| Tamriel Infinium: Four alternative payment models for The Elder Scrolls Online Posted: 30 Aug 2013 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Business Models, The Elder Scrolls Online, Subscription, MMORPG, Tamriel Infinium I don't blame fans for the backlash against the Elder Scrolls Online's proposed business model. But I still believe there is a place in the MMO industry for subscriptions. Traditional MMOs and even games like WildStar, which has less-than-traditional MMO mechanics but sports a more traditional MMO theme, can certainly support a monthly subscription. So why does a subscription feel so wrong for ESO? First, players are tired of subscriptions, and for most people, a sub means they can play only one or maybe two games in any given month. Many players prefer variety instead. Second, ESO developers have already suggested that the game is less an MMO and more a multiplayer Elder Scrolls game. This in and of itself suggests that the game will not fall under the traditional constraints of an MMORPG and will operate more like a single-player game even though the model feels like an MMORPG model to my wallet. In last week's Tamriel Inifinium, I talked a lot about why I thought the subscription model was completely wrong for this Elder Scrolls game, so I don't want to rehash that discussion this week. Instead, let's dream about alternative payment models that might have worked instead. Continue reading Tamriel Infinium: Four alternative payment models for The Elder Scrolls Online  Tamriel Infinium: Four alternative payment models for The Elder Scrolls Online originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 30 Aug 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Be vewy, vewy qwiet: Wakfu's hunting wabbits in new update Posted: 30 Aug 2013 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Patches, News Items, Free-to-Play Those wascally folks at Wakfu channeled their inner Elmer Fudd in the latest update to hit the free-to-play game. Titled Game of Thwones, this patch includes a new adventure zone called Wabbit Island that's populated with -- you guessed it -- wabbits. Of course, they aren't timid little creatures and they will vex players if not dealt with. Besides the new furry nemeses, the island has new quests, new monster families, and new items as well. There are even five new dungeons open to players until September 24th. Wabbit Island is available for those levels 120 and higher. With Wakfu's new level cap increase, players can get up to level 140. On top of all that, four new Haven worlds will be on auction each week, the Dragon Pig returns (with a new combat arena, modified spells, and other surprises), and markets are now international. For more details, check out the official site. And if you want a peek at Wabbit Island, check out the clip after the cut. [Thanks to Avaera for the tip!] Continue reading Be vewy, vewy qwiet: Wakfu's hunting wabbits in new update Be vewy, vewy qwiet: Wakfu's hunting wabbits in new update originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 30 Aug 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Super Adventure Box is returning to Guild Wars 2 and we got the LEGOs to prove it Posted: 30 Aug 2013 08:30 AM PDT |
| Behind the scenes as a [REDACTED] Game Master Posted: 30 Aug 2013 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: MMO Industry, MMOFPS, MMORTS, Miscellaneous, MOBA, MMORPG Once upon a time, I worked as a game master for a very popular MMORPG. My duties were relatively simple: help players out of sticky situations and enforce the rules of the game when it came to cheating, harassment, and general player behavior. A game master's role is to protect the player from any and all potential game dangers, up to and including the player himself. In my work as a GM, I saw many amazing things. I saw guild members contact support staff because they were worried about another player's real-life wellbeing. I saw incredibly complex scams across multiple players and accounts that, while infuriating and exceptionally against the rules, were astonishing in their genius. And of course, I saw lots and lots of cybering. Continue reading Behind the scenes as a [REDACTED] Game Master Behind the scenes as a [REDACTED] Game Master originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 30 Aug 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Some Assembly Required: Conflating story content and MMORPGs Posted: 30 Aug 2013 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Business Models, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, Opinion, Guild Wars 2, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Some Assembly Required, Sandbox, Player-Generated Content A few weeks ago I poked fun at ArenaNet and its " living story" nonsense. As you might imagine, plenty of comments ensued, and I'd like to highlight one of them as a point of further discussion this week. Skoryy wrote (in part): "Since when did enjoying content, especially story content, actively require skill? Any literate person can read a book; why do I also need to know how to be a master crafter or master warrior or master whatever to get to enjoy the game's