General Gaming Article

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• IDF 2013 Photo Gallery
• Valve Announces New Steam Sharing Service
• Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs Review
• Humble Indie Game Bundle 9 Revealed
• Apple Stock Falls 6 Percent Following iPhone Event
• Asus Unveils Rampage IV Black Edition Motherboard for Ivy Bridge-E
• G.Skill Adds 15 DDR3 Quad Channel Memory Kits to RipjawsZ Family
• Thermaltake's Toughpower DPS Series Power Supplies Come with Software Control and Monitoring
• Newegg Daily Deals: OCZ Fatal1ty 1000W PSU, Logitech G19 Gaming Keyboard, and More!

IDF 2013 Photo Gallery Posted: 11 Sep 2013 05:11 PM PDT 192GB of RAM in a system, Bay Trail, and Haswell-E—Oh my! We'll admit it, it was damned hard to find desktop and enthusiast-related hardware at the 2013 Intel Developer Forum. It was almost as if old desktop PCs were like the Intel's crazy aunt living in the basement. Fortunately, the desktop PC and PC enthusiasm was alive at well at IDF—if you looked hard enough. Click through our photo gallery for the most important PC news from IDF and—gasp!—proof that Haswell-E on desktop lives! Note: Some of the images may appear to be cropped off in the preview window so make sure you click on the picture for the full-sized photo!

Valve Announces New Steam Sharing Service Posted: 11 Sep 2013 04:55 PM PDT New service lets you share Steam games with up to ten people  Today Valve announced a new service called Steam Family Sharing which allows users to share their games and software with other people on their friends list. It launches in limited beta next week, and is open to the first 1,000 who sign-up. Those who gain access will allow be able to share the contents of their Steam library with up to ten Steam accounts. The service will allow people you designate to be able to download and play games from a shared library, but it won't allow access to a specific title from more than one computer at a time. If the owner of a title logs into Steam while a "friend" is playing, the borrower will be given a notice to purchase the game for themselves, or quit playing. Similarly, if a "friend" is playing a shared game, only the owner will see it as being available, but it will be inaccessable to anybody else the account is shared with. Valve has stated it implemented the service in direct response to user requests, which is certainly nice of the company, but could also be a move to compete against the next-gen consoles, which have both made the ability to share games a top priority in their marketing campaigns. The maneuver also gives Valve an advantage over EA's Origin download service, which recently became the first digital delivery for software to announce a refund policy.

Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs Review Posted: 11 Sep 2013 04:35 PM PDT A worthy installment to the famed survival-horror series Your heart pounds in your chest. Your palms sweat on your keyboard and mouse. Your stomach churns. No, you're not having a heart attack, Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs has got you in its grasp with no signs of letting go. In collaboration between publisher Frictional Games and new developer The Chinese Room, the latest installment of the Amnesia survival-horror series has arrived. The game is set in London in the year 1899. You are Oswald Mandus, an elite and wealthy industrialist whose empire has been built upon the commercial slaughter of swine. Drawing on the dark and gruesome themes from Upton Sinclair's The Jungle, Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs casts you into the pit of Mandus' own industrial slaughterhouse in a desperate and frantic search for your twin sons. Veterans of Amensia: The Dark Descent will instantly recognize familiar gameplay elements while simultaneously being stripped of previously key aspects. There are no weapons to speak of in Amnesia, meaning you can't fight your scary foes. Both the sanity system and the inventory screen, for example, have been removed from the series which grants you the freedom to use your lantern without fear of running out of oil. Standing in the dark no longer makes your character grind his teeth or sway on the screen in a blurry incomprehensible terror nor do bugs slither across your screen anymore. In addition, unlike its predecessor, A Machine for Pigs follows a strict and linear progression with no option for multiple endings. Mansion artwork in Amnesia is both captivating and creepy. Even so, The Chinese Room stays true to Amnesia's psychological horror theme and delivers a worthy successor to the original. Everything from the mansion to the intricate factory setting is crafted meticulously well. Mandus' mansion, in particular, was constructed with so much charm that it reminded us of the time when we first set foot in the original Resident Evil mansion. And then there are the journals. We found ourselves more repulsed by the journal documents than by the actual grotesque pig-men, i.e., the abominations stalking the halls in search of you throughout the game. Musically, the works of composer Jessica Curry's piano melodies still resonate throughout our heads transporting us back to the cursed slaughterhouse. As the composer of haunting adventure game Dear Esther, Curry's musical score alone is enough to send chills down the spine, serving as the perfect foundation for ambient effects to the game's environment; the deeper the descent into the factory, the more haunting and melancholic the score. Combined with the squeals from our disfigured swine stalkers, A Machine for Pigs provides a superb ambient sound experience.   There are some rituals that you don't want to understand. Fans of the survival horror genre will be disappointed by the fact that, despite how well the sound, story, and production levels are, gameplay is actually not as challenging or scary as its predecessor. Puzzles have been greatly simplified and don't require much more attention than a few flicks of a switch or the turning of a valve. Encounters with the enemy feel relatively low and the sudden rattles of the factory and mansion feel predictable. Even with the reliance of scripted and triggered events, the game never got scarier than the original.  All in all, however, the Amnesia experience lives on and A Machine for Pigs proves to be a good successor. Do yourself a favor and forgo the YouTube gameplay videos; Amnesia is a title that is well worth experiencing for yourself.

