| EVE Online releases its first Odyssey patch Posted: 03 Sep 2013 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, EVE Online, Game Mechanics, Patches, News Items, Sandbox, Subscription Have you been exploring away like a good little capsuleer in EVE Online? That's kind of what the most recent expansion, Odyssey, is all about. While the first patch for the expansion doesn't contain anything new for players to explore, it does feature a variety of fixes and quality-of-life improvements that should make all that exploration a bit more fun. Especially for players in Russia, who can enjoy a greatly improved localized client after this patch. Aside from localization, the patch includes adjustments to energy vampire mechanics and mindlink strength, with the former receiving a noteworthy buff to ensure that it's no longer nearly useless. Medium turrets have also received some major updates, and several skills have been reorganized or renamed to make things a bit clearer for players. Yes, all of these changes probably mean that you'll spend a bit of time adjusting your ships before heading back out to the wilds of space, but self-exploration is a sort of exploration too.  EVE Online releases its first Odyssey patch originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 03 Sep 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Wargaming partners with Nexon for prepaid card options Posted: 03 Sep 2013 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Business Models, MMO Industry, Free-to-Play, Miscellaneous Wargaming has announced a new partnership with Nexon America for the use of Karma Koins as a prepaid card solution for all in-game purchases across Wargaming titles, including World of Tanks, World of Warplanes, and the upcoming World of Warships. Not only is Karma Koin available at 75,000 stores in North America and Oceania, but one percent of all sales go directly to charity. "We're committed to providing our players with as many flexible and safe payment options as possible," said Mike Turner, Vice President of Business Development at Wargaming. "Our new partnership with Nexon America and Karma Koin will address that desire, and we're excited to give our players a new and philanthropic payment option to enhance their in-game experience." Wargaming partners with Nexon for prepaid card options originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 03 Sep 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Open beta is in the cards for Kickstarted CasinoRPG Posted: 03 Sep 2013 08:30 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, New Titles, News Items, Free-to-Play, Browser, Crowdfunding There are fantasy and sci-fi MMORPGs galore, but how many gambling ones have you come across? The answer is very few. Like, only one. But GoldFire Studios is here to change that: Successfully kickstarted in early 2013, CasinoRPG is ready to enter open beta after a year of development and closed testing. A free-to-play browser-based title, CasinoRPG combines roleplaying and city-building elements with gambling; players can take their virtual winnings from games like poker, blackjack, and slots and use them to create casino empires, design luxury apartments, and basically build and manage the cities within the game. Why an RPG? With the increased popularity of social casino gambling on various platforms, James Simpson, founder and CEO of GoldFire Studios, explained his project by saying, "Innovation has stalled, and we wanted to do something new." To get into beta, sign up on the official site. For a look at other projects in the crowdfunding arena, check out Make My MMO. [Source: GoldFire Studios press release] Open beta is in the cards for Kickstarted CasinoRPG originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 03 Sep 2013 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Dragon Con 2013: Goodbye, MMO track Posted: 03 Sep 2013 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Real-Life, Video, Culture, Events (Real-World), Miscellaneous Dragon Con 2013 has come to an end, and tens of thousands of people are already trying to figure out what type of crazy costume they'll have next year. As the wildly popular sci-fi and fantasy fan event caters to more genres than you realized existed, the MMO track is the one most up our alley. But sadly enough, 2013 marks the final year of the MMO track as it will be rolled into the more general video gaming track next year. This includes the always-fun MMO trivia event that will be converted to "online gaming trivia" for the first time next year. If you'd like to see more from this year's Con, check out the list of galleries and an official video of the traditional costume parade just after the jump. Continue reading Dragon Con 2013: Goodbye, MMO track Dragon Con 2013: Goodbye, MMO track originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 03 Sep 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| FFXIV extends free game time (again) after rocky launch (again) Posted: 03 Sep 2013 07:30 AM PDT |
