| Story trailers spotlight two Dragon's Prophet EU zones Posted: 31 May 2013 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Lore, Free-to-Play, Dragon's Prophet Dragon's Prophet launched into open beta yesterday on both sides of the pond, and players are jumping into the world of Auratia to try their hand at domesticating the various dragon-kind. But there's more to Dragon's Prophet than just taming dragons, there's also a fight against the evil threatening to take over the land. So what's the story on this invading evil? To give players a glimpse of what they are fighting for and against, Infernum Productions has released two videos delving into the story of two zones, Laedis and Satuma. You can catch both trailers after the cut. [Source: Infernum press release] Continue reading Story trailers spotlight two Dragon's Prophet EU zones  Story trailers spotlight two Dragon's Prophet EU zones originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 31 May 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Second Wind Roundtable: Allods Online Posted: 31 May 2013 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Opinion, Free-to-Play, Allods Online, Second Wind Hello again, kind gentlefolk, and welcome to the latest installment of the Second Wind Roundtable. This time around, I coerced, extorted, and otherwise blackmailed the wonderful Bree and Eliot (and Lis, though she was unfortunately unable to join us for the Roundtable chat itself, but she was there too!) to join me in a few rousing sessions of gPotato's aether-sailing free-to-play title, Allods Online. We laughed, we cried, we nearly died from rage-induced aneurysms. But despite all that, we all survived to tell the tale. So buckle your swashes, raise your sails, and join us past the cut, won't you? Continue reading Second Wind Roundtable: Allods Online Second Wind Roundtable: Allods Online originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 31 May 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Secret World Game Director's letter dishes more details on Issues 7 & 8 Posted: 31 May 2013 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Horror, Real-Life, Patches, News Items, The Secret World, Dev Diaries, Buy-to-Play  We already knew that Issue #7 would bring The Secret World a spy-like experience. And now, thanks to the Game Director's letter for May, we also have the title, snazzy cover art, and a glimpse at the climactic ending. We even get an expected time-frame for release; while an exact date is not given, it appears that it will hit the end of June, according to the cover art, and Director Joel Bylos himself states it will coincide with TSW's first anniversary. Issue #7: A Dream to Kill ends with filth infiltrating Agartha itself through the newly discovered Tokyo entrance, and players will continue to fight this threat with group and solo content until Tokyo can finally be entered. Bylos also reveals information about Issue #8, including the Virtual Training Scenarios and the Augment System. To prove readiness to enter Tokyo to the Council of Venice, players will have to complete training scenarios that will have random elements thrown in, making each experience different. The Augment system is a new advancement system that will allow players to improve their existing abilities by providing customization in the roles of damage, support, healing, and survivability. The Secret World Game Director's letter dishes more details on Issues 7 & 8 originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 31 May 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Take-Two CEO: MMOs don't work in the US Posted: 31 May 2013 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Business Models, MMO Industry, Miscellaneous The good news: Take-Two Interactive chairman and CEO Strauss Zelnick says that the company that brought you BioShock, Borderlands, Red Dead Redemption, and the GTA series is "actively investing in online and MMOs." The bad news: He adds, "We're just not doing it in the U.S." Speaking at the Cowen and Company Technology, Media and Telecom Conference on Thursday, Zelnick reinforces what he believes many studios are learning the hard way, "MMOs don't work here. A couple of our competitors have found out that through very, very expensive lessons. One of our competitors just recently announced they're restarting an MMO project." Take-Two is, instead, aiming at the Asian MMO market through partnerships with industry leaders such as Tencent and Nexon. This is where the company hopes to be successful in the genre, as Zelnick cites "10 to 20" MMOs are successful in that market. [Thanks to Avaloner81 for the tip!] Take-Two CEO: MMOs don't work in the US originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 31 May 2013 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Daily Grind: Do you use Kickstarter to pre-order MMOs? Posted: 31 May 2013 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Business Models, MMO Industry, Opinion, Massively Meta, Miscellaneous, Crowdfunding, Shroud of the Avatar In MJ's interview with TUG's Peter Salinas last week, Salinas said that the most interesting thing about the community reveal of Nerd Kingdom's sandbox MMO was just how many people consider Kickstarter to be a pre-order system instead of, you know, a way to kickstart a game they want to see made. This jibes with Massively columnist Brendan Drain's observations earlier this week that "the most popular reward level for video game Kickstarters is almost always the lowest-priced tier that provides a digital copy of the game." I'm so guilty of this. I put exactly as much money into the TUG and Shroud of the Avatar Kickstarter pots as I had to in order to secure myself the cheapest pre-order copy of the games I could, but I didn't chip in for an Android game Kickstarter from a dev who couldn't offer the game .apk in any tier. I don't know whether I feel bad. I want to see the games made, and I willingly pay for my copy; I consider my discount a fair tradeoff for paying them years before I'll download a client. But that's my personal limit: a pittance and a vote of confidence, really. I'm guessing most gamers aren't so fabulously wealthy as to heavily fund indie games even if they wanted to, and those who could do so probably have a lot of other worthy non-gaming causes that take precedence. So do you also take advantage of cheap pre-order tiers on Kickstarter? Do you hunt for the tier with exactly the right combination of swag? Or do you approach each Kickstarter knowing you want to donate a certain amount, regardless of what you get in return?  