Humble Indie Game Bundle 9 Revealed Posted: 11 Sep 2013 01:20 PM PDT Includes Trine 2, Mark of the Ninja, and more! The pay-what-you-want model is back, this time with six independently developed cross-platform games. For as little as a one dollar donation, you get a Steam product key in addition to DRM-free direct downloads to the complete story of Trine 2, Mark of the Ninja, Eets Munchies and Brütal Legend. If you pay more than the average price (currently at $4.36), you can get access to FTL: Faster Than Light and FEZ.  The combined price of these games totals more than $120 when purchased separately. The Humble Bundle allows you to choose exactly how your donation is divided whether it be through foundations, the game developers or even the Humble Bundle staff. This Humble Bundle deal will expire on September 25th at 12:00pm

Apple Stock Falls 6 Percent Following iPhone Event Posted: 11 Sep 2013 10:07 AM PDT New iPhones, same 4-inch display The trouble with being a mega-company like Apple is that the bar is eventually too high. It certainly seemed that way when Apple unveiled the iPhone 5, a modest upgrade to the iPhone 4S, though at least it introduced a much needed bump in screen size. Yesterday, however, rumors of an even larger size iPhone were debunked when Apple trotted out a pair of new iPhone models still featuring a 4-inch display. A day later, the company's stock is taking a beating. In case you missed it, Apple on Tuesday introduced the iPhone 5S and 5C. The 5S model is an upgraded device with a 64-bit A7 processor (the first smartphone ever to have a 64-bit CPU), better optics, a fingerprint reader embedded into the Home button, and some new color options like gold. The iPhone 5C takes the place of the iPhone 5 with a starting price of $99, but it's made of colorful polycarbonate plastic with a steel reinforced frame that doubles as an antenna. It's available in a variety of colors like the iPod touch. Apple may have made two mistakes here, one for each device. First, it seems the public wants a bigger display, and if Apple needs proof of that, it need only look at Samsung and how well it's Galaxy line sells. The 5S didn't deliver, and while the 64-bit CPU is cool, only tech savvy users are likely to be geeked about that. Secondly, the iPhone 5C is priced too high. Apple is choosing to make money straight away from iPhone 5C sales rather than aggressively go after market share that it lost to Android. Imagine if Apple priced the iPhone 5C at $50 or even free on a two-year contract. That probably would have swayed potential Android buyers into jumping ship, the hardcore anti-iOS crowd notwithstanding. As a result of those mistakes, or perhaps because the expectation is so high these days, Apple's share price is down around $28 today, or about 6 percent. The company is still worth hundreds of billions of dollars, but if you're an investor, this is not wanted you wanted to wake up to in the morning. What do you think about Apple's new iPhone models? Do you agree that they're overall underwhelming, or are the expectations too high? Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Asus Unveils Rampage IV Black Edition Motherboard for Ivy Bridge-E Posted: 11 Sep 2013 08:52 AM PDT A badass board for power users The Republic of Gamers (ROG) line of products from Asus rarely disappoints, and though we'll reserve judgement until we have to time to play with the company's new Rampage IV Black Edition motherboard, this thing looks like another winner, both on paper and in pictures. As the model name suggests, Asus blacked out the motherboard, save for a spattering of red and silver throughout. Asus says don't confuse this with the Rampage IV Extreme Black it showed off back in April. There were only three of those boards made, and they never went on sale. Unlike last time, the new offering isn't just for show, it's for purchase, and there are plenty of reasons why enthusiasts will want to pick one up. There are a dozen reasons right off the bat -- 12 SATA ports, 8 of which are SATA 6Gbps. The blacked out board also boasts 8 USB 3.0 ports, built-in 802.11ac Wi-Fi, SupremeFX Formula audio with headphone amplifier and 120dB SNR, and a design optimized for Ivy Bridge-E. "The ROG team went through 5 full layout designs to find the best possible 8 DIMM memory layout topology, and where the ROG team was working on the five new Z87 boards in the first half on this year, that whole team has focused efforts on just the Black Edition this time around!," Asus stated in a blog post. Asus also says this is the only ROG motherboard with an all-black color scheme, a privilege we're sure will cost a pretty penny, though the company hasn't yet announced any pricing details. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