| Black Gold Online introduces the Yuton race Posted: 03 Sep 2013 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Video, Lore, New Titles, Free-to-Play, Races, Dev Diaries, Steampunk, Black Gold Snail Games has unveiled the second race in its new steampunk MMO Black Gold Online. The Yutons, considered more of a primitive (yet not barbaric) race of humans, were the first to settle in Erlandir. They saw the introduction of steam technology as their salvation and ticket to freedom from Kosh rule. This eventually led to a split between those who followed Hoca and steam, and those who rejected this new power. You can learn more about the Yutonian humans on the lore page and a short video just after the jump. Continue reading Black Gold Online introduces the Yuton race Black Gold Online introduces the Yuton race originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 03 Sep 2013 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The determined defense of Lord of the Rings Online: Helm's Deep Posted: 03 Sep 2013 06:30 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Screenshots, Lord of the Rings Online, Expansions, Previews, Free-to-Play The veil of secrecy has been lifted, and the flood of details about Lord of the Rings Online: Helm's Deep is about to sweep you off your hairy Hobbit feet. The only question is... are you prepared? And are your mommy and daddy OK with your heading off to fight in a big war that will decide the fate of a nation? Turbine sat down with us to give us a broad overview of LotRO's fifth expansion with a special emphasis on its much-vaunted epic battle system. Let's start with the bullet points: Helm's Deep (officially Update 12) will contain five new zones, three additional books for the epic story, 300 quests, a 10-level bump in the cap to 95, plenty of awesome new armor and cosmetic models, and a new crafting tier. It will not contain traditional instances or skirmishes (more on that later), the much-anticipated housing update, or more mounted skills. But let's go beyond mere lists to take a closer look at an early view of the expansion and what it will hold when we finally move on to eastern Rohan. Continue reading The determined defense of Lord of the Rings Online: Helm's Deep The determined defense of Lord of the Rings Online: Helm's Deep originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 03 Sep 2013 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Daily Grind: Do you take part in forum rage? Posted: 03 Sep 2013 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous It's a generally accepted fact that the official forums for any given game are a cesspool of invective, animosity, and rage. Whatever recent changes have been made to a game, you can be sure that there will be an outpouring of rage that detail how the changes were too big, not big enough, or didn't affect real issues. If World of Warcraft is unexpectedly down, there will be plenty of people ready to explain how this is the downfall of a hugely successful game that makes millions of dollars. The flip side to this is that it can be cathartic to just open up and complain on the forums. Even if you know full well that launch week results in server issues for every game, it helps let out frustrations to just explode about those server issues on the forums. The other side would be that this sort of behavior contributes to an atmosphere of negativity rather than discussion. So do you take part in forum rage? Does it depend on the conditions or the problem? Or do you just stay out altogether?  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 take part in forum rage? originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 03 Sep 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Repopulation introduces new event systems in its August updates Posted: 02 Sep 2013 07:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-Fi, Patches, News Items, Sandbox, The Repopulation One of the major design goals of The Repopulation is a sense of a world in motion, shaped by players but also influencing player actions. August's updates to the game included the implementation of the Area and World Event systems, facilitating just that sort of gameplay. According to the most recent development blog, these systems track what's going on in the world, direct players to unexpected happenings, and then start to chain new events based off of those metrics. There are also NPCs in place to direct players toward hotbeds of activity. The game's other mechanics have also received further tuning. Cities can now benefit from new happiness-increasing structures and more flexible placement options, combat values have been tweaked, and new engagements have been added for siege warfare. There is also a variety of bugfixes and general balance tweaks, which can be found in the full patch notes included with the development blog. The Repopulation introduces new event systems in its August updates originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 02 Sep 2013 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Not So Massively: PAX Prime, MOBA tournaments, and Star Citizen hits $17m Posted: 02 Sep 2013 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Trailers, Video, Bugs, Business Models, Events (Real-World), Expansions, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, Patches, PvP, News Items, Opinion, Free-to-Play, Mobile, Dev Diaries, Not So Massively, Sandbox, MOBA, League of Legends, Diablo III, Crowdfunding, Star Citizen, Path of Exile, Buy-to-Play It's PAX Prime week, and that means it's time for competitive MOBA tournaments! League of Legends led the pack with its North American Regional Playoffs to determine which team will represent the region in the world championship. Third-person MOBA SMITE ran a full stage event for its $20,000 5x5 North American Invitational Tournament and showed off new character Zhong Kui for the first time. Dota 2 fans were outraged to find that the game was no longer available on the freeplay computers, prompting accusations of its being purposely uninstalled to promote competing games. Guardians of Middle-Earth launched on Steam this week to a deluge of complaints, negative feedback, and refund requests after it emerged that the game's peer-to-peer networking isn't working well on PC. Sneaky Games announced its intention