| Trion officially reveals Trove: Endless adventures through endless worlds Posted: 15 Nov 2013 09:00 AM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Interviews, New Titles, Free-to-Play, Sandbox, Trove Even with its recent "regroup and reorganize" strategy, there's no doubt that Trion Worlds is an ambitious company that enjoys having its fingers in many pies. But what about that yummy voxel Minecraft pie? So tempting... so trendy... so full of antioxidants. Well, Trion's baking one of those up too, and it's called Trove. So what is Trove, exactly? It's something radically different for Trion, though it's plainly drawing upon lessons learned from the studio's other titles. Trove is a multiplayer universe of worlds where creation, destruction, and adventure go hand-in-hand. It's a sandbox, an RPG, a toolset, a public space, a private space, a free-to-play experience, and according to CEO Scott Hartsman, a passion. We spoke with Hartsman to get a handle on what Trove will bring to MMOs and how it's looking to differentiate itself from the rest of the pack. So take one last look at the cute bug above and prepare yourself for an endless adventure through endless worlds. Continue reading Trion officially reveals Trove: Endless adventures through endless worlds  Trion officially reveals Trove: Endless adventures through endless worlds originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 15 Nov 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Play DC Universe Online on your new PlayStation 4 now Posted: 15 Nov 2013 08:00 AM PST Filed under: Super-hero, Galleries, Screenshots, Events (Real-World), MMO Industry, News Items, Consoles, DC Universe Online If you've already gotten your mitts on a just-released PlayStation 4, you can wriggle into your virtual tights and dive right into DC Universe Online's crime-fighting action. (Or if you prefer, you can cause the crimes as a villain instead, we won't judge!) And you don't have to worry about leaving those friends who don't yet have a PS4 behind, as DCUO features cross-platform play between the newest console and the PlayStation 3. Owners of both consoles can play the game on either one, but the PS4 also features remote play on the Vita. Perhaps you're the proud owner of a PS4 but have never played DCUO before -- no problem! You can hop in and join the caped crusades for free. Check out the enhanced graphics in both the six new screenshots in the gallery and the launch trailer below. [Source: SOE press release] Continue reading Play DC Universe Online on your new PlayStation 4 now Play DC Universe Online on your new PlayStation 4 now originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 15 Nov 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Bless heads overseas, but stays in the East Posted: 15 Nov 2013 07:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items The good news is that Bless is traversing the seas to open up in new markets. Yay! The bad news is that said markets are not out here in the West. Sorry folks. The fantasy game known for its visually stunning screenshots and trailers is keeping to the other side of the globe; it will be available in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau. Publishing the game in that region is Game Flier, Taiwan's largest online games company. After posing for a picture at the Bless Taiwan Signing Ceremony, executives retired from the public spotlight at G-Star 2013 to conduct business in the business section. Although there is still no guarantee that the game will even make it to the West, we can hope that expanding into these markets is just the first step on the road to many more. [Thanks to Dengar for the tip!] Bless heads overseas, but stays in the East originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 15 Nov 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Second Wind: Fallen Earth Posted: 15 Nov 2013 06:00 AM PST Filed under: Sci-Fi, Screenshots, Fallen Earth, Game Mechanics, Opinion, Free-to-Play, Post-Apocalyptic, Second Wind My favorite thing about the Second Wind column is the idea of coming back to a game you once loved and rediscovering what made you once love it. It could be a game that possibly burned you with a new update or left you heartbroken after a patch, but you just can't get that game out of your mind. For me, that game is Fallen Earth. It's not so much that the game burned me at any one particular time; it was a gradual decline in respect for the game after years of playing through horrible AI, broken pathing, and unfixed lag that made the game unplayable at times. The changeover to F2P didn't help anything, and when most of the core staff was eventually laid off, I lost interest. But what always kept me going was the overwhelming good points about the game. The setting is perfect for me, the faction wheel is (was) genius, and the sense of humor is unmatched. I played Fallen Earth relentlessly since beta because it scratched so many itches for me, but the problems soon became too much to overlook. But I just can't get her outta my mind. Continue reading Second Wind: Fallen Earth Second Wind: Fallen Earth originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 15 Nov 2013 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Daily Grind: Do you miss the MMO midgame? Posted: 15 Nov 2013 05:00 AM PST Filed under: Culture, Endgame, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous, Dungeons Some people play MMOs to play the early game and roll alts. They may never get past level 12, but they have that one class in every race and almost every hairstyle too just because. Some people race to the endgame. They can't imagine stopping to smell the roses; they just want to get to the "real" game at the end of the leveling treadmill, whether it's raiding or high-end crafting or PvP. What's often forgotten in themepark MMOs is the mid-game. In sandboxes, the mid-game is the game, but in themeparks, you don't find a lot of people milling around the middle levels intentionally outside of twink PvP. Or do you? Are you one of those gamers who prefers to lock your level to PvP like it's 2005, who roleplays in that tavern from two expansions ago, who longs for the days when people ran UBRS and Unrest and Fornost without irony, and who wishes devs would heap love on the midgame instead of letting it decay with time until it's nigh-on skippable?  