MMO Updates |
- Black Gold Online video shows off action combat system
- RIFT celebrates Fae Yule with festivities
- Massively Giveaway: Inferno Legend VIP bundle
- Embers of Caerus making 'drastic changes' to its development
- Blade Hunter transitioning to beta tomorrow
- The Daily Grind: What awesome feature was ruined by its cost?
- Jukebox Heroes: Forsaken World's soundtrack
- O:MFG! It's another PlanetSide 2 performance patch
- Marvel Heroes to introduce playable Venom, Magneto, and more in 2014
- Colbert cracks ancient Second Life joke, picks on NSA
- Hyperspace Beacon: The SWTOR year-end report on PvP
- Final Fantasy XIV executive producer defends expensive housing costs
- The Stream Team: Checking into Aura Kingdom with Beau and the devs
- Warhammer Online offers partial refunds
- The Stream Team: Guild housing and more in FFXIV's patch 2.1
- Star Citizen delays dogfighting module release
- Brad McQuaid delays Kickstarter until January
- The Soapbox: There's nothing wrong with easy
| Black Gold Online video shows off action combat system Posted: 18 Dec 2013 08:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, PvP, News Items, Free-to-Play, Steampunk, Black Gold  Most skills in the upcoming game are collision, or hit-box-based, and melee fighters will move in the direction they are facing with every swing. Ranged works a bit differently: Although most ranged skills will remain locked on their target, some will require players to anticipate enemy movements and target accordingly. And don't forget these battles also involve vehicles! While mounted, players will be in FPS mode. Get a preview of Black Gold Online's combat in action in the trailer below. [Source: Snail Games press release] Continue reading Black Gold Online video shows off action combat system
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| RIFT celebrates Fae Yule with festivities Posted: 18 Dec 2013 07:30 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Events (In-Game), MMO Industry, News Items, Free-to-Play, RIFT  This year's celebration also includes a Very Merry Warfront, tours of Telara's holiday Dimensions, and plenty of special festive zone events, Instant Adventures, rifts, footholds, special gifts, and more. Even raid bosses are in a giving mood during the season, occasionally dropping an extra loot chest for adventurers. Get a peek of the wintry wonders in the trailer below. Fae Yule lasts until January 9, 2014. [Update: Fae Yule has been extended a week until the 9th, and store items will be available for purchase through the 15th. Thanks to Potaco for the tip!] [Source: Trion press release] Continue reading RIFT celebrates Fae Yule with festivities
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| Massively Giveaway: Inferno Legend VIP bundle Posted: 18 Dec 2013 07:00 AM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Contests, Free-to-Play, Massively Meta, Giveaways, Miscellaneous  So let's get some free stuff to go with our evil faeries. Gamebox has given Massively a slew of VIP keys for a bundle of free items in Inferno legend, including 150 Diamonds, 20,000 Gold, 200 Power of Faith, 200 Power of Lineage, 100 Wickedness (*wink*), and an exclusive pair of shoes called Pilgrim's Trail, which when equipped increase the character's speed based on his or her level. The bundle also includes beta access. To apply your key to your account, login to your Gamebox account or create a new one, click "code," input your gift code, and then click "claim."  
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| Embers of Caerus making 'drastic changes' to its development Posted: 18 Dec 2013 06:30 AM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, MMO Industry, Crowdfunding  Creative Director Rob Steele broke the news on the forums, where he admits that mistakes in developing a prototype for the game's systems cost the project financial and volunteer support. Without the funds, he admits that the team cannot make its previous goals of regular module updates and benchmarks. "Instead of continuing down this path, attempting to play catch up, and risking missing more benchmarks that we have no assurances we can hit, Forsaken Studios is making a drastic change in its plans for Embers of Caerus," he wrote. Steele went on to say that he has been in talks with other game studios to help with the future development of the game, all while upholding promises made to supporters and crowdfunding investors. He said that the project will be encountering "a great deal of changes" but should be more active if and when another studio signs on to help.