G.Skill Adds 15 DDR3 Quad Channel Memory Kits to RipjawsZ Family Posted: 11 Sep 2013 08:17 AM PDT A memory kit for every occasion G.Skill went a little nuts today (not necessarily a bad thing, mind you) and expanded its RipjawsZ line with a whopping 15 new DDR3 quad-channel memory kits, all of which the company claims have been optimized for Intel's Core i7 processor line for socket LGA2011 and X79 motherboards (Ivy Bridge-E, in other words). The new kits range in frequency from 1866MHz (10-11-10-30 timings) to a blistering fast 2933MHz (12-14-14-35 timings). If you favor capacity over raw speed, two of those 15 kits are 64GB packages (8x8GB) running at DDR3-2666. They're not the fastest of the bunch, but at the same time, 2666MHz is hardly considered slow. In fact, G.Skill also rolled out four other 64GB kits at slower frequencies (1866MHz, two at 2133Mhz, and 2400MHz). While overclocking performance is never guaranteed, G.Skill said it was able to push one of its 16GB (4x4GB) kits to 3000MHz on air cooling using an Intel Core i7 4960X processor and Asus Rampage IV Extreme motherboard. Good stuff, though we'll temper our excitement until pricing and availability becomes known. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Thermaltake's Toughpower DPS Series Power Supplies Come with Software Control and Monitoring Posted: 11 Sep 2013 07:17 AM PDT Unique software solution keeps track of energy costs Thermaltake has come out with a new kind of power supply (PSU), one that will let you monitor and control its vitals to provide your system with clean and stable power, and to help you keep track of how much juice it's sucking from the wall. The new units are the Toughpower DPS 850W and 750W, both digitally controlled via a free software download (DPSApp) available on Thermaltake's website. Using the software, you can essentially do three things: Monitor the electricity cost of your PC Actively monitor and record the status of your PC Share that information in the cloud with friends, if you desire It's a pretty nifty software suite that will help you determine just how much an all-night gaming session costs, or what you're paying to run a distributed computing project like Folding@Home or SETI. The actual power supplies themselves are fully modular, 80 Plus Gold certified, and ready to run Haswell without a hitch. No word yet on how much either model costs or when they'll be available. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Newegg Daily Deals: OCZ Fatal1ty 1000W PSU, Logitech G19 Gaming Keyboard, and More! Posted: 11 Sep 2013 06:51 AM PDT Top Deal: The thing about power supplies is that if you buy a good one to begin with, it will likely be a long, long time before you have to upgrade. We happen to have superb one featured as today's top deal: OCZ Fatal1ty 1000W PSU for $184 with free shipping (normally $23 - use coupon code IVYEPSU20; additional $20 mail-in-rebate). This beast is 80 Plus Gold certified, has individually sleeved modular cables, and is fully compatible with Intel's Haswell platform. Other Deals: Corsair Dominator Platinum 16GB (4x4GB) DDR3 2133 Desktop Memory for $216 with free shipping (normally $240 - use coupon code: [DOMTEN]) Sans Digital 4 Bay eSATA Port Multiplier JBOD Tower Storage Enclosure for $85 with free shipping (normally $100 - use coupon code: [0910BTS5]; additional $30 mail-in rebate) Logitech G19 Black USB Wired Gaming Keyboard w/ Color Display for $111 with free shipping (normally $130 - use coupon code: [LOGT98]) Logitech Extreme 3D Pro USB Joystick for $26 with free shipping (normally $30 - use coupon code: [LOGT98])