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: Do you use Kickstarter to pre-order MMOs? originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 31 May 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Guild Counsel: Lessons in guild leadership from a pop star Posted: 30 May 2013 06:00 PM PDT |
| EVE Online dev blog discusses Odyssey UI changes Posted: 30 May 2013 05:00 PM PDT |
| New Repopulation dev blog gets down and dirty with harvesting details Posted: 30 May 2013 04:30 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-Fi, News Items, Dev Diaries, Sandbox, Crafting  You may remember that earlier this month, the folks behind upcoming sci-fi sandbox The Repopulation released a dev-blog that detailed part of the game's resource-gathering system which involved the ever-so-charming extraction of precious resources from your enemies' still-warm corpses. Thanks to the game's newest dev blog, we're now able to get some insight on the other half of the resource-gathering experience: harvesting. While extraction involves pilfering goodies from dead baddies, harvesting is the more uh... humane method of gathering resources from nodes such as ore deposits, trees, and so forth. Harvesting resources from a single node works in the same way as extracting resources from a corpse does, but harvestable resources are also available from rarely occurring resource clusters. These clusters "contain a larger stash of a single resource and [have] a better chance of yielding higher quality results." Up to four players can place a harvester at any given cluster, which will run dry after 2-4 hours, at which point the players can return to the cluster and pick up their share of the goods. This system, the diary mentions, encourages players to gather in groups or share the wealth with their hired help. If you can't wait to get your hands dirty and rob nature of her delicious bounty, you can find out all the details over at the game's official site. New Repopulation dev blog gets down and dirty with harvesting details originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 30 May 2013 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Age of Conan's May Director's Letter details new content and tech Posted: 30 May 2013 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Age of Conan, News Items, Free-to-Play  Crush enemies, see them driven before you, lamentations of their women, yadda yadda. You know the drill. The Age of Conan Game Director's Letter for this month has hit the interwebs, and the topics of discussion are the recent 5th Anniversary event (and the new event system that it utilized), the impending transition to single-server technology, and a number of updates heading to the game soon. The first phase of Age of Conan's switch to single-server tech (which involved moving all of the servers to the same physical location) has been completed, and the AoC team is now "preparing to move towards the new phase," which means merging all same-ruleset servers. Meanwhile, in Hyboria proper, Age of Conan recently held an in-game event to celebrate its fifth anniversary, and this included the introduction of some snazzy new event tech. In a nutshell, the previous system required that the game be patched in order to both begin and end an event, but with the new system, the devs can run and adjust events on the fly. On top of that, AoC players can expect a smattering of new content over the summer, beginning with the new Coils of Ubah Khan dungeon. Later additions will include new Unchained Dungeons, the Palace of Cetriss, and a shiny new tradeskill system. To get all the delicious information straight from the barbarian's mouth (ew), just click on through the link below. Age of Conan's May Director's Letter details new content and tech originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 30 May 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Snail confirms Age of Wushu dev layoffs Posted: 30 May 2013 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, MMO Industry, News Items, Free-to-Play, Age of Wushu Earlier this morning Massively received multiple tips regarding layoffs at Age of Wushu publisher Snail Games. We contacted the company and were provided with an official statement by Director of Game Development David Baker. Yes, there were a handful of layoffs at Snail Games USA yesterday. After the launch of Age of Wushu the team size was corrected to meet the size of the game and the community. The Age of Wushu team was expanded before launch and the necessary contractions were needed post-launch. Snail Games USA values all the employees that worked on Age of Wushu and continue to work on the Age of Wushu upcoming expansion for July. Layoffs are a hard part of working in the game industry and are necessary when team size becomes larger than what the development team needs. [Thanks to everyone who tipped us.] Snail confirms Age of Wushu dev layoffs originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 30 May 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Summoner's Guidebook: League of Legends isn't just one gametype Posted: 30 May 2013 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Game Mechanics, PvP, Opinion, Free-to-Play, Guides, MOBA, League of Legends, The