MMO Updates

---

• The Mog Log: Final Fantasy XIV's best and most disappointing bosses
• WRUP: Exciting new Pokémon features edition
• The Daily Grind: What game got you into MMOs?
• Betawatch: October 5 - 11, 2013
• Age of Wushu promises latency improvements and mobile authenticator
• MMObility: Introducing Deepworld to Minecraft fanatics
• Dark Age of Camelot celebrates 12 years of RvR madness
• EverQuest Next dev diary talks exploration
• Wargaming video dives into World of Warplanes sound design
• Tamriel Infinium: Horizontal vs. vertical progression and the Elder Scrolls Online
• Aethertech design contest winner chosen for Aion
• A lively evening of Hearthstone
• Storyboard: Signing up for the team
• You'll want to own Shroud of the Avatar's Druid town home

The Mog Log: Final Fantasy XIV's best and most disappointing bosses Posted: 12 Oct 2013 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Endgame, Opinion, Consoles, Final Fantasy XIV, The Mog Log, Dungeons, Subscription I don't know if I exactly agree with Naoki Yoshida's stance that Final Fantasy XIV is about group content first and foremost, but darn if the game's group content isn't pretty awesome. I can't remember the last game where I was this happy to queue up and head into a dungeon, even if I didn't have a full group backing me. Which means that I've gotten very familiar with the game's bosses. The best bosses are pretty easy to pick out for me; they're the ones that hit all the right notes in terms of challenge and whatnot. But the expected counterpart is the worst bosses, and... really, there are a lot of factors that can play into the term worst. So, I'm not pointing out the worst as much as I'm pointing out the disappointments. The top five of each, in rough order. Enjoy. Continue reading The Mog Log: Final Fantasy XIV's best and most disappointing bosses The Mog Log: Final Fantasy XIV's best and most disappointing bosses originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 12 Oct 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

WRUP: Exciting new Pokémon features edition Posted: 12 Oct 2013 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Massively Meta, Miscellaneous So it looks as if I'm actually going to be picking up the new Pokémon game on launch, which will have already happened by the time you read this. What can I say? I'm kind of interested in the new features that are being added to the game, like the fact that you can actually customize your character (insofar as you can be "pale" or "slightly not so pale"). Beyond that, it's the first game in the series with 3-D renderings of these creatures as long as you ignore all of the other spin-offs that did the same thing. And not only do you start with one of the three ubiquitous new starter types, you can also pick up a second starter type later on so that you have two special critters sitting in your bank unused! What was I talking about? Oh right -- it's WRUP time again. You can check out our play plans past the break and let us know yours in the comments. (Seriously, I will be playing Pokémon.) Continue reading WRUP: Exciting new Pokémon features edition WRUP: Exciting new Pokémon features edition originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 12 Oct 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Daily Grind: What game got you into MMOs? Posted: 12 Oct 2013 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous The first MMO I ever played was Final Fantasy XI, but that wasn't what first got me into MMOs. If I hadn't played Final Fantasy VI years earlier and fallen in love with it, odds are I also wouldn't have cared much about Final Fantasy XI. As far as I'm concerned, that's what got me started down the road. For that matter, I probably wouldn't have kept playing MMOs after leaving FFXI rather disappointed if my next game hadn't been City of Heroes. For some people, MMOs history is a one-link chain that starts and ends with seeing a specific game and thinking it looks cool. For others it can be traced back to a litany of games that led to both your present and future choice of virtual worlds. So what game got you into MMOs? Was it your first MMO, another game that led to your first MMO, or even something as silly as a card game that led to you making the right friends? 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 game got you into MMOs? originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 12 Oct 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Betawatch: October 5 - 11, 2013 Posted: 11 Oct 2013 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, MMO Industry, News Items, Betawatch, Miscellaneous If you can't get enough games on your Xbox 360 that involve blowing up and/or driving tanks, you'll be happy to know that World of Tanks is running a beta on the platform this weekend. Take part and you will win more tanks. This is probably a good thing since the whole game centers around tanks. It's the entire world. Heva Clonia Online is pushing to open testing starting on the 17th, meaning that you have less than a week to wait if you're enthusiastic for the game but somehow missed the previous (first) closed test. City of Titans, meanwhile, isn't in beta yet, but it is far beyond funded to ensure that there will (hopefully) be a beta down the line. Oh, and there is a list of games past the break in various states of testing. If something has sneaked into a new beta phase without our noticing or has added a cash shop without warning, let us know so we can investigate. Continue reading Betawatch: October 5 - 11, 2013 Betawatch: October 5 - 11, 2013 originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 11 Oct 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Age of Wushu promises latency improvements and mobile authenticator Posted: 11 Oct 2013 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Historical, Free-to-Play, Community Q&A, Sandbox, Age of Wushu In a new set of questions and answers from the Age of Wushu community, Snail Games promised that North American players experiencing lag will soon see relief. "We are taking serious measures to solve the latency problems after escalation," the devs promised. "Server fixes are already on their way. Players in North America will see considerable improvement starting from this week!" The devs said that a mobile authenticator is coming later this month to provide better account security. The authenticator will be available for both iOS and Android devices. The Q&A article covered other topics such as the cash shop skill, bug fixes, cross-server interactions, and unnecessary chat spam. For those interested in Age of Wushu's upcoming Steam release, the devs said that this is still in the works but currently there is no release date set. In a separate post, the studio announced that the Phantom Twin Dagger skill set will be coming to the game next week. Age of Wushu promises latency improvements and mobile authenticator originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 11 Oct 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Q&A with the devs

