General Gaming Article

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• World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor Announced At Blizzcon 2013
• Stephen Elop Mulls Selling Xbox Business and Bing if Chosen CEO of Microsoft
• AMD Issues Round of Price Cuts to Select A6 and A8 Series APUs
• Lenovo Sold 4 Devices Per Second Last Quarter, PC Plus Strategy is Working
• Gigabyte Goes for the Kill with G1.Sniper Z87 Motherboard
• Data Survives Roaring Fire at Internet Archive's San Francisco Scanning Center
• Newegg Daily Deals: Max Payne 3, MSI Z87-G45 Gaming Motherboard, and More!

World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor Announced At Blizzcon 2013 Posted: 08 Nov 2013 06:11 PM PST More raids, new zones to explore, and level cap of 100 Blizzcon is off to a rousing start this year, having kicked off with an exciting announcement: a brand new expansion for MMO juggernaut World of Warcraft. It's called Warlords of Draenor, and it's set to finally raise the level cap to 100, with brand new raids across seven different zones, additional rewards, and a new PvP zone for your player-slaughtering pleasure.  Aside from brand new content to traverse, Draenor is introducing a brand new mechanic that will allow players to build and maintain their own garrison, as well as recruit NPCs to gather up resources and complete quests. With WoW's gradual loss of subscribers, this might be the jumpstart it needs to recover after a shaky period after the release of Mists of Pandaria.  Check out the Draenor trailer below and tell us what you think!

Stephen Elop Mulls Selling Xbox Business and Bing if Chosen CEO of Microsoft Posted: 08 Nov 2013 10:06 AM PST A candidate for Microsoft's CEO position is already thinking about big changes Former Nokia chief Stephen Elop is reportedly on Microsoft's short list of candidates to take over as Chief Executive Officer of the Redmond software giant. He faces some stiff competition -- most notably, Ford CEO Alan Mulally, who has a history of turning around big companies -- but if Microsoft ultimately chooses Elop to replace Steve Ballmer, it doesn't appear he would be afraid to make some big, controversial changes. According to a Bloomberg report, Elop's first order of business would be to emphasize Microsoft's lucrative Office business. Beyond that, however, he would also consider killing or selling off Microsoft's Bing search engine, as well as sell the company's Xbox business. It's not set in stone that he would do that, but according to Bloomberg, he would certainly consider both options if he deemed them non-critical to the company's overall strategy. These are pretty drastic changes, making Elop a sort of wild card if he takes over. Assuming Bloomberg's information is solid, it will be interesting to see if it has any influence on Microsoft's decision. No doubt some big changes are needed and Microsoft is in the midst of a restructuring effort, but selling off its Xbox business and bidding farewell to Bing may not be what Ballmer and company had in mind. Image Credit: Flickr (j_baer) Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