Summoner's Guidebook After last week's edition of the Summoner's Guidebook, I realized that one of the things I sort of take for granted is the advantage of taking many of LoL's different gametypes into account when I value a particular item. For instance, last week we talked a lot about Rabadon's Deathcap, but it (and its sister item Wooglet's Witchcap) has drastically different values in different game modes. It's a lot easier to justify buying a Deathcap when you have easy sources of gold and a lot of time when you're trying to gather it. If you have to fight, more defense becomes an imperative. If you don't play a lot of Dominion or Twisted Treeline, you might not realize that Bloodthirster and Infinity Edge are hard to buy when fights can erupt faster than ultimate skills can recharge. Expensive items like a Needlessly Large Rod or BF Sword are hard to justify when you can get some interim item that provides more balanced stats and will help win the fights you're fighting now. Playing other game modes also gives you a broader look at League of Legends. You don't see the value of certain stats -- particularly HP -- until you realize that an extra 200-500 HP can cause a huge swing in the course of an engagement. Continue reading The Summoner's Guidebook: League of Legends isn't just one gametype The Summoner's Guidebook: League of Legends isn't just one gametype originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 30 May 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| New Final Fantasy XIV job action trailer sighted in the wild Posted: 30 May 2013 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Classes, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, News Items, Final Fantasy XIV Square has released a brand-spanking new trailer for its Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn reboot. The three-minute clip centers on job actions, which is another way of saying three minutes of various classes standing in place showing off various attacks. Let's see, there's the Paladin, the Warrior, the Monk, the White Mage, the Dragoon, and the Bard. Oh, and there's the Black Mage. Never forget the Black Mage. Also, don't forget that this is beta footage, according to the big disclaimer on the front-end of the video which you can see after the cut. [Thanks Lauren!] Continue reading New Final Fantasy XIV job action trailer sighted in the wild New Final Fantasy XIV job action trailer sighted in the wild originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 30 May 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| ArenaNet releases Last Stand at Southsun Cove guide Posted: 30 May 2013 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, News Items, Guild Wars 2, Guides, Buy-to-Play Are you looking for a how-to on Guild Wars 2's Last Stand at Southsun Cove content? You're in luck, because ArenaNet has penned a guide that will point you in the right direction. Depending on your level of spoiler sensitivity, you may want to stick with the Spoiler-Free Mini Guide. If you're more of an all-spoilers-all-the-time type, go ahead and peruse the New Rewards and New Achievements section of the guide while you're at it. We would tell you more, but then there'd be no reason to click through to the guide itself, now would there? ArenaNet releases Last Stand at Southsun Cove guide originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 30 May 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Marvel Heroes early access is live, Gazillion 'looking into' compensation Posted: 30 May 2013 11:30 AM PDT Filed under: Super-hero, Launches, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Marvel Heroes Stow those pitchforks, Marvel Heroes fans; your early access is finally, er, accessible! The Gazillion team has been slaving away trying to squash a few last minute bugs that held up the game's May 28th debut for purchasers of the Founder's Pack, but as of last night everything seems to be shipshape. CEO David Brevik apologized for the delay in a post on the official MH website, and he also said that the firm is "looking into granting compensation for those who were unable to play yesterday." You might also want to read through the Early Game Access FAQ. Marvel Heroes early access is live, Gazillion 'looking into' compensation originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 30 May 2013 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Infinite Crisis joins competitive arena with Major League Gaming Posted: 30 May 2013 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Super-hero, MMO Industry, New Titles, PvP, News Items, Free-to-Play, MOBA, Infinite Crisis Some folks may wonder whether the upcoming superhero title Infinite Crisis can make it in the big leagues of MOBA gaming, but it is already assured a place in the majors. Major League Gaming has announced a partnership with Turbine's DC Comic-based game, one that will kick off at E3 with a live competition between two top teams. Fans wanting to check out the action can stop by the WB Games booth (South Hall 1637) beginning at 3 p.m. EDT (12 p.m. PDT) on Tuesday, June 11th, or watch it livestreamed on MLG's and Infinite Crisis' official sites. This collaboration will introduce Infinite Crisis to the e-sports community and ultimately lead to Infinite Crisis' inclusion at MLG Pro Circuit competitions. The game's executive producer, Jeffrey Steefel, is quoted as saying, "We look forward to working closely with MLG to introduce players to the DC Multiverse and building a world-class gaming community." [Source: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment press release] Infinite Crisis joins competitive arena with Major League Gaming originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 30 May 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Is the Galaxy S4 worth the pricing premium?
For gaming on the go.
Finally, another large screen monitor for PCs!