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MMO Updates

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• Aion's anniversary events include cakes, pirates, and an aethertech design contest
• CCP adds Owen O'Brien to EVE: Valkyrie roster
• Leaderboard: Which upcoming Korean MMO excites you the most?
• Black Gold's Dwarves create steamtech for all
• The Daily Grind: What's your favorite /emote?
• Jukebox Heroes: TERA's soundtrack
• Blade & Soul's Tower of Mushin dungeon gets new floors, bosses
• Hyperspace Beacon: Five reasons to love SWTOR's Bounty Contract Week
• Vin Diesel describes upcoming Chronicles of Riddick game as being an MMO
• Camelot Unchained producer's letter talks new race, development progress
• SWTOR subscribers to receive Rise of the Hutt Cartel free
• The Soapbox: The case against The Elder Scrolls Online's subscription model
• Flameseeker Chronicles: Why I love Guild Wars 2's Super Adventure Box

Aion's anniversary events include cakes, pirates, and an aethertech design contest Posted: 11 Sep 2013 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Events (In-Game), News Items, Anniversaries, Player-Generated Content Remember when we teased a bit about the upcoming anniversary events in Aion? Well now we can share all the details! When the Alchemy Event wraps upon the 18th, the Daeva's Day Events will take over. These events feature the famous cake buffs as well as quests to obtain wings and challenges to earn golden feathers (to buy even more rewards!). There's even a hide-and-seek game: Mini cakes are hidden throughout Atreia for players to find. This event runs September 18th to October 2nd. But that's not all! GMs will host various mini-games and activities throughout the anniversary celebrations, rewarding players for participating. And on September 19th, players can celebrate Talk Like a Pirate Day with various pirate-themed activities and gear that's exclusive to NA. And finally, NCsoft is holding another Leave your Legacy contest -- this time for Aethertechs. Interested participants need to submit their original Aethertech Key and Mecha design by September 25th, and the winning one will be released alongside the Aethertechs when 4.5 comes to NA. Full contest rules can be found on the official site. [Source: NCsoft press release] Aion's anniversary events include cakes, pirates, and an aethertech design contest originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 11 Sep 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

CCP adds Owen O'Brien to EVE: Valkyrie roster Posted: 11 Sep 2013 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, EVE Online, MMO Industry, New Titles, PvP, News Items CCP has announced its new Executive Producer for the multiplayer dogfighting shooter EVE: Valkyrie; Owen O'Brien is joining the team based at the company's Newcastle studio. O'Brien previously hails from the development studio DICE (owned by publisher EA), where he had a long tenure leading the production of the first-person action game Mirror's Edge. EVE: Valkyrie, set for release in 2014, utilizes virtual reality to give players the sense of being a real pilot in an EVE Online spaceship. On his appointment to this new position, O'Brien said: "The opportunity to work with a focused, talented and passionate team at the forefront of game-changing technology is a dream scenario for me. But it's not just about the technology. This was a project born out of a genuine passion for gaming, and that shows in what the team has already achieved." [Source: CCP Games press release] CCP adds Owen O'Brien to EVE: Valkyrie roster originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 11 Sep 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Leaderboard: Which upcoming Korean MMO excites you the most? Posted: 11 Sep 2013 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Culture, MMO Industry, New Titles, Opinion, Blade & Soul, ArcheAge, Leaderboard, Black Desert There are a lot of interesting Korean MMOs on the horizon. Well, they're interesting to me, at any rate. The problem is, none of them are playable in the West as of yet, even though one of them has a Western publisher and the others publish English-language news semi-regularly. Assuming you are also something of a Korean MMO aficionado, I've put together a poll featuring some of the blockbusters we'll (hopefully) be playing in the near future. Feel free to vote for the one you're most looking forward to, and explain why in the comments. Ever wish that you could put to rest a long-standing MMO debate once and for all? Then welcome to the battle royal of Massively's Leaderboard, where two sides enter the pit o' judgment -- and only one leaves. Vote to make your opinion known, and see whether your choice tops the Leaderboard! Continue reading Leaderboard: Which upcoming Korean MMO excites you the most? Leaderboard: Which upcoming Korean MMO excites you the most? originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 11 Sep 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Black Gold's Dwarves create steamtech for all Posted: 11 Sep 2013 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Video, Free-to-Play, Races, Black Gold In a game that fuses fantasy with steampunk, it may be the Dwarves that are the most important race at all. Black Gold is giving the center stage to its Dwarven race this week, claiming that these short and stout people are responsible for the creation of steam technology. Along with dispensing with some backstory on the Dwarves, the article emphasizes that the race is extremely durable and a huge fan of melee combat. Their main downside is that they have no access to magic, limiting them to the Arbiter and Tech Adept classes. Check out the Black Gold Dwarf spotlight video after the jump! Continue reading Black Gold's Dwarves create steamtech for all Black Gold's Dwarves create steamtech for all originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 11 Sep 2013 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Dwarf spotlight