AMD Issues Round of Price Cuts to Select A6 and A8 Series APUs Posted: 08 Nov 2013 09:24 AM PST Save around 13 percent on certain APUs Following up last week's unveiling of AMD's A10 6790K APU, the Sunnyvale chip designer has settled on a suggested price point for the new part. In addition, AMD added prices for its FX-9370 and FX-9590 processors for the AM3+ platform, plus shaved in the neighborhood of 13 percent off the price of three existing A6 and A8 Series APUs, bringing each one down to below $100. Starting at the higher end, the A10 6790K is a quad-core chip clocked at 4GHz, and up to 4.3GHz via Turbo. It has 4MB of L2 cache, integrated HD 8670D graphics, and a 100W TDP. It's a "Black Edition" processor (unlocked multiplier) and is now priced at $122, according to CPU-World. Up above are the FX-9370 and FX-9590 processors, a couple of Extreme-level chips that initially sold for $350+ and $800+, respectively, when they debuted back in June. Both chips have dropped in price since then and are now listed at $224 (FX-9370) and $306 (FX-9590). As for the A6 and A8 Series APUs, here's a look: A6 6400K: $62 (down from $71, 12.7 percent savings) A8 6500: $97 (down from $112, 13.4 percent savings) A8 6600K: $97 (down from $112, 13.4 percent savings) With the exception of the A8 6500, every chip mentioned here is a Black Edition part. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Lenovo Sold 4 Devices Per Second Last Quarter, PC Plus Strategy is Working Posted: 08 Nov 2013 08:55 AM PST Another solid quarter from Lenovo proves there's still a market for PCs There's little doubt tablet PCs and smartphones are cannibalizing traditional PC sales. It's not the only factor that's caused a slump in PC sales, but the infatuation with mobile devices has certainly played a role. What's an OEM system builder to do? Well, in the case of Lenovo, the OEM adopted a "PC Plus" strategy, allowing it to cash in on the mobile craze while simultaneously making money on traditional PCs. This strategy has led to a record number of device sales, and if you're worried Lenovo is turning its back on desktops and laptops, check out these stats. During Lenovo's second fiscal quarter, the OEM's laptop business was the largest contributor to the company's bottom line, generating 51 percent of its worldwide revenue. That translates into $5 billion from laptop sales, up 8 percent year-over-year, giving the company an 18.5 percent share of the market. Meanwhile, Lenovo's desktop PC shipments grew -- yes, GREW! -- by 1 percent. Don't scoff, 1 percent growth is pretty good compared an overall industry average of a 6 percent decline. Sales of Lenovo's desktops did decrease by 3 percent year-over-year, but it still collected $2.7 billion from those sales, which works out to 28 percent of its total revenue. "Lenovo not only remains the top PC company in the world, but is also already the number four player in both smartphones and tablets worldwide and continues growing rapidly. At the same time, we have achieved record revenue and record profit, and improved profitability significantly." said Yang Yuanqing, Chairman and CEO of Lenovo." We are optimistic about the industry's outlook. Benefiting from corporate refresh and China market improvement, the PC market is recovering, and tablet growth continues shifting to mainstream and entry-level segments, as well as emerging markets. These are Lenovo's strength areas. We are confident that we will capture these opportunities and continue our strong growth." Combining all of its products, Lenovo sold a record 29 million units last quarter, or about 4 devices per second. Just as important, Lenovo once again has proven there's plenty of revenue to be generated by serving both traditional PC and mobile markets. In other words, the sky isn't falling on PCs, it's simply expanding to include new kinds of devices. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Gigabyte Goes for the Kill with G1.Sniper Z87 Motherboard Posted: 08 Nov 2013 08:22 AM PST A killer board for gamers and overclockers Heading into the weekend, Gigabyte announced the launch of its latest gaming motherboard, the G1.Sniper Z87. Gigabyte made the announcement at Blizzcon 2013, one of the biggest U.S. gaming events of the year. It's a fitting place to unveil the G1.Sniper Z87, which combines aggressive looks with high-end hardware like an AMP-UP audio feature and Killer E2200 networking. Gigabyte paid a lot of attention to its board's audio scheme. It has an upgradeable on-board OP-Amp, USB DAC-UP for clean, noise-free power delivery to any DAC, gain boost with onboard switches to select between 2.5x and 6x amplification, integrated Creative Sound Core3D audio processor, audio noise guard to protect against EMI, and a few other odds and ends. Outside of audio, the G1.Sniper Z87 sports four DDR3 DIMM slots with support for up to 32GB of memory, two PCI-E x16 slots, three PCI-E x1 slots, two regular PCI slots, half a dozen SATA 6Gbps ports with RAID support, 6 USB 3.0 ports, 7 USB 2.0 ports, and more. No word yet on when the Gigabyte G1.Sniper Z87 will be available or for how much. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Data Survives Roaring Fire at Internet Archive's San Francisco Scanning Center Posted: 08 Nov 2013 08:00 AM PST Damage estimated at $600,000, group asks for donations A fire damaged the Internet Archive's scanning center located in San Francisco late last night, though luckily no one was hurt and no existing data was lost, the organization said. The Internet Archive is the non-profit group responsible for the Wayback Machine, a digital archive of the web spanning 364 billion webpages, allowing visitors to see what sites looked like several years ago. While no existing data was damaged, some physical materials that were in the process of being digitized went up in flames. Most of the materials being scanned were in a separate locked room and not lost, and of those that did catch fire, around half had already been archived. That's the extent of the good news. Unfortunately, the fire did about $600,000 worth of damage to high end digitization equipment. To keep expanding the project, that equipment will need to be replaced, and the Internet Archive is reaching out the community for donations. "This episode has reminded us that digitizing and making copies are good strategies for both access and preservation," the Internet Archive stated in a blog post. "We have copies of the data in the Internet Archive in multiple locations, so even if our main building had been involved in the fire we still would not have lost the amazing content we have all worked so hard to collect." Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Newegg Daily Deals: Max Payne 3, MSI Z87-G45 Gaming Motherboard, and More! Posted: 08 Nov 2013 06:15 AM PST Top Deal: What do you get when you combine a gripping narrative with fantastic animations and satisfying shooting? You get the topic of today's top deal -- Max Payne 3 [Online Game Code] for $6 with free shipping (normally $20). Max is as much a troubled soul as he was when we first met him, only this time he finds himself in Brazil with an advanced new Bullet Time and Shootdodge effects to play with. We reviewed Max Payne 3 when it came out and liked it for the most part -- it's easily worth a mere $6. If you're not digging it though, hit the link anyway for up to 76 percent off other Rockstar titles. Other Deals: NZXT Hale82-N 750W SLI/CrossFire Ready Power Supply for $75 with free shipping (normally $90 - use coupon code: [1105GAMES16]) Seagate 2TB MLC/8GB 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s NCQ 3.5-inch Solid State Hybrid Drive for $130 with free shipping (normally $140 - use coupon code: [1105GAMES27]) MSI Z87-G45 Gaming LGA 1150 Intel Z87 Intel Motherboard for $140 with free shipping (normally $150 - use coupon code: [1105GAMES52]; additional $10 Mail-in rebate) BenQ RL2455HM 24-inch 1 ms LED Backlight LCD Monitor for $180 with free shipping (normally $200 - use coupon code: [BENQGAMING])