true content?" For further context, this was a response to the line of thinking that says successful games like baseball, chess, and RISK are not linear dev-driven content treadmills but rather a set of rules that result in endless permutations of player-generated content. When I first read the remark I was taken aback. I mean, really, my initial response to the "since when" bit was "since you decided to play an interactive video game instead of read a book!" And that's still true to a large extent. As I thought about the overall discussion, though, I sympathized with his perspective even though I think it's terrible that some MMO companies are hell-bent on conflating the definition of game with the definition of story. Continue reading Some Assembly Required: Conflating story content and MMORPGs Some Assembly Required: Conflating story content and MMORPGs originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 30 Aug 2013 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Daily Grind: What can PAX Prime 2013 do for you? Posted: 30 Aug 2013 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Culture, Events (Real-World), MMO Industry, Opinion, Massively Meta, The Daily Grind, Events (Massively's Coverage), Miscellaneous August is always a patchwork of gaming conventions, and since August is almost over, that makes this weekend's PAX Prime the last major gaming con of the year (if you don't count BlizzCon, anyway). In fact, PAX is one of the best cons for MMO and MOBA fans. This year, Massively's sending Justin Olivetti, Patrick Mackey, and Jasmine Hruschak to PAX, and we've overloaded them with games to cover. Both Guild Wars 2 and Final Fantasy XIV are hosting massive off-site events; The Elder Scrolls Online and WildStar will be out in force with hands-on demos on the show floor itself. Naturally, we'll be checking out SOE's lineup -- EverQuest Next, Dragon's Prophet, and DC Universe on the PS4 -- as well as The Crew, The Repopulation, Wander, Guns of Icarus, and Wargaming's roster. We've even booked our MOBA expert to check out Smashmuck Champions, SMITE, Strife, Infinite Crisis, and the League of Legends NA regionals. Now you know what we're hoping to see. What are you hoping to see (other than "let me in the beta!")? Which games do you wish were going? What do you want to see from the big-name MMOs, launched, relaunched, and not-yet-launched, and the little indies? What announcements weren't made at Gamescom last week that really ought to land at PAX before the last pre-holidays convention opportunity is gone?  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 can PAX Prime 2013 do for you? originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 30 Aug 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Star Citizen's hangar module is live Posted: 29 Aug 2013 05:30 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Game Mechanics, Launches, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, PvE, Sandbox, Star Citizen, Buy-to-Play Star Citizen's journey from crowdfunding champ to actual game is officially underway. Cloud Imperium just unveiled the hangar module, the first of several planned mini-releases designed to get early adopters testing various aspects of the title as it's being developed. If you've met the pledging prerequisites, you can download the Star Citizen launcher directly from the game's website. From there, you'll need to wait out the three GB patch before logging in to your personal hangar space where you can tour your pledge ships both inside and out. System requirements for the module include eight GB of memory, a quad core CPU, and a DirectX11 capable GPU with at least one GB of onboard memory. Click through the links below for the hangar module FAQ. Pew pew! Star Citizen's hangar module is live originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 29 Aug 2013 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Guild Counsel: What's the worth of a website? Posted: 29 Aug 2013 05:00 PM PDT |
| The Summoner's Guidebook: Performing under pressure in League of Legends Posted: 29 Aug 2013 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Opinion, Free-to-Play, Guides, MOBA, League of Legends, The Summoner's Guidebook "Clutch" is one of those universal skills that I never really developed. In ranked or tournament play or any time when the outcome of a League of Legends match "matters," the ability to perform under fire can make a huge difference. But I am not one of those people who can claim mastery in this skill. I mostly rely on improving my overall play level, which naturally improves my ability to play under stress. However, coping with stress in tough situations is important. If I'm in a bad situation and my play gets worse, that's no good even if my skill level is high. I want to step up when the chips are down, not struggle. Continue reading The Summoner's Guidebook: Performing under pressure in League of Legends The Summoner's Guidebook: Performing under pressure in League of Legends originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 29 Aug 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Trion teases new RIFT five-player dungeon Posted: 29 Aug 