The Daily Grind: What's your favorite /emote? Posted: 11 Sep 2013 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous Don't overthink it. What's your favorite emote? Are you partial to /dance whenever you have a moment of downtime with friends? Do you /faint whenever a cute character walks by? Have you abused /spit or /rude because that shows everyone that you're not one to trifle with? Or does /wave simply become part of your daily emotecabulary? 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's your favorite /emote? originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 11 Sep 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Jukebox Heroes: TERA's soundtrack Posted: 10 Sep 2013 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Opinion, Free-to-Play, TERA, Jukebox Heroes, Music Within the small but passionate video game music community, there's a common gripe that goes around regarding studios' haphazard methods of distributing and selling original soundtracks. My general thought is that it's not that hard to just make a soundtrack a digital purchase through Amazon, iTunes, etc. for those who are interested in purchasing it, but more often than not, one has to look high and low to figure out how to get the desired music. What's even worse is when a soundtrack is released in different editions by region. Take today's subject, TERA, as an example. TERA's OST was at least released, but in two different editions: the limited 26-track edition given to Europe and Japan and the expansive 50-track edition that debuted in the US. It's just silly to do this sort of thing, but we see it all the time (and don't get me started on the way-too-expensive Japanese import of Final Fantasy XIV's Before Meteor). Anyway, I have a burr in my saddle about this today because TERA is a tremendous soundtrack. It's rich, evocative, and just plain catchy in parts. If you've listened to only part of this score composed by Inon Zur and Rod Abernethy, then you owe it to yourself to scrounge up the full deal. Here are my favorites! Continue reading Jukebox Heroes: TERA's soundtrack Jukebox Heroes: TERA's soundtrack originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 10 Sep 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Blade & Soul's Tower of Mushin dungeon gets new floors, bosses Posted: 10 Sep 2013 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, PvE, Blade & Soul, Dungeons Steparu's got the goods on Blade & Soul's latest solo endgame content. A new article on the website says that the Korean fantasy MMO's Tower of Munshin dungeon is getting "an upgrade with new floors." NCsoft has designed the dungeon "to be an endless tower with new solo content every now and then," Steparu writes. The new sections are accessible after clearing the seventh floor, and you can also get a sneak peek at some of the content via the video after the cut! Continue reading Blade & Soul's Tower of Mushin dungeon gets new floors, bosses Blade & Soul's Tower of Mushin dungeon gets new floors, bosses originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 10 Sep 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Steparu