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MMO Updates

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• Tamriel Infinium: The critical elements of Elder Scrolls Online character creation
• Lord of the Rings Online videos tour the landscape of Helm's Deep
• Community puzzles out first Wildstar vehicle: Hoverboards
• DUST 514's new community manager recaps EVE Vegas 2013
• The Daily Grind: What's the niftiest MMO character title you've ever earned?
• The Guild Counsel: How guild meetings can help your guild
• The Stream Team: Introducing The Secret World's Jack-o-Lantern and scenarios
• WildStar's latest AMA features the Warrior
• The Summoner's Guidebook: A beginner's guide to League of Legends' runes
• Star Trek Online dev blog details Federation interior revamp
• Blade & Soul adds first player-designed costume
• World of Tanks: Xbox 360 Edition welcomes all to open beta weekend
• Alter Ego: Issue #2 - Learning to fly in DC Universe Online
• PlanetSide 2 coming to South Korea
• Perfect Ten: What making games taught me about MMO development
• Diablo III tops 14 million sales across all platforms
• PAX East 2014 is sold out
• RIFT sees a player surge thanks to Steam
• New video heralds release of The Secret World's Issue #8
• New EVE dev video shows off Rubicon features

Tamriel Infinium: The critical elements of Elder Scrolls Online character creation Posted: 08 Nov 2013 09:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Game Mechanics, Lore, New Titles, Opinion, Races, Roleplaying, The Elder Scrolls Online, Subscription, MMORPG, Tamriel Infinium When I think of The Elder Scrolls Online character creation or MMO character creation in general, my thoughts usually extend beyond the mechanical idea of what my avatar looks like. I'm usually contemplating motivation, history, and skillset as well. When I'm creating a pen and paper character, the actual appearance of the character is secondary to what the character could do or where he came from. Of course, I always end up drawing the character, but the art was born on the character sheet. MMOs, and frankly most RPGs, do character creation backward. They usually start with the appearance of the character when it should start with some sort of history or class. But there are some very important elements that every MMO character creation screen should have and still more than I'd like to see specifically in ESO. Continue reading Tamriel Infinium: The critical elements of Elder Scrolls Online character creation Tamriel Infinium: The critical elements of Elder Scrolls Online character creation originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 08 Nov 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Lord of the Rings Online videos tour the landscape of Helm's Deep Posted: 08 Nov 2013 08:00 AM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Video, Lord of the Rings Online, Expansions, News Items, Free-to-Play News about Lord of the Rings Online's upcoming Helm's Deep expansion has been making its way to fans since the NDA dropped earlier this week. And now, video walkthroughs are added to that list. Two beta players, Andang and Ethelros, filmed a tour of each of the new upcoming zones. These videos take you on a leisurely stroll through Kingstead, Eastfold, Broadacres, Stonedeans, Westfold, and Helm's Deep itself. Grab a drink and settle back: Each walkthrough is between seven and 18 minutes long. Enjoy Helm's Deep and Westfold in the videos below, and head on over to LOTRO Players to behold the other four zones. [Thanks to all who sent this in!] Continue reading Lord of the Rings Online videos tour the landscape of Helm's Deep Lord of the Rings Online videos tour the landscape of Helm's Deep originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 08 Nov 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Helm's Deep walkthrough videos

