MMO Updates |
- World of Tanks Assistant app adds achievements and more
- Alpha gameplay video introduces Finnish fantasy MMO WarCaster
- GTA Online riches available for cash
- Massively Speaking Episode 265: Warhammer Offline
- Uncover Scarlet's latest plot in Guild Wars 2's Twilight Assault update
- The Daily Grind: Do you hoard in-game money?
- Research suggests MMOs may 'encourage pathological game use'
- Not So Massively: D3's auction house closing, Star Citizen salvaging, and new MOBA heroes
- This week's ESO AMA is all about the lore
- Jack Emmert to speak on free-to-play vs. pay-to-win
- Get your free EverQuest II heroic character starting October 1
- Rumor: Colin Farrell and Paula Patton to lead World of Warcraft film
- WildStar's Gaffney on why the game isn't free-to-play
- Captain's Log: It's speculation time in Star Trek Online
- Chaos Theory: The Filth is on! A guide to starting TSW's long-term event
- The Nexus Telegraph: WildStar's big missed (business) opportunity
| World of Tanks Assistant app adds achievements and more Posted: 24 Sep 2013 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Historical, Video, War, Free-to-Play, World of Tanks  World of Tanks Assistant is available for Android, iOS, and Windows Phone mobile devices and can be acquired for free from at Google Play and Appstore. For a look at these updates, check out the video after the cut. [Source: Wargaming press release] Continue reading World of Tanks Assistant app adds achievements and more
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| Alpha gameplay video introduces Finnish fantasy MMO WarCaster Posted: 24 Sep 2013 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Video, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Browser, Mobile  In the world of Kalderon, WarCasters (the players) derive their magical power from dragons. The game entails finding your tower that stores your magical power and taking care of your dragon as well as gathering and trading resources to build up your realm and strengthen your force. The next generation 3D free-to-play online strategy game also includes personal missions and campaigns between coalitions in browser and mobile platforms. You can get an early glimpse of the gameplay in the video after the break. Interested players can then sign up for early access on the official site now, and a Q4 2013 launch is planned. Continue reading Alpha gameplay video introduces Finnish fantasy MMO WarCaster
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| GTA Online riches available for cash Posted: 24 Sep 2013 08:30 AM PDT Filed under: Real-Life, Business Models, Economy, MMO Industry, News Items, Consoles, Sandbox  Eurogamer.net shares a find that was first caught on Reddit, namely a publicly viewable XML file on the game's online store that shows in-game cash cards in denominations of $100K, $200K, $500K, and $1.5M for purchase with real-life cash along with a description inviting players to solve their in-game money problems by buying these packs. The prices for these cash cards, however, are not stated. The same file shows items from the special and collector's editions, indicating that this exclusive content may also be made available to all for purchase later.
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| Massively Speaking Episode 265: Warhammer Offline Posted: 24 Sep 2013 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Podcasts, MMO Industry, News Items, Massively Meta, Massively Speaking, Miscellaneous  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 265: Warhammer Offline
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| Uncover Scarlet's latest plot in Guild Wars 2's Twilight Assault update Posted: 24 Sep 2013 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Events (In-Game), Patches, Guild Wars 2, Dungeons, Buy-to-Play  Additionally, ArenaNet has announced that Guild Wars 2 will be hosting a free trial week, running from September 27th to October 3rd. If you decide the game is for you, GW2's Digital Heroic Edition will be on sale for $39.99 from September 27th to October 6th.
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| The Daily Grind: Do you hoard in-game money? Posted: 24 Sep 2013 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Culture, Economy, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous  There's rarely a reason to hoard cash, of course. It doesn't convey any advantages aside from allowing you to make enormous impulse purchases. In many games, it's not going to help you really kit out your character, and you don't need to be flush with cash to cover mandatory expenses like travel and repairs. But sometimes it's just nice to know that even if you're subsisting on a diet of instant noodles and water, your character is part of the one percent. So do you hoard in-game money?  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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| Research suggests MMOs may 'encourage pathological game use' Posted: 23 Sep 2013 07:00 PM PDT Filed under: Culture, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, News Items, Opinion  "We did not find a perfect relationship between total time spent playing games and addictive video game behaviors," said study co-author Christopher Engelhardt, a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Health Psychology in the MU School of Health Professions. "Additionally, other variables such as the proportion of free time spent playing video games seem to better predict game addiction above and beyond the total amount of time spent playing video games." The study says that MMORPGs pose a "triple threat" due to level advancement, team play, and enormous fantasy worlds that may "encourage pathological game use."
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| Not So Massively: D3's auction house closing, Star Citizen salvaging, and new MOBA heroes Posted: 23 Sep 2013 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Video, Business Models, Expansions, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, Patches, PvP, News Items, PvE, Free-to-Play, Dev Diaries, Not So Massively, Sandbox, MOBA, Diablo III, Star Citizen, Path of Exile  Valve broke its recent silence on Dota 2 to reveal the upcoming First Blood update, which introduces local network play and a new Captain's Draft game mode. Third-person MOBA SMITE added new character Thanatos, the Hand of Death, and Heroes of Newerth added ranged intelligence hero Circe the Deceiver. And Blizzard All-Stars popped out of the shadows again this week when Blizzard put up a job listing for an e-sports director for the title.