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| Blade Hunter transitioning to beta tomorrow Posted: 18 Dec 2013 06:00 AM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Free-to-Play  The game had an extremely short alpha period that started just a week ago. The new beta test begins at 9:00 am EST and could be considered a soft launch for Blade Hunter as characters will be permanent from here on out. Blade Hunter features three classes that engage in side-scrolling action and the option to play solo or with parties. There are also time-limited events that players can engage in to strive for top rankings and special rewards. [Source: R2 Games press release]
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| The Daily Grind: What awesome feature was ruined by its cost? Posted: 18 Dec 2013 05:00 AM PST Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous  I've gone through that many times. One example was when Lord of the Rings Online was going on and on about allowing players to bring their skirmish soldiers out onto the landscape. Man, Turbine just talked this up but was really coy -- almost right until the end -- as to the cost, which ended up requiring a grind or real dollars to purchase a limited-time access to this feature. Almost instantly, my enthusiasm for it was extinguished. For you, what awesome feature in an MMO was ruined when you heard what it would cost?  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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| Jukebox Heroes: Forsaken World's soundtrack Posted: 17 Dec 2013 04:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Opinion, Free-to-Play, Jukebox Heroes, Music  Forsaken World was composed by Austrian Roland Mair-Gruber. I am not that familiar with Mair-Gruber (his portfolio is a little skimpy thus far), but if this score is anything to judge him by, he's a lover of serene soundscapes. This is the kind of soundtrack that you could just put on the background in a spa, for the most part, although that doesn't mean it's forgettable. I liked it enough not to consider my time listening to it a waste, even though there weren't as many standout tracks as I've heard elsewhere. So what should you listen to from Forsaken World? I've got you covered this week in Jukebox Heroes! Continue reading Jukebox Heroes: Forsaken World's soundtrack
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| O:MFG! It's another PlanetSide 2 performance patch Posted: 17 Dec 2013 03:30 PM PST Filed under: Sci-Fi, Events (In-Game), MMO Industry, PvP, News Items, Free-to-Play, MMOFPS, PlanetSide 2  There's also a seasonal event designed to let sci-fi soldiers celebrate Auraximas by taking down snowmen for fun, XP, and a "Snowblower" title. Have a look at the PS2 forums for a full list of patch notes and changes. [Source: SOE press release]
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| Marvel Heroes to introduce playable Venom, Magneto, and more in 2014 Posted: 17 Dec 2013 03:00 PM PST Filed under: Super-hero, Classes, Free-to-Play, Marvel Heroes, Promotions  These new characters will include Venom, Juggernaut, Magneto, Psylocke, Silver Surfer, Dr. Strange, Moon Knight, Nightcrawler, Sue Storm, and Star-Lord, as well as a couple of additional comic book icons to be named later. Even though the new characters are not in the game yet, Gazillion is hosting an "advance pack" sale for players who want to pick all of them up for a discount. Players can spend either $99.99 or $129.99 to get all 12 characters as well as various extras including costumes, fortune cards, retcon devices, and even an extra hero.
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| Colbert cracks ancient Second Life joke, picks on NSA Posted: 17 Dec 2013 02:30 PM PST Filed under: Culture, MMO Industry, News Items, Second Life, Virtual Worlds, Humor, Sandbox  Colbert follows up Comedy Central colleague Jon Stewart's riff on the NSA in World of Warcraft with a segment heavy on Second Life secret agents. Kotaku has the full story as well as a video embed.
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| Hyperspace Beacon: The SWTOR year-end report on PvP Posted: 17 Dec 2013 02:00 PM PST Filed under: Sci-Fi, PvE, Opinion, Free-to-Play, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Hyperspace Beacon, MMORPG  I have never been a fan of the term Killer as used to describe the type of player who likes to compete directly with other players, but then, I didn't earn a PhD from the University of Essex, either. The Killer category has always been described as more than someone who likes to PvP in the sense that most MMOs provide PvP. A Killer likes to compete, plain and simple. He wants his skills pitted against the skills of other players, and he wants to be recognized for it. In SWTOR, many Killer-types will hang out on the steps of the Sith Academy on Korriban dueling, partially because they find dueling enjoyable, but also because it is in sight of many other players. (That's where recognition comes in.) In July, I gave SWTOR very poor marks in the Killer category. I wrote, "Later this year, BioWare plans on introducing a content specifically focused on PvP, but given the team's track record, I have my concerns," and then I gave the team an F in this category. Has BioWare been able to raise that grade? And how have things changed since mid-year? Continue reading Hyperspace Beacon: The SWTOR year-end report on PvP
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| Final Fantasy XIV executive producer defends expensive housing costs Posted: 17 Dec 2013 01:30 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Final Fantasy XIV, Housing, Subscription  Yoshida said that the high cost in intended to prevent wealthy players from snapping up all of the plots and that all players will be earning more money with patch 2.1. "I understand that, in taking these measures to ensure even distribution of land, we are asking for considerable patience from those players who are eager to enjoy housing right away," he said. "While I sympathize with players concerns, we believe that this is in the best long-term interests of the game." Yoshida's team forecasts that 80% of current free companies will be able to buy a small plot of land within three months of the patch going live. He also said that prices will begin to fall on unpurchased plots of land every six hours and that the team is looking into expanding servers and housing areas.