Community puzzles out first Wildstar vehicle: Hoverboards Posted: 08 Nov 2013 07:00 AM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Trailers, Video, Game Mechanics, New Titles, News Items, WildStar, Subscription MMO fans are always eager for more news about their favorite games, and Carbine Studios obliged with a new WildStar DevSpeak video this week focusing on the Warrior. But there was more to this video than just a class highlight; embedded in the clip were clues to even more news. However, to get this tidbit of hidden news, players would have to work for it. The community jumped on the task and soon puzzled out the solution, leading them to the discovery of a new mount: the hoverboard. Check out the visual reward for the community's investigative labors in the video below -- unless you want to figure it all out for yourself! [Thanks to Exes for the tip!] Continue reading Community puzzles out first Wildstar vehicle: Hoverboards Community puzzles out first Wildstar vehicle: Hoverboards originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 08 Nov 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Solving the puzzle

DUST 514's new community manager recaps EVE Vegas 2013 Posted: 08 Nov 2013 06:00 AM PST Filed under: Sci-Fi, EVE Online, Culture, Events (Real-World), MMO Industry, DUST 514, Sandbox Did you miss the largest EVE Online/DUST 514 party outside of Iceland's Fanfest this year? EVE Vegas happened back in October, but CCP's newest community manager, CCP Saberwing, recaps the event for those who may not have been there in body or sobriety. Since this was the first time the fan-run event was officially sponsored with 25 devs attending, there were more official panels and presentations than ever before. And luckily for all of us who didn't make it, the presentations can all be viewed through the EVE Vegas 2013 YouTube playlist. DUST 514's new community manager recaps EVE Vegas 2013 originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 08 Nov 2013 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: CCP Saberwing's dev blog

The Daily Grind: What's the niftiest MMO character title you've ever earned? Posted: 08 Nov 2013 05:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Game Mechanics, Opinion, Free-to-Play, The Daily Grind, Humor I don't usually bother with the achievement metagame in MMOs or anywhere else. Checking off a bragging-rights checklist generated by a studio whose entire goal is to waste as much of my time as possible is just not my idea of fun. But I make exceptions, chief among them being character titles. If a game is going to give me an awesome title for doing something bizarre like eating 36 Eggs and Onions, Delicious Crispy Bacon, Hobbiton Omelets, and Complete Hobbit Breakfasts, then by golly, I'm going to do it just for the giggles and wear that silly title with pride. Besides, it sounds delicious. What about you readerly types? Do you also collect titles rather than minipets and scouting badges? And more importantly, what's the niftiest title you've ever earned? 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 the niftiest MMO character title you've ever earned? originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 08 Nov 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Guild Counsel: How guild meetings can help your guild Posted: 07 Nov 2013 07:00 PM PST Filed under: Guilds, Opinion, The Guild Counsel, Miscellaneous I know what you're thinking after reading the title of this week's column. Why in the world would anyone want to have a meeting in-game when many of us spend our days in meeting for our work? But holding a short guild meeting every so often can actually help curb guild drama, boost morale, and bring your guildmates closer together. The relatively short time spent bringing the guild together can pay off later on by reducing time spent on drama created by miscommunication, low morale, and frustration. In today's Guild Counsel, let's take a look at why you should consider holding a meeting and how that guild meeting can improve your guild overall. Continue reading The Guild Counsel: How guild meetings can help your guild The Guild Counsel: How guild meetings can help your guild originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 07 Nov 2013 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Stream Team: Introducing The Secret World's Jack-o-Lantern and scenarios Posted: 07 Nov 2013 06:00 PM PST Filed under: Video, Events (In-Game), The Secret World, Livestream, Dungeons, The Stream Team It's no secret that Massively's MJ loves Halloween and The Secret World both, so of course she's going to stretch her enjoyment of the holiday out by partaking in more holiday adventures! And she thinks it is time for everyone to meet Jack -- Jack-o-Lantern. Jack is a troubled soul who has taunted and tormented the children of Solomon Island over the years, so he must be stopped! Join us live at 9:00 p.m. to summon this evil spirit and then lay him to rest. After that, there should be enough time to check out one of the newly released scenarios! Game: The Secret World Host: MJ Guthrie Date: Thursday, November 7th, 2013 Time: 9:00 p.m. EST Enjoy our Steam Team video below. Continue reading The Stream Team: Introducing The Secret World's Jack-o-Lantern and scenarios The Stream Team: Introducing The Secret World's Jack-o-Lantern and scenarios originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 07 Nov 2013 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