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| This week's ESO AMA is all about the lore Posted: 23 Sep 2013 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, New Titles, News Items, PvE, The Elder Scrolls Online, Subscription, MMORPG  The post also discusses why orcs, normally isolationist in nature, would want to join the Daggerfall Covenant. Apparently, doing so is the orcs' best shot at establishing their own state. One interesting gameplay tidbit is also revealed; ZeniMax had this to say on the subject of Manes: The selection and accession of a new Mane is, in fact, one of the key events in which players can get involved in northern Valenwood and western Elsweyr. How is a new Mane chosen and accepted? You'll get to see for yourself.If you're a fan of Elder Scrolls lore, the full post is worth a read. This is the 20th Ask Us Anything ZeniMax has posted; previous AMAs have covered everything from stealth mechanics to PvP. New AMAs go up every two weeks.
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| Jack Emmert to speak on free-to-play vs. pay-to-win Posted: 23 Sep 2013 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Business Models, Events (Real-World), MMO Industry, Free-to-Play  Emmert will be delivering a talk during a session titled How to Avoid Pay-to-Win with F2P. The session description is as follows: "With an F2P business, developers must carefully weigh business needs against game balance. Typically, players immediately question whether a game is actually pay-to-win and not truly free-to-play. This session tracks how Cryptic Studios has tackled this very difficult question in each of their current MMOs, and provides a method to address both concerns." Cryptic is helming a number of free-to-play games, with its current F2P roster consisting of Champions Online, Neverwinter, and Star Trek Online.
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| Get your free EverQuest II heroic character starting October 1 Posted: 23 Sep 2013 03:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest II, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, News Items, Free-to-Play  "The goal is to provide a fun and easy option for existing and returning players to play or experiment with our characters and have immediate access to high-level content," Longdale explains. Beginning on October 1st, the Hero's Call event will allow players to create a heroic character for free. After the event ends on the 15th, HCs will be available from the cash shop. Full details are yours via the links below.
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| Rumor: Colin Farrell and Paula Patton to lead World of Warcraft film Posted: 23 Sep 2013 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, MMO Industry, News Items, Roleplaying, Rumors, MMORPG  Other names have cropped up in relation to the film; Paul Dano (There Will Be Blood), Travis Fimmel (Vikings), Anson Mount (Hell on Wheels), and Anton Yelchin (Star Trek) are all on the rumored shortlist for parts. Whatever your thoughts on potential actors, the fact that casting is actually getting done seems to indicate that the WoW movie might actually get made this time around. Moon director Duncan Jones is set to steer the project, which is aimed at a 2015 release.
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| WildStar's Gaffney on why the game isn't free-to-play Posted: 23 Sep 2013 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Business Models, MMO Industry, News Items, WildStar, Subscription, Buy-to-Play  Gaffney explains that from the developer's standpoint, having a free-to-play model involves having a small number of players paying for most of the population, which makes the experience far more variable and unsteady. He also notes that free players have a very different experience from those who play, one that often removes the incentive to pay money in the first place. The game's stated business model requires a monthly subscription, which can be paid for via in-game money on an open marketplace.
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| Captain's Log: It's speculation time in Star Trek Online Posted: 23 Sep 2013 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Patches, Opinion, Star Trek Online, Free-to-Play, Rumors, Captain's Log  However, we're also at that crucial point in the cycle of content releases when the dearth of real information is all too obvious. So what's a player to do until the next Featured Episode is released? Well, dwell on the teasers, of course! So join me past the jump and we can speculate together on what we will and won't be seeing in the upcoming FE and Season Eight. Continue reading Captain's Log: It's speculation time in Star Trek Online
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| Chaos Theory: The Filth is on! A guide to starting TSW's long-term event Posted: 23 Sep 2013 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Horror, Real-Life, Events (In-Game), PvP, PvE, Opinion, The Secret World, Guides, Chaos Theory, Buy-to-Play  I thought that would get your attention. Yes, there's not a Secret World fan out there who isn't looking forward to the release of Issue #9 and all the glorious new areas to explore and missions to complete; in fact, it will be the first full new zone to come to the game since launch. Wait, so why all the fervor and why am I babbling on about Tokyo when we haven't even gotten Issue #8 yet? Because the Agartha filth event (as it was known up until now) was the first step toward both of these new issues. And now that step has been taken! It's called The Whispering Tide event, and the mere fact that it has started means that Issue #7 is at an end and players must now actively work to open the Tokyo portal in Agartha. But this portal cannot be opened until the filth is pushed back and wiped clean from the World Tree. So if you want to get to Tokyo, you've got to jump in and contribute to the effort; the more players contribute, the faster it will go. And this guide is the perfect way to get started! Continue reading Chaos Theory: The Filth is on! A guide to starting TSW's long-term event
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| The Nexus Telegraph: WildStar's big missed (business) opportunity Posted: 23 Sep 2013 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Business Models, MMO Industry, Opinion, WildStar, The Nexus Telegraph, Subscription, Buy-to-Play  In this case, I was wrong. Nothing specifically has changed, but I've had more time to think about the model as a whole and see what people are saying about it, especially when contrasted with other utterly archaic models on display elsewhere. (Not that I'm naming names.) So let's give this business model a second glance. I still think it's got some interesting potential, but I'm increasingly of the mind that it's a missed opportunity that's going to come back in a bad way. Continue reading The Nexus Telegraph: WildStar's big missed (business) opportunity
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