to release console MOBA Arena of Heroes on the OUYA crowdfunded console, and developers looked at the game's upcoming Patch 1.4. Star Citizen's showing at PAX and recent release of the hangar module have helped push the game's crowdfunding tally over the $17 million mark, making it all but certain that the team will reach the ultimate $20 million goal. Diablo III officially launches on PS3 and XBox 360 tomorrow, and developers revealed that a PS4 version is already in the works. And Path of Exile's developers passed on PAX Prime this year and instead worked on the next update, which introduces the Endless Ledge event and a strange new Empower support gem. Continue reading Not So Massively: PAX Prime, MOBA tournaments, and Star Citizen hits $17m Not So Massively: PAX Prime, MOBA tournaments, and Star Citizen hits $17m originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 02 Sep 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| PAX Prime 2013: Behaviour on WAR40K Eternal Crusade's friendly fire, ARG, and more Posted: 02 Sep 2013 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Events (Real-World), Game Mechanics, Interviews, MMO Industry, New Titles, PvP, News Items, Events (Massively's Coverage), Warhammer 40k Massively spoke with Behaviour Interactive at last weekend's PAX Prime, and the topic of the day was of course the company's take on the Warhammer 40K license. Eternal Crusade, as the upcoming sci-fi title is known, is an unapologetically group-focused take on the genre. Join us after the cut as we break down our chat with Behaviour studio head Miguel Caron and talk about space marines, ARGs, and friendly fire. Continue reading PAX Prime 2013: Behaviour on WAR40K Eternal Crusade's friendly fire, ARG, and more PAX Prime 2013: Behaviour on WAR40K Eternal Crusade's friendly fire, ARG, and more originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 02 Sep 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Captain's Log: Interview with Star Trek Online's Christine Thompson, part two Posted: 02 Sep 2013 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Expansions, Interviews, Lore, Patches, Opinion, Star Trek Online, Free-to-Play, Roleplaying, Captain's Log Loyal Massively readers will know that just after the launch of Star Trek Online's first expansion, the Legacy of Romulus, I visited Cryptic Studios and met with several members of the Star Trek Online development team. This week I'm picking up where I left off in my conversation with Star Trek Online's lead writer, Christine "CrypticKestrel" Thompson. Join me past the jump to see what more she had to say about the challenges of writing within accepted canon as well as creating a more personal tale for STO players. Continue reading Captain's Log: Interview with Star Trek Online's Christine Thompson, part two Captain's Log: Interview with Star Trek Online's Christine Thompson, part two originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 02 Sep 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Chaos Theory: Three ideas to improve TSW's replayability Posted: 02 Sep 2013 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Horror, Sci-Fi, Opinion, The Secret World, Housing, Chaos Theory, Buy-to-Play In my opinion, a lot rests upon The Secret World Issue #8's shoulders. While the past few issues have offered up top-notch story arcs, I gobbled them up quick and then looked sadly at an empty plate while wishing for seconds. It's the blessing and curse of quality content that takes a lot of time to make and far, far less time to play through. So our eyes are on the promise of Issue #8's scenario system and the possibilities that it might bring. MJ did a great job of touching on the potential there, but I'd like to add that the game sorely needs a system like this because there are only so many times you can run the same missions and dungeons before getting really restless. It doesn't have to be just up to scenarios to cure the replayability blues, however. Off the top of my head, I can think of three ways that the devs (given appropriate time and resources, of course) could add more layers of fun and activity into the current framework of The Secret World. Continue reading Chaos Theory: Three ideas to improve TSW's replayability Chaos Theory: Three ideas to improve TSW's replayability originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 02 Sep 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Massively Exclusive: Episode 10 of Mabinogi the Saga: Iria Posted: 02 Sep 2013 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Lore, News Items, Free-to-Play, Mabinogi It all started with a demonic attack on a small village in Episode One, then wove through twists and turns, betrayals and reveals, in the next eight episodes. Now it's time for the thrilling conclusion of the Mabinogi miniseries, the Iria Saga. In Episode 10, titled Divine Fury: The Advent, the destruction of Lia Fail releases an uncontrollable demonic force that draws a goddess to Iria -- one who wants to cleanse the world by wiping everything out. Will everyone band together to save the world? Watch the battle play out in the video after the cut, then catch a live play-though on Massively TV Wednesday, September 3rd @ 9:00 p.m. EDT. Continue reading Massively Exclusive: Episode 10 of Mabinogi the Saga: Iria Massively Exclusive: Episode 10 of Mabinogi the Saga: Iria originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 02 Sep 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| PAX Prime 2013: A doomsday strike to the heart of Infinite Crisis Posted: 02 Sep 2013 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Super-hero, Events (Real-World), Interviews, Previews, Free-to-Play, Events (Massively's Coverage), MOBA, Infinite Crisis I think I'd be a lousy MOBA level designer. I'd always wondered why PvP and MOBA maps came few and far between; after all, how hard is it to whip up a quick level? I realized my ignorance after listening to Turbine Creative Director Cardell Kerr talk about the immense amount of thought and planning that goes into a single map. Kerr and his team were showing off Infinite Crisis, the upcoming DC superhero MOBA, at PAX Prime this weekend, with constant matches taking place between superhero-wannabes. As with most everything at PAX, it's a mix of promotion, information, and entertainment, although I got the feeling that the team also had something to prove. After all, everyone seems to be making MOBAs these days to catch some of that League of Legends/ Dota 2 money, and because such, it's triply important that an upstart have a way of distinguishing itself from the pack. Merely having Wonder Woman and Batman show up won't be enough these days (although it certainly doesn't hurt). So what is Infinite Crisis angling to do that will make this the MOBA you'll click on more than the others? It comes down to options: options how to play your game, options how to exploit advantages on a map, and options when it comes to game modes. Continue reading PAX Prime 2013: A doomsday strike to the heart of Infinite Crisis PAX Prime 2013: A doomsday strike to the heart of Infinite Crisis originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 02 Sep 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| PAX Prime 2013: The Repopulation hunkers down for a siege Posted: 02 Sep 2013 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-Fi, Events (Real-World), Interviews, Previews, PvP, Free-to-Play, Events (Massively's Coverage), Sandbox, The Repopulation If EverQuest Next is the big dog of the upcoming sandbox MMO set, then The Repopulation is on the other end of the spectrum. The title is still in alpha testing with only a few hundred players participating, the team is spread across the globe, and the studio is looking for a publisher to help give the title the financial backing it sorely needs. Even so, the folks at Above and Beyond Technologies have an obvious passion for the project and were plainly eager to talk about it at PAX Prime. Tucked away in the Indie Megabooth area, The Repopulation devs invited players to sit down with a laptop and take part in testing the game's siege mode. I chatted up the developers -- who are head-over-heels enthusiastic about The Repopulation, by the way -- and got my first look at what PvP a sandbox hath wrought. Continue reading PAX Prime 2013: The Repopulation hunkers down for a siege PAX Prime 2013: The Repopulation hunkers down for a siege originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 02 Sep 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Dragon Con 2013: Star Citizen's Lesnick and Haddock on player feedback, CitizenCon, and more Posted: 02 Sep 2013 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Events (Real-World), Game Mechanics, Interviews, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Events (Massively's Coverage), Sandbox, Crowdfunding, Star Citizen, Buy-to-Play It's been a whirlwind couple of weeks for Cloud Imperium Games. The makers of Star Citizen jetted to Cologne, Germany, for Gamescom, released the game's first live module, and traveled to Atlanta, Georgia, to chat up the BDSSE (that's best damn space sim ever, for the uninitiated) at Dragon Con. We caught up with designer and community manager Ben Lesnick and lead writer Dave Haddock for an update on all the Star Citizen things. Well, OK. Some of the Star Citizen things. Join us after the cut for tidbits on the dogfighting alpha, CitizenCon, and more. Continue reading Dragon Con 2013: Star Citizen's Lesnick and Haddock on player feedback, CitizenCon, and more Dragon Con 2013: Star Citizen's Lesnick and Haddock on player feedback, CitizenCon, and more originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 02 Sep 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Have a super adventure in Guild Wars 2's Back to School release Posted: 02 Sep 2013 10:30 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Events (In-Game), Previews, PvE, Guild Wars 2, Buy-to-Play It's the end of summer, and school is back in session. That's kind of a bummer unless you're an Asuran kid: Thanks to mega-genius Moto, the lucky little weasels get to play in the Super Adventure Box, a virtual reality educational tool that teaches quick thinking and combat skills. Fortunately for Guild Wars 2 players, the average Tyrian adventurer is probably slightly behind the average Asuran child, so everyone can justify spending a few days weeks hours bouncing on mushrooms and collecting shiny baubles for completely educational purposes. ArenaNet's Josh Foreman, Moto's real-world representative, gave us a preview of what eager students have to look forward to tomorrow in the improved and expanded re-release of GW2's popular game-within-a-game. Bounce your way behind the cut to get a peek at how you'll continue on your journey to vanquish Lord Vanquish and save Princess Miya! Continue reading Have a super adventure in Guild Wars 2's Back to School release Have a super adventure in Guild Wars 2's Back to School release originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 02 Sep 2013 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Get ready for a marketing blitz
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Biggest month-to-month jump in share to date
Bigger and smaller WD Red drives now available
Lumia line heads to Redmond