WildStar's latest AMA features the Warrior Posted: 07 Nov 2013 05:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Classes, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, PvE, WildStar, Subscription Carbine hosted an AMA session earlier today focused on the Warrior class for its upcoming WildStar MMO. Representing the dev team was lead combat designer Chris Lynch, class lead Hugh Shelton, Warrior class designer Marc Matzenbacher, and senior community manager David Bass. The talk ranged from protective abilities to taunts to underwater and zero gravity gameplay situations. If you're interested in more Warrior-centric info, you can read the whole AMA via the links below. And don't forget about Carbine's Warrior livestream on November 9th at 3:00 p.m. EST. WildStar's latest AMA features the Warrior originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 07 Nov 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Warrior AMA

The Summoner's Guidebook: A beginner's guide to League of Legends' runes Posted: 07 Nov 2013 04:00 PM PST Filed under: Opinion, Free-to-Play, Guides, MOBA, League of Legends, The Summoner's Guidebook Runes are one of the easiest ways for a beginning player to waste IP in League of Legends. A lot of players spend a lot of IP on wasted runes. The truth is, you can get away with a relatively small number of useful runes and still be effective. We've gone a long, long time in the Summoner's Guidebook without a discussion of runes and rune pages, so we should fix that. A bit of a disclaimer, though: Runes are costly, and you'll have to put several new champions on hold no matter what you do. At level 20, you will want around 5,000 IP for runes, and you'll want another 10,000 or so more over the course of your career. On top of that, there is easily more you can blow on runes if you want some real diversity. I'm not here to explain that, though -- we can leave that one to the pros. Continue reading The Summoner's Guidebook: A beginner's guide to League of Legends' runes The Summoner's Guidebook: A beginner's guide to League of Legends' runes originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 07 Nov 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Star Trek Online dev blog details Federation interior revamp Posted: 07 Nov 2013 03:00 PM PST Filed under: Sci-Fi, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, Patches, News Items, PvE, Star Trek Online, Free-to-Play, Dev Diaries Star Trek Online environment artist Jeff Miller has penned a new dev blog focused on the upcoming Federation ship interior revamp. Players can look forward to dynamic hallways and smaller, more compact designs that still allow plenty of room for combat maneuvering. What's a dynamic hallway? It's a hallway "built in sections that can easily be swapped out with other things," Miller explains. "For example, if a mission calls for the player to be in a more engineering-type deck, we can very easily swap out a paneled wall section with piping. Another example would be what we like to call special situations. A special situation would be like if a mission required a sudden explosion to occur and an entire section gets blasted out into space. The way the new hall kits are made let us do cool new things like this a lot easier." There's much more to the dev blog, and of course the revamp itself will be playable via the new Federation tutorial coming in Season 8. Star Trek Online dev blog details Federation interior revamp originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 07 Nov 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Dev blog

Blade & Soul adds first player-designed costume Posted: 07 Nov 2013 02:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Blade & Soul, Player-Generated Content When you think of player-generated content or in-game assets, chances are that Blade & Soul isn't the first title that springs to mind. Maybe it should, though, if a new video at MMO Culture is a portend of things to come. The fantasy martial arts MMO recently added its first player-designed outfit, which for now is only available via ongoing Korean internet cafe events. The get-up is called the Ethereal Fairy costume, and the source links below feature some images and a bit more info. We've also embedded a video after the cut if you'd like to see the outfit in the finished game. Continue reading Blade & Soul adds first player-designed costume Blade & Soul adds first player-designed costume originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 07 Nov 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: MMO Culture