MMObility: Introducing Deepworld to Minecraft fanatics Posted: 11 Oct 2013 04:30 PM PDT Filed under: Screenshots, Game Mechanics, Patches, Opinion, Free-to-Play, Mobile, Casual, Humor, Family, Miscellaneous, MMObility, Sandbox, Crafting, Steampunk, Player-Generated Content My nephews are visiting this week; they are nine and seven years old. And if there is one truth about these two, it's that they love Minecraft. Oh, they're also creative and smart young kids, but Minecraft is always a ready topic of conversation. Jeff, the younger one, loves to drill me on my knowledge. "Did you know..." is how it starts off, followed by some cool fact about the game. John, the older one, is calmer about the situation, and he has gained the ability, thanks to his elder status, to pull his gaze away from the game (I have it running on three different PCs and three iPads) in order to maintain an air of politeness. When I ask him something, he can give me an answer that has nothing to do with Minecraft! I thought this week would be a cool time to introduce Deepworld to both of them. Deepworld is a fantastic iOS-based Minecraftian MMO that is free-to-play with optional and fantastic cash-shop items. The last time I looked at it, I bought an entire private server for only 10 bucks! I logged in this week for the first time in ages and found my server still sitting, waiting for my creations. Then I showed it to my nephews. Continue reading MMObility: Introducing Deepworld to Minecraft fanatics MMObility: Introducing Deepworld to Minecraft fanatics originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 11 Oct 2013 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Dark Age of Camelot celebrates 12 years of RvR madness Posted: 11 Oct 2013 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Dark Age of Camelot, Events (In-Game), News Items, Anniversaries It's time to break out your party hats, Dark Age of Camelot fans. Today, Mythic Entertainment's seminal RvR-focused title turns 12 years old, and that can only mean one thing: bonuses for everyone! To celebrate the game's 12th anniversary, Mythic is giving players a smorgasbord of experience point, bounty point, and realm point bonuses. The official post also notes that there's plenty more birthday celebration goodness to come. And what would a game anniversary be without some heartfelt retrospectives from the developers? Members of the Dark Age of Camelot team, including Mythic Co-Founder Rob Denton, Senior Producer Colin Hicks, and many more all weigh in on the life of DAOC, from its humble beginnings in the ancient era of 2001 to its rise as an influential powerhouse of the MMO industry. So if you're not too busy wreaking havoc upon your enemies on the battlefield, why not head on over to the official site to take a trip down memory lane? Just click on through the link below and enjoy the reminiscence. Dark Age of Camelot celebrates 12 years of RvR madness originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 11 Oct 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: 12 Years of Dark Age of Camelot -- A Restrospective, Dark Age of Camelot 12th Birthday Bonuses!