Hyperspace Beacon: Five reasons to love SWTOR's Bounty Contract Week Posted: 10 Sep 2013 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Events (In-Game), PvE, Opinion, Free-to-Play, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Hyperspace Beacon, MMORPG If you missed the first Bounty Contract Week for Star Wars: The Old Republic, never fear because it's on its way here again -- today, in fact. I didn't really talk about this event when it first came out because I was too busy talking about the free-to-play experiment, and frankly, I thought the event was pretty straightforward fun and didn't need too much explanation. That was before I spent a week actually participating in the Bounty Contract event. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I actually enjoyed the new content. The basic premise for this SWTOR event centers around the Bounty Brokers Association. This organization, totally made up by BioWare, is overrun with the number contracts that it needs fulfilled and is willing to pay anyone for completing the bounties. (To be fair, that's not too much different than a normal bounty contract, but let's just run with it.) Participants can complete one standard contract and one kingpin contract a day per character level 15 or higher. Players travel to one of eight planets (two Republic-only planets, two Empire-only planets, and four shared planets), hunting down eight different henchmen and eight different kingpins. Players earn credits, experience, reputation, achievements, and titles. Let me give you my top five reasons for loving Bounty Contract Week. Continue reading Hyperspace Beacon: Five reasons to love SWTOR's Bounty Contract Week Hyperspace Beacon: Five reasons to love SWTOR's Bounty Contract Week originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 10 Sep 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Vin Diesel describes upcoming Chronicles of Riddick game as being an MMO Posted: 10 Sep 2013 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: MMO Industry, News Items, Miscellaneous If you can't get enough of media wherein Vin Diesel is a man who can see in the dark... well, he's got a movie out in theaters now. You should probably go and see that. But maybe you don't care about the films, preferring the games that sit alongside the series that have been the subject of critical praise. According to Diesel, another one is coming and it's going to be an MMO. Exactly what Diesel means by that is up for interpretation; what he cites is simply a top-level concept, which could mean anything from an online component to a fully featured shared space. He describes it as focusing on the mercenary trade in the fictional universe and allowing players a chance to interact with a larger scope of the game world. Apparently he's been talking up this aspect of the game since July, but somehow the rest of us were still in the dark. Vin Diesel describes upcoming Chronicles of Riddick game as being an MMO originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 10 Sep 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Screencrush Diesel Interview, Vin Diesel talks Riddick games Via: Eurogamer

Camelot Unchained producer's letter talks new race, development progress Posted: 10 Sep 2013 01:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, News Items, Dev Diaries, Miscellaneous, Crowdfunding, Camelot Unchained, MMORPG Tyler Rockwell recently joined the crew of City State Entertainment as producer for Camelot Unchained, and recently took a few thousand words to introduce himself to Kickstarter backers and CU fans via producer's letter. The update covers Rockwell's design history, introduction to the games industry, and recent migration to CSE's Virginia studios, in addition to a few developmental points regarding Camelot Unchained. According to Rockwell, he is working to learn everything he can about the game and its community while simultaneously unrolling new task-tracking software and getting up to speed on what CU's team is doing. Current projects include updates to the internal patcher, further development of the game's networking system, polish on the engine's character importer, the creation of a brand-new race, and the synchronization of team animators and designers working on a variety of tasks. Rockwell said he considers himself the member of the team that's there to help everyone get the job done, similar to a Battlefield sniper or League of Legends healer. He also included a bit of concept art as "a not-too-subtle hint of what [CSE's] modeler is working on right now," which you can see after the jump. Continue reading Camelot Unchained producer's letter talks new race, development progress Camelot Unchained producer's letter talks new race, development progress originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 10 Sep 2013 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Producer's Letter

SWTOR subscribers to receive Rise of the Hutt Cartel free Posted: 10 Sep 2013 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Expansions, News Items, PvE, Free-to-Play, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Subscription, MMORPG If you're an active Star Wars: The Old Republic subscriber and haven't yet picked up the Rise of the Hutt Cartel expansion, BioWare has good news for you. The studio today announced that you will receive it free of charge on September 12th. The expansion, formerly priced at $9.99 for subscribers, includes the new planet of Makeb, a level cap increase to 55, and new story-driven missions. Subscribers who have already purchased the expansion will receive a new title, The Risen, as long as their subscriptions are active as of September 12th at 7:00 a.m. EDT (4:00 a.m. PDT). Additionally, those who purchased the expansion between August 11th and September 12th will earn 1050 bonus Cartel Coins. For more coverage on Rise of the Hutt Cartel, check out Eliot's impressions of the new content. And don't forget to check in on Larry's weekly Hyperspace Beacon column concerning all things SWTOR. SWTOR subscribers to receive Rise of the Hutt Cartel free originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 10 Sep 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: SWTOR Announcement