2013 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, Patches, News Items, PvE, Free-to-Play, RIFT, Dungeons Trion has posted a blurb about a new five-player RIFT dungeon on the game's official website. If you're not up on the fantasy title's lore, good luck grokking what the heck is being said in the article's text. From what I could gather, the new content is called the Realm of Twisted Dreams, and I'm assuming that Maelow, Atrophinius, and Twyl are stage bosses. There's no release date mentioned, but there are some slick-looking screenshots. Hit the links below to see for yourself. Trion teases new RIFT five-player dungeon originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 29 Aug 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| CCP adds email verification to EVE Online accounts Posted: 29 Aug 2013 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, EVE Online, MMO Industry, News Items, Sandbox, Subscription, MMORPG Immigrants to EVE Online's New Eden will have an extra layer of security as of today, with CCP rolling out mandatory email verification to all new accounts. Email verification is the first of several upcoming security improvements for EVE, one that brings the 10-year-old game closer in step with more recent releases. The process will be familiar to MMO veterans: When creating an EVE account, all new players must validate the registered email address by following instructions provided in an email from CCP. Existing EVE players have the option of verifying their email addresses as well; a new "Verify Email Address" option has been added to the game's account management page. CCP encourages all users to log into EVE's account management system to ensure their information is correct and to take advantage of the new verification system. CCP adds email verification to EVE Online accounts originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 29 Aug 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Double XP and giant cake mark Champions Online's fourth anniversary Posted: 29 Aug 2013 01:30 PM PDT Filed under: Super-hero, Events (In-Game), News Items, Free-to-Play, Champions Online, Anniversaries, MMORPG September 1st marks the fourth anniversary of the launch of Champions Online, and Cryptic and Perfect World feel like celebrating. Players logging in to Champions Online after Thursday's regularly scheduled maintenance will be able to attend an anniversary concert, enjoy an enormous cake, and talk to special NPCs to receive free gifts containing new action figures, costume pieces, and water balloons. Also on deck for the celebration is a double XP and double Questionite weekend, which kicks off Friday at 1:30 p.m. EDT (10:30 a.m. PDT) and ends Monday at 1:00 p.m. EDT (10:00 a.m. PDT). The special anniversary events run until September 13th. Double XP and giant cake mark Champions Online's fourth anniversary originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 29 Aug 2013 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Think Tank: What motivates your MMO advancement? Posted: 29 Aug 2013 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Opinion, Massively Meta, Miscellaneous, The Think Tank We all have our motivations in life, whether they be ways to get better grades in school, make more money at our job, or finally catch up on last season's Breaking Bad on Netflix. Our favorite MMOs are no different, as motivation is a big part of succeeding, depending on your playstyle. So do you go for a higher spot on the leaderboards? Do you go for a higher achievement score than your friend? Will you keep killing that boss until he drops his pants for you? Er, leg armor drop, that is. What motivates the Massively team members to reach their MMO goals? Let's find out! Continue reading The Think Tank: What motivates your MMO advancement? The Think Tank: What motivates your MMO advancement? originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 29 Aug 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Diablo III: Reaper of Souls loot designed to make auction house a 'last resort' Posted: 29 Aug 2013 12:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Economy, Expansions, New Titles, News Items, Dungeons, Diablo III There's been no love lost between Diablo III players and the game's real-money auction house. And while Blizzard Entertainment has no plans to remove RMT from Diablo III, the studio's upcoming Reaper of Souls expansion features a redesigned loot system built to get players out of the trading game and back into the grind. In an interview with PC Gamer, lead content designer Kevin Martens explained that the team likes trading between players but lamented that the auction house has become the primary method through which players obtain items: It is fun to go buy something instantly, the instant gratification feel, that sugar high; however, it's not the core fantasy, it's not the most fun, and by the endgame, for a variety of reasons, [players] tend to check the auction house first and play the game second. According to Martens, the looting and enchanting systems in Reaper of Souls are designed to "cut the legs out from the auction house" and to create an