EverQuest Next dev diary talks exploration Posted: 11 Oct 2013 03:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Video, News Items, EverQuest Next, Dev Diaries, Sandbox Today's EverQuest Next Landmark dev diary is all about globe-trotting, and no, we don't mean the kind that involves basketball trick-shots. In the latest dev diary video from the folks at Sony Online Entertainment, Creative Director Jeff Butler and Senior Art Director Rosie Rappaport sit down to give players a brief overview of why exploration matters in the upcoming reincarnation of Norrath. As you may already be aware, the world of EverQuest Next is made up of a number of procedurally generated continents, each with a number of diverse biomes to explore. While the motivation to explore in many MMOs is something to the tune of "kill things for XP and loot," the permeable nature of EQN's world adds a new layer of incentive. Each biome, as Butler and Rappaport explain, will contain a variety of different resources and materials that players can use to build their own structures within the world. The duo also addresses the existence of leylines, which, in addition to allowing players to travel around the world, give players the ability to travel between servers. And since players on each server will alter their world's landscape in different ways, there are plenty of opportunities for players to explore each server's unique version of the world. For more tasty exploration details, check out the full video past the cut. Continue reading EverQuest Next dev diary talks exploration EverQuest Next dev diary talks exploration originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 11 Oct 2013 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: EverQuest Next official YouTube channel

Wargaming video dives into World of Warplanes sound design Posted: 11 Oct 2013 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Historical, Real-Life, Video, MMO Industry, PvP, News Items, War, Free-to-Play, World of Warplanes If you've played Wargaming.net's World of Warplanes, chances are good you've spent a good bit of time listening to your aircraft's engine. As it turns out, those engine sounds you're hearing aren't downloaded from a sound effects library or made up in the studio; a great deal of them are recorded in real life from the very planes featured in the game. Wargaming has put together a nice little video showing its sound team working to capture authentic sound effects from dozens of old-school aircraft. The process involves tarmacs, lots of equipment, and just a bit of shirtless dial-tweaking. Check it out after the break. [Source: Wargaming.net press release] Continue reading Wargaming video dives into World of Warplanes sound design Wargaming video dives into World of Warplanes sound design originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 11 Oct 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Tamriel Infinium: Horizontal vs. vertical progression and the Elder Scrolls Online Posted: 11 Oct 2013 02:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Classes, Game Mechanics, New Titles, Opinion, Races, The Elder Scrolls Online, Subscription, MMORPG, Tamriel Infinium The week before last, I talked about a hybrid penalty, and I've realized that I did so without actually talking about how progression is slated to work in Elder Scrolls Online. Because ESO wants to emulate the existing Elder Scrolls games in an MMO, we see many of the same ideas ported directly from the single-player game into the online game. This includes training up in a specific weapon and armor, weapon swapping, and skill-based progression. And if you have played other games' skill-based or non-linear progression systems, then you know about the difficulties of balance. ESO, like other games before it, tackles this imbalance by limiting the number of abilities available to a player at a given time. Skill progression also takes an interesting turn in ESO as well, and I'm not exactly sure how to define it. Most MMOs follow a vertical progression tree in which you place the game's version of skill points in an upward-growing tree or pyramid, with skills following a guided path to the best skill of a given tree at the top. Usually the limitations placed on these trees are based on level, which gives you a finite number of earnable skill points. I call this vertical progression. Although any good class skill system will have some branches to the side, usually the ultimate goal is to reach the top of the tree to gain the best abilities in that given class. Thankfully, Elder Scrolls Online takes a different approach. Continue reading Tamriel Infinium: Horizontal vs. vertical progression and the Elder Scrolls Online Tamriel Infinium: Horizontal vs. vertical progression and the Elder Scrolls Online originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 11 Oct 2013 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Aethertech design contest winner chosen for Aion Posted: 11 Oct 2013 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Aion, Contests, Culture, Free-to-Play With the Aethertech class on its way for Aion 4.5, NCsoft has revealed the winner of the "Leave Your Legacy: Aethertech" contest in which players could design one of the mechanized suits for future inclusion in the game. The top pick was the 5H-0G0 by EMPIREinWAR, which is based on the Shugo race. The devs were quite taken with the design choice. "We can sum this up in one word: 'witty.' From the naming all the way to the Shugo character itself, this piece was really fun to look at, which is why this is the winner," said Head of the Aion Global Development Art Team Jinhwan Kim. The 5H-0G0, like all of the Aethertechs, will use its magical mechanical mount to crush, shoot, flail, and probably cuddle its way through Atreia. [Source: NCsoft press release] Aethertech design contest winner chosen for Aion originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 11 Oct 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