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| The Stream Team: Checking into Aura Kingdom with Beau and the devs Posted: 17 Dec 2013 01:00 PM PST Filed under: Video, Game Mechanics, Interviews, New Titles, Previews, Opinion, Free-to-Play, Hands-On, Casual, Livestream, The Stream Team  Game: Aura Kingdom Host: Beau Date: Tuesday, December 17th, 2013 Time: 4:00 p.m. EST Enjoy our Steam Team video below. Continue reading The Stream Team: Checking into Aura Kingdom with Beau and the devs
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| Warhammer Online offers partial refunds Posted: 17 Dec 2013 12:30 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Warhammer Online, Subscription, Sunsets  Those who qualify for a refund will include those who had paid game time on their accounts on November 1st, including credit card payments and game time cards. Mythic will also be refunding unused purchased game item codes. These refunds will begin tomorrow but could take up to 90 days to process. In the case of credit card purchases, Mythic will automatically refund the money back onto the account. For cards and codes, Mythic is asking those who qualify to contact customer support to arrange a refund method (we suggest a shady back alley hand-off between a Mythic employee and you).
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| The Stream Team: Guild housing and more in FFXIV's patch 2.1 Posted: 17 Dec 2013 12:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Final Fantasy XIV, The Stream Team  Every MMO faces their first major patch day sooner or later. It's a day of hope, a day of promise, a day of reckoning. For Final Fantasy XIV that day is today and it has promised quite a lot. Players are expecting PvP, guild housing, new quests, new features, class tweaks, and cactuar-themed table lamps. Has FFXIV succeeded? Join Massively's Jasmine live at 3:00 p.m. EST and find out for yourself! Game: Final Fantasy XIV Host: Jasmine Hruschak Date: Tuesday, December 17th, 2013 Time: 3:00 p.m. EST Enjoy our Steam Team video below. Continue reading The Stream Team: Guild housing and more in FFXIV's patch 2.1
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| Star Citizen delays dogfighting module release Posted: 17 Dec 2013 11:00 AM PST Filed under: Sci-Fi, Previews, News Items, Sandbox, Crowdfunding, Star Citizen  Roberts states in the update that the module was originally built to be a quick and easy way of showing off the game to potential investors, a goal that evaporated as community funding completely financed the game. The result was rebuilding and a lot of extra work in making the dogfighting both fun and balanced, as well as building it into the backend for social interaction that really shows the module's strengths. Roberts has elected to wait on the release to ensure that it's as good as can be, and he hopes that players will join him for a livestream of the in-development module on December 20th at noon EST.
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| Brad McQuaid delays Kickstarter until January Posted: 17 Dec 2013 10:30 AM PST Filed under: Culture, MMO Industry, News Items, Miscellaneous, Crowdfunding  No one knows what the project will look like at this point, although McQuaid's previous statements have indicated that it's meant as a throwback to the days of the original EverQuest and the first iterations of Vanguard. If that sounds like exactly what you'd like to play... well, as we said, you'll have to wait a little while to fund it. But it's coming.
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| The Soapbox: There's nothing wrong with easy Posted: 17 Dec 2013 10:00 AM PST Filed under: Culture, Game Mechanics, Endgame, Opinion, The Soapbox, Miscellaneous, Dungeons  A while back, we hosted a great column about how we tend to call things easy when they really aren't. (Seriously, go read that.) That's all well and good, but that's also not what I'm talking about here. Gaming as a community seems to have decided that easy is just plain bad, that it's a horrible insult, and a game being easy is like saying that a game is worthless. But easy isn't bad. Playing a single-player game on easy difficulties isn't a mark of weakness, and having an MMO that's easy on a whole doesn't mean it's a bad game. Having easy content isn't just an acceptable thing; it's an outright good thing for a lot of player. There is absolutely nothing wrong with easy. Continue reading The Soapbox: There's nothing wrong with easy
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