown notice, Producer letter

Champions Online sheds some light on how powers get designed Posted: 18 Sep 2013 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Super-hero, Game Mechanics, News Items, Free-to-Play, Champions Online Superhero games are kind of into powers. It's their entire schtick. But how does a new powerset go from a vague concept to an actual set of abilities? Champions Online takes a look at this with a new development blog looking at how the Telepathy and Laser Sword mini-sets came into existence, straight from the hand of developer Chris Meyer. Meyer explains how Telepathy's revamps came about as a result of the set needing more cool stuff to do, while Laser Sword was meant as a thematic complement to a story arc. Both sets were intended to reward players for taking multiple powers out of the same set without explicitly forcing that behavior, creating cross-power synergy and positive interactions. This also led to certain design issues, such as the initial Laser Sword design feeling clunky and not having enough options for players in terms of passive powers, something that required a reworking of the set's focus and the addition of passive powers that work with other sets as well. If this sounds fascinating to you, you can find more of the hard design details in the official blog. Champions Online sheds some light on how powers get designed originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 18 Sep 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Designing powersets

SMITE unveils Thanatos, Hand of Death Posted: 18 Sep 2013 01:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Video, PvP, News Items, Free-to-Play, MOBA SMITE's roster of gods just got a little deeper with the addition of Thanatos, Hand of Death. Thanatos is a melee physical character with abilities centered on his massive scythe and has skills that enhance his movement speed, deliver massive damage, and siphon life from other gods. His entry in the SMITE arena stems from his boredom with ending the lives of mortals and the challenge represented by sending gods into death's domain. Check out the reveal video from Hi-Rez after the break for an in-depth look at Thanatos' abilities and a bit of story background on what makes him tick. Continue reading SMITE unveils Thanatos, Hand of Death SMITE unveils Thanatos, Hand of Death originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 18 Sep 2013 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: News Post

WildStar gives beta testers a wacky housing challenge Posted: 18 Sep 2013 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-Fi, Screenshots, WildStar, Housing, Subscription Remember the WildStar housing challenge several months back? Carbine Studios has done it again, as the studio challenged beta testers to come up with the best player house screenshots. This time, however, there's a theme: wacky! Carbine posted the winners of the contest, which range from a Game of Thrones homage to a weird wedding to a labyrinth made of stuffed animals. All of the winners will receive a special trophy that can be displayed when the game goes live. For the rest of us, these screenshots are a glimpse into the potential of the housing system, so check them out and let us know what you think! WildStar gives beta testers a wacky housing challenge originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 18 Sep 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: WildStar Wednesday

RIFT 2.4 brings challenging instances to bear Posted: 18 Sep 2013 12:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Patches, Free-to-Play, RIFT Ah, smell that? That's the smell of a big new content update in the air. And also many bugs that have been fried on the metaphorical bug zapper. But mostly an update. RIFT has upgraded to 2.4: Beyond Infinity, and that means a ton of additional content to be conquered and plundered. At the core of Update 2.4 are three new instances: the Infinity Gate raid, the Realm of Twisted Dreams dungeon, and the Infernal Dawn chronicle. An additional raid, Planebreaker Bastion, will be coming in weeks ahead. Update 2.4 also raises the PvP prestige cap to 90 with new gear and weapons, adds more hairstyle options, plugs in cross-shard instant adventures, and improves the new user experience. As you patch up, you can read the official notes and our preview of the update. RIFT 2.4 brings challenging instances to bear originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 18 Sep 2013 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Patch Notes

Guild Wars 2 world first: Tequatl the Sunless is down Posted: 18 Sep 2013 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Events (In-Game), News Items, PvE, Guild Wars 2, MMORPG, Buy-to-Play It's official: The Blackgate server is the first to down redesigned Guild Wars 2 world boss, Tequatl. Less than 24 hours after the Tequatl Rising patch went live, players from across Blackgate rallied to the cause and managed to down the beast after several failed attempts. The kill was confirmed by ArenaNet on the Guild Wars 2 Facebook page. Our own Richie Procopio was present for the killshot; check out his video of the encounter after the break. Continue reading Guild Wars 2 world first: Tequatl the Sunless is down Guild Wars 2 world first: Tequatl the Sunless is down originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 18 Sep 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Facebook Post

Leaderboard: Do you make time for MMOs on your vacation? Posted: 18 Sep 2013 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Culture, Opinion, Leaderboard This week's Leaderboard comes to you live from the middle of my vacation. OK, it's not actually live, but I am AFK in theory. I say in theory because I still managed to play an MMO this week despite my sabbatical from the cushy confines of the Massively yacht. Anyway, enough wordcount filler. Let's talk about your vacation! More specifically, do you make any time to play MMOs or do you disconnect entirely? Ever wish that you could put to rest a long-standing MMO debate once and for all? Then welcome to the battle royal of Massively's Leaderboard, where two sides enter the pit o' judgment -- and only one leaves. Vote to make your opinion known, and see whether your choice tops the Leaderboard! Continue reading Leaderboard: Do you make time for MMOs on your vacation? Leaderboard: Do you make time for MMOs on your vacation? originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 18 Sep 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

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