World of Tanks: Xbox 360 Edition welcomes all to open beta weekend Posted: 07 Nov 2013 01:30 PM PST Filed under: Betas, Events (In-Game), War, Free-to-Play, World of Tanks, Promotions, MOBA Listen up, tank commanders: If you have any hankering at all to try out the beta World of Tanks' Xbox 360 Edition, you better do so this weekend. Wargaming has kicked off an open beta weekend today that will continue through Sunday, November 10th, and it will be the last chance for anyone to get in on the beta as registrations will be closed afterward. To smooth the entry process, Wargaming will ensure that players don't have to sign up for a beta key but can simply download the client and boot up the game. To sweeten the entry process, the studio is giving a free premium USA T14 tier III heavy tank to beta testers and a premium USA Ram II tier V medium tank to those who fight at least five battles. World of Tanks: Xbox 360 Edition will also feature double XP during the beta weekend. [Source: Wargaming press release] World of Tanks: Xbox 360 Edition welcomes all to open beta weekend originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 07 Nov 2013 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Alter Ego: Issue #2 - Learning to fly in DC Universe Online Posted: 07 Nov 2013 01:00 PM PST Filed under: Super-hero, Galleries, Screenshots, Lore, MMO Industry, PvE, Free-to-Play, Comics, Roleplaying, DC Universe Online, Alter-Ego Last time in Massively's DC Universe Online webcomic, Kid Critical escaped from Brainiac's dastardly clutches and -- aided by the Man of Steel -- brought down one of the evil overlord's deadly harvester ships. But Brainiac still has designs on digitizing Earth and all its inhabitants. And both supervillains and petty criminals alike are leveraging the chaos to cause big trouble for the Justice League and its new exobyte-powered allies. Now, Kid Critical returns home to Gotham City, struggling with his super powers and at the mercy of a mysterious hacker called Oracle. Will he master his exobytes in time to help save the city? Or will he end up as another grease spot on Gotham's mean streets? Find out in Alter Ego #2: Learning to Fly. Continue reading Alter Ego: Issue #2 - Learning to fly in DC Universe Online Alter Ego: Issue #2 - Learning to fly in DC Universe Online originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 07 Nov 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

PlanetSide 2 coming to South Korea Posted: 07 Nov 2013 12:30 PM PST Filed under: Sci-Fi, Events (Real-World), MMO Industry, Free-to-Play, MMOFPS, PlanetSide 2 PlanetSide 2 is forging in-roads with South Korea as SOE has announced a partnership with Daum Communications to bring the free-to-play MMOFPS to the country. Daum will be handling all of the operations of the title with exclusive publishing rights. Daum Leader of Game Division Sean Hong anticipates a strong response from the country's gamers: "PlanetSide 2 is a groundbreaking MMOFPS, and its competitive nature is a perfect fit for the South Korean audience." The date of the South Korean launch is unknown, but the two companies will be showing PlanetSide 2 off at G-STAR from November 14th through 16th. [Source: SOE press release] PlanetSide 2 coming to South Korea originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 07 Nov 2013 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Perfect Ten: What making games taught me about MMO development Posted: 07 Nov 2013 12:00 PM PST Filed under: MMO Industry, Opinion, Perfect Ten, Miscellaneous Since 1998, I've created and run countless games in my role as a youth minister. Despite the accusations from some corners that games waste time, I've been a firm believer that they're one of the most universal bonding experiences and can be used for a purpose. I've also learned a lot of lessons while coming up with my own or adapting others' games. You can have the perfect game on paper, but throwing it to the "test server" of a group of insane teens can show you just how wrong you are. It's through games that I've tied together my hobby and professional life, and it's definitely opened my eyes to some of the complex issues that developers deal with on a daily basis. So you know how they say that you have to walk a mile in another's shoes to understand where he's coming from? Well, I've done this with games. Here are 10 lessons that running games taught me about developing and operating these complex MMOs we love. Continue reading Perfect Ten: What making games taught me about MMO development Perfect Ten: What making games taught me about MMO development originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 07 Nov 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Diablo III tops 14 million sales across all platforms Posted: 07 Nov 2013 11:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, MMO Industry, News Items, Consoles, Diablo III Between the PC, the XBox 360, and the PlayStation 3 versions, in excess of 14 million copies of Diablo III have been sold since the game launched last year. Blizzard CEO Mike Morhaime announced the figure during an inventor call last night. He added that recent praise about the action RPG is centered on changes to the loot system and the fact that the auction house was ditched on consoles. Morheim continued, "Players and critics alike have noted that these changes have resulted in a more fun and satisfying game experience. That reaction factored in our decision to remove the auction houses from the PC version of Diablo 3 effective next March, which players have also responded very positively to." Diablo III tops 14 million sales across all platforms originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 07 Nov 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Blizzard Investor Relations Via: Joystiq