A lively evening of Hearthstone Posted: 11 Oct 2013 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Business Models, Previews, Free-to-Play, Hands-On, Trading Card Games, First Impressions The first thing that hit me when I logged into Hearthstone after begging a beta invite off a friend was an overwhelming tsunami of nostalgia for World of Warcraft. It wasn't surprising, of course; this is the card battling spin-off of WoW by the folks who make WoW. But for a player who hasn't set foot in Azeroth for some time now, the audio and visual cues were like the hit of a powerful drug that opened the pathways to all sorts of memories. The chunky, goofy exterior that Blizzard slathers across the Warcraft franchise often belays a serious depth that number-crunchers and elite strategists attempt to plumb. Both are perfectly at home in Hearthstone, which is affable on the surface but, like many CCGs, has no end to the possibilities in builds and play sessions. So what's it like to sit down to an evening with Hearthstone? I'm glad you asked. Continue reading A lively evening of Hearthstone A lively evening of Hearthstone originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 11 Oct 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Storyboard: Signing up for the team Posted: 11 Oct 2013 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Lore, Opinion, Roleplaying, Storyboard, Miscellaneous Major organizations in a game's lore are kind of a big deal to the characters living in those games. They represent something important, after all, either in terms of intent or power. So why doesn't your character sign up with the organization of his choice and start working for it instead of just alongside it? What do you mean that there's no mechanical way to fully model that? Come on. Sure, that's a bit of a problem, but if there's one thing you've taken away from my columns other than the word "verisimilitude," it's that no problem is insurmountable. Fortunately, signing on with your in-game organization of choice isn't all that problematic, even if there isn't an actual dotted line to sign for membership. So let's talk about signing up with your local recruitment office for fame, fortune, and the occasional bit of character motivation that you can't massage in any other way. Continue reading Storyboard: Signing up for the team Storyboard: Signing up for the team originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 11 Oct 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

You'll want to own Shroud of the Avatar's Druid town home Posted: 11 Oct 2013 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Sandbox, Housing, Shroud of the Avatar This week's Shroud of the Avatar update is a biggun! It features a new combat sigil, which shows off the eight combat schools that a Warrior may choose to follow. There's also a story sneak peek from co-authors Richard Garriott and Tracy Hickman as well as player housing basements. This last bit is a pretty big deal judging by the number of screenshots and verbiage Portalarium devoted to it. And while we're talking about housing, there are also some nifty shots of the game's Druid tree house as well as related discussion from devs Isaac Oster and Michael Hutchison. You'll want to own Shroud of the Avatar's Druid town home originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 11 Oct 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: SotA weekly wrapup

You are subscribed to email updates from Massively To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610