The Soapbox: The case against The Elder Scrolls Online's subscription model Posted: 10 Sep 2013 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, MMO Industry, New Titles, PvE, Opinion, Consoles, The Soapbox, The Elder Scrolls Online, Subscription, MMORPG The Elder Scrolls Online is one of the most anticipated online titles of 2014. Marking the first true massively multiplayer incarnation of the venerable Elder Scrolls franchise, ESO has the rapt attention of fans, developers, and industry watchers. It is the latest attempt to leverage an existing franchise into MMO territory, one that will without a doubt see a huge launch and immense media coverage through its first few months. Despite the hype, ZeniMax Online and Bethesda raised a few eyebrows last month when they announced that ESO would require a monthly subscription to play. According to game director Matt Firor, the subscription is required to ensure the game is a true "Elder Scrolls experience." Firor contends that predictable revenue streams generated by monthly subs are necessary to guarantee players the massive amounts of high-quality content they have come to expect from games in the Elder Scrolls universe. There's just one small problem: The history of the Elder Scrolls franchise directly contradicts the idea that expansive, interesting content is intrinsically reliant on monthly payments from players. Continue reading The Soapbox: The case against The Elder Scrolls Online's subscription model The Soapbox: The case against The Elder Scrolls Online's subscription model originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 10 Sep 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Flameseeker Chronicles: Why I love Guild Wars 2's Super Adventure Box Posted: 10 Sep 2013 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Opinion, Guild Wars 2, Flameseeker Chronicles, Buy-to-Play Back in April, ArenaNet played what was arguably the greatest MMO-related April Fool's Day prank of all time when it released level designer and jumping puzzle maestro Josh Foreman's labor of love, Super Adventure Box, in Guild Wars 2. I was but a wee Massively commenter then, and I recall that my comment on the news post about that particular revelation was something to the effect of "I'm not leaving this place until they kick me out. See you all next month!" I remember this because I was only half joking, and I really did spend most of April inside Moto's palace of 8-bit wonders. I love Super Adventure Box. I don't just love it because it's retro or because I get the references or because my first foray into it left me laughing fit to kill (OK, maybe the last one). I love it because, entirely independent of GW2, it's a game I can spend a whole month playing and not get tired of it. Jump with me past the cut, and I'll tell you why. Continue reading Flameseeker Chronicles: Why I love Guild Wars 2's Super Adventure Box Flameseeker Chronicles: Why I love Guild Wars 2's Super Adventure Box originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 10 Sep 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

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MMORPG News

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• EVE Online: DICE Studios' Owen O'Brien to Head Valkyrie
• Black Gold: Lokemean Dwarves Profiled
• General: Botched Launches
• Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn: Gear Score Incoming
• The Settlers Online: 20-Year Retrospective Video Released
• General: In Remembrance of 9-11-01
• General: Project Play Charity Event Needs YOU!
• General: A Peek Behind the Bamboo Curtain
• Star Wars: The Old Republic: Rise of the Hutt Cartel Free to Subscribers
• Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn: The Top 5 At 35 - Top Early Boss Battles
• World of Tanks: Soviet Tanks Rumble Into Game
• General: Event
• Elsword: Bigger, Badder Baddies! New Field Bosses
• TERA: Rising: The Dungeon Assault Experience

EVE Online: DICE Studios' Owen O'Brien to Head Valkyrie Posted: 11 Sep 2013 08:02 AM PDT CCP Games has announced that DICE Studios' Owen O'Brien has joined the team and will produce EVE: Valkyrie, the virtual-reality spaceship dogfighting game in development at the company's Newcastle, UK studio.

Black Gold: Lokemean Dwarves Profiled Posted: 11 Sep 2013 07:08 AM PDT Snail Games has revealed the latest race to be included in Black Gold, the upcoming steampunk MMO that is set to debut next year. This time, the Lokemean Dwarves are in the spotlight as the creators and originators of steam technology. The team has released new information on the site to read, as well as a brand new video. Check it out!