PAX East 2014 is sold out Posted: 07 Nov 2013 10:30 AM PST Filed under: Culture, Events (Real-World), News Items, Miscellaneous PAX East sold out, man. It totally sold out. We're not trying to wax poetic here; it has literally sold out. No, we are not using the new meaning of "literally" from the Oxford English Dictionary. It has completely sold out; you cannot buy any more tickets. It sold out. What did you think we meant? The convention is slated to start on April 11th of next year, but there are no longer any badges available for the event. So if you haven't already purchased one, we're sorry, but at least you'll be able to save some money. And as always, we'll be doing our best to elbow through the throngs to bring you coverage of MMO news from the show floor. PAX East 2014 is sold out originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 07 Nov 2013 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Twitter Via: Official Site

RIFT sees a player surge thanks to Steam Posted: 07 Nov 2013 10:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, MMO Industry, News Items, Free-to-Play, RIFT The near-ubiquity of Steam as a distribution platform can certainly drive players to your game. A little less than a week after RIFT launched on Steam, Trion Worlds is reporting that RIFT and Defiance have seen a combined influx of 250,000 new players, beating out the numbers reported both for the launch of Storm Legion and RIFT's free-to-play conversion. It's the largest influx of players the game has ever seen since its original launch, for that matter: Trion says it made for the "highest single day gain in new users" since the game first opened its doors. What does that mean for the long run? That's the eternal question. At least 32,000 of those players were returning former players. RIFT launched its most recent major patch yesterday, but whether or not it will encourage players new to the game to subscribe or buy things in the cash shop is up for debate. Regardless, it's a good sign of health for the game as a whole, so congratulations are in order to the RIFT team on the number bump. [Source: Trion Worlds press release] RIFT sees a player surge thanks to Steam originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 07 Nov 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

New video heralds release of The Secret World's Issue #8 Posted: 07 Nov 2013 09:30 AM PST Filed under: Horror, Real-Life, Video, Game Mechanics, Patches, Endgame, The Secret World If you've been champing at the bit to get in and try out The Secret World's new scenario system, you can dive in right now -- after you patch the update, that is. Issue #8 The Venetian Agenda is live on servers, continuing the story that left off in Transylvania and opening up the Council of Venice. Players must prove to the Council that their skills are up to the challenge of Tokyo in the virtual reality simulations before they can earn the certification to enter the city when Issue #9 releases. The Venetian Agenda also introduces the new augment system that gives endgame players even more customization options. Take a walk through the new content with Creative Director Joel Bylos in the video below and read even more about the update in Massively's hands-on. Continue reading New video heralds release of The Secret World's Issue #8 New video heralds release of The Secret World's Issue #8 originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 07 Nov 2013 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Issue #8 is live

New EVE dev video shows off Rubicon features Posted: 07 Nov 2013 09:00 AM PST Filed under: Sci-Fi, Trailers, Video, EVE Online, Expansions, PvP, News Items, Sandbox For virtual pilots looking forward to Rubicon, the EVE Online expansion -- with its new ships, deployable structures, certification revamp, and more -- can't get here soon enough. But even though players have to wait until November 19th to get in and experience Rubicon for themselves, they can take a peek at what's to come in CCP's newest in-development video. Part one of two, this video highlights the deployable structures, the Isis project (which puts tons of information about factions, ships, and ship groups at your fingertips in game), and the new Sisters of Eve ship. Listen as the devs expound on these features in the video below, then be on the lookout for part two and the Rubicon cinematic trailer, both of which are announced as coming soon. Continue reading New EVE dev video shows off Rubicon features New EVE dev video shows off Rubicon features originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 07 Nov 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: In Development - Eve Online: Rubicon Part 1

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