environment in which "the most fun way to play the game becomes the best way to play the game." Lead writer Brian Kindregan echoed Martens' sentiments, noting, "We want the auction house to be your last resort, right?" For more information on Reaper of Souls, check out Blizzard's Gamescom 2013 presentation and the new cinematic trailer, posted last week. Diablo III: Reaper of Souls loot designed to make auction house a 'last resort' originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 29 Aug 2013 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Neverwinter invites players to the Summer Festival Posted: 29 Aug 2013 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Events (In-Game), Patches, News Items, Free-to-Play, Neverwinter The summer is winding down and we are rapidly approaching autumn. But Neverwinter has a bit of slightly unorthodox summer fun for players in the new Summer Festival, an in-game event that goes live today and runs until September 18th. Rather than have players traipse about in swimsuits and visit beaches, the event asks players to take part in a variety of tasks and pastimes to enjoy the waning days of the season, most of which center around standard maintenance like gathering loose animals and fighting off trolls. Fighting trolls qualifies as standard maintenance in a world that includes trolls, honestly. So what do you get for your troubles? An array of cosmetic rewards, including new weapons and armor that have an appropriate summer theme. You can also earn an armored boar mount and a pig companion if you really want to go hog wild. Players can enjoy the content on the live servers starting today, so anyone who needs a respite from more serious fantasy fare is encouraged to log in and round up some pigs. Neverwinter invites players to the Summer Festival originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 29 Aug 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Funcom announces LEGO Minifigures Online Posted: 29 Aug 2013 11:40 AM PDT Filed under: Trailers, Video, New Titles, News Items, Free-to-Play, Kids, MMORPG Funcom, the studio behind The Secret World and Age of Conan, has just revealed an all-new MMO by the name of LEGO Minifigures Online. The game, which is due for launch on PC, Android, and iOS in the second half of 2014, is based on LEGO's line of real-world Minifigures toys and will feature worlds and characters showcased in the toy line. Additionally, new Minifigures toys will include codes for playable in-game versions of the character. There will be roughly 100 characters to collect. The game is aimed at kids, though Funcom is promising "gameplay depth" and "crazy fun" that will appeal to LEGO fans of all ages. According to the trailer, LEGO Minifigures Online will take place in an "epic" world where you'll be able to interact with "thousands of other players." Here's some PR fluffiness from executive producer Lawrence Poe: We could not be more excited to be working with LEGO on such a great franchise. I think you could even say the team has been training to make this game since we were little kids. That excitement carries over into everything we do, and we're throwing every ounce of our passion and creativity into the game. We are one hundred percent focused on delivering the fun, safe, quality experience that people expect when they think of LEGO minifigures. Check out the announcement trailer after the break. [Source: Funcom press release] Continue reading Funcom announces LEGO Minifigures Online Funcom announces LEGO Minifigures Online originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 29 Aug 2013 13:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Perfect Ten: My favorite classes Posted: 29 Aug 2013 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Classes, Opinion, Humor, Perfect Ten, Miscellaneous Forget raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens; a few of my favorite classes have nothing to do with such musical nonsense. Of course, now that I've started thinking about that song, my brain has to finish it before I can do anything else. Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens, yup. Brown paper packages tied up with strings, uh huh. These are a few of my favorite things. OK, can I move on now? Seriously, how boring was life in the 1940s that tied-up brown packages were worth singing about? I've played a lot of MMOs over the past decade or so, and in each of them I've agonized about which class I would make my main. Sometimes this resulted in me creating a wide selection of possible candidates, each vying for my affection while I cruelly sentenced the losers to permanent deletion. But in the end, here are 10 classes from 10 separate MMOs that tickled my fancy and totally kicked woolen mittens in the interest department. Continue reading Perfect Ten: My favorite classes Perfect Ten: My favorite classes originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 29 Aug 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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A unique take on case design
Looking ahead to the next versions of Windows
This Raptor won't bite your hand
Budget PSU brings home the bronze