General: Botched Launches Posted: 09 Sep 2013 07:08 PM PDT Welcome back to another edition of Player Versus Player! Each week MMORPG pits two of its writers against each other in a battle to the death - or at least a spirited debate. Final Fantasy XIV relaunched last week and reminded us all of how disastrous the first days and weeks of a new MMO can be. This go-round, our combatants step to their podiums ready to duke it out on a topic you probably have first-hand experience with: MMO launches.

Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn: Gear Score Incoming Posted: 11 Sep 2013 06:57 AM PDT The Final Fantasy XIV community team has weighed in on a forum discussion on the official site to let players know that gear-locked content will be incoming soon.

The Settlers Online: 20-Year Retrospective Video Released Posted: 11 Sep 2013 06:54 AM PDT Ubisoft Blue Byte has released a new video to take a look back at 20 years of The Settlers franchise. It's a great look at one of gaming's most iconic franchises. Enjoy!

General: In Remembrance of 9-11-01 Posted: 11 Sep 2013 06:32 AM PDT In honor of the twelfth anniversary of 9-11 and the terrorist attacks on New York City, Washington D.C. and in memory of the heroes of Flight 93 in Pennsylvania, we are asking our community to observe a moment of silence at 8:46 a.m. EST (5:46 a.m. PST) in remembrance of the victims of that day. Please join us.

General: Project Play Charity Event Needs YOU! Posted: 11 Sep 2013 06:22 AM PDT One of the MMORPG.com community members let us in on the fact that ProjectPlay.ca will be running an event to raise funds to support several charitable organizations. The event will be taking place on September 22nd. Lend your support to this worthy cause -and- to one of our own community members who will be taking part!

General: A Peek Behind the Bamboo Curtain Posted: 08 Sep 2013 07:08 PM PDT An often overlooked aspect of the MMO market in today's world is the Chinese market, one that is vital and enormous. In today's Free Zone, we take a look at the Chinese game community and what it means in game development. Check it out before heading to the comments to talk about it.

Star Wars: The Old Republic: Rise of the Hutt Cartel Free to Subscribers Posted: 10 Sep 2013 12:09 PM PDT Beginning Thursday, September 12th, subscribers to Star Wars: The Old Republic will receive the first expansion, Rise of the Hutt Cartel, for free. Those who purchased the expansion previously will be granted an in-game title and a complimentary gift of Cartel Coins under certain restrictions.

Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn: The Top 5 At 35 - Top Early Boss Battles Posted: 08 Sep 2013 06:32 PM PDT Now that Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn has made its official debut, players are moving up the ranks and taking on some of the game's bosses. In our latest Eorzea Reborn column, we take a look at five awesome early level bosses. Read on and then tell us what you think of our choices in the comments.

World of Tanks: Soviet Tanks Rumble Into Game Posted: 10 Sep 2013 09:06 AM PDT Wargaming has announced that the World of Tanks v8.8 patch will be rolling out this week. EU players can check it out on September 11th. NA players on September 12th. Korean and APAC on September 116th and 18th. The team has released a terrific video to show off the new features and tanks arriving in v8.8. Check it out!

General: Event Posted: 08 Sep 2013 06:13 PM PDT In our weekly comic, artist Blaz Klaric brings us his irreverent look into the foibles of the MMO worlds we love, and love to hate. Check out "Event" and then leave us your thoughts in the comments.

Elsword: Bigger, Badder Baddies! New Field Bosses Posted: 08 Sep 2013 06:22 PM PDT Kill3rCombo introduced nine new menacing Field Boss Monsters that bring greater challenges to the Fields of Battle than ever before. The Fields of Battle, launched in June, dramatically changed the entire Elsword world making it four times larger and allowing players to engage in combat with a multitude of new allies and enemies, and now players must face the greatest opponent that each of the seven distinct Fields offers. Check out this exclusive developer diary for more!

TERA: Rising: The Dungeon Assault Experience Posted: 10 Sep 2013 06:52 AM PDT Today, En Masse Entertainment unleashes the latest TERA Rising update, Dungeon Assault. The patch brings new features and dungeons into the game. We caught up with Patrick Sun to find out more about Dungeon Assault. See what he's got to say about what players will encounter before heading to the comments.

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