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 miss the MMO midgame? originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 15 Nov 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Stream Team: VR can still hurt in The Secret World's scenarios Posted: 14 Nov 2013 06:00 PM PST Filed under: Horror, Real-Life, Hands-On, The Secret World, Livestream, Dungeons, The Stream Team, Buy-to-Play Last week in The Secret World, Massively's MJ tested out only one version of one mode of one scenario with her group. But there are plenty more options to experience, from different locales to smaller group sizes (or no group at all!) to Elite or Nightmare modes. Will MJ and her group take a virtual reality trip to the Franklin Mansion or Transylvania's castle? Will they brave the rigors of an Elite version, or will they stick to normal mode? Join us live at 9:00 p.m. EST for a new look at Issue #8's scenarios. Game: The Secret World Host: MJ Guthrie Date: Thursday, November 14th, 2013 Time: 9:00 p.m. EST Enjoy our Steam Team video below. Continue reading The Stream Team: VR can still hurt in The Secret World's scenarios The Stream Team: VR can still hurt in The Secret World's scenarios originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 14 Nov 2013 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| InnoGames' The West receives item balancing patch Posted: 14 Nov 2013 05:00 PM PST Filed under: Historical, Patches, News Items, Free-to-Play, Browser InnoGames' free-to-play, browser-based, cowboy-centric MMO The West has been updated with a new patch, bringing with it some extensive item rebalancing as well as "more than 280 new items," which the devs hope will "allow for a more streamlined character progression." On top of that, the patch introduces "an improved social interface." The press release notes that the item revamps in this patch are "part of the preparation for the upcoming level cap raise and the third part of the [game's] recently introduced main story." For more information on The West and its new patch, just click on through to the game's official site. [Source: InnoGames press release] InnoGames' The West receives item balancing patch originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 14 Nov 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Summoner's Guidebook: Avoiding LoL's wombo combos Posted: 14 Nov 2013 04:00 PM PST Filed under: PvP, Opinion, Free-to-Play, Guides, MOBA, League of Legends, The Summoner's Guidebook If you've played League of Legends for while, you've probably been on both ends of a wombo combo. This amusing term describes what happens when two characters combine their simultaneous murdering efforts. You know you've hit with a wombo combo if your opponent dies to your combined assault without ever getting a chance to do anything except die. In LoL, wombo combos require quite a bit of setup. All participants need to be within striking distance of the enemy, or one of the attackers needs to pull the victim into his friends. Because of the limitations on positioning, most wombo combos are avoidable. Continue reading The Summoner's Guidebook: Avoiding LoL's wombo combos The Summoner's Guidebook: Avoiding LoL's wombo combos originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 14 Nov 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Grab popcorn and watch the EVE Online: Rubicon trailer Posted: 14 Nov 2013 03:30 PM PST |
| The Guild Counsel: Is shared interest in an MMO enough to justify a guild? Posted: 14 Nov 2013 03:00 PM PST Filed under: Culture, Guilds, MMO Industry, Opinion, The Guild Counsel, Miscellaneous It all starts out so innocently. A few friends are casually chatting and realize they all are excited about an upcoming new MMO. Maybe a group of gaming bloggers connect over their shared appreciation of a certain game. Or even here at Massively, readers notice that there are many others who share their positive impressions of a game's launch. Next thing you know, someone suggests that it would be a great idea to start a guild, and the roller coaster begins. Forming a guild based on a shared interest in a game doesn't guarantee success, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't do it. It does come with its own unique set of issues to address early on, however. Let's take a look at these connoisseur guilds and how to make them work in this week's Guild Counsel. Continue reading The Guild Counsel: Is shared interest in an MMO enough to justify a guild? The Guild Counsel: Is shared interest in an MMO enough to justify a guild? originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 14 Nov 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Lord of the Rings Online: Helm's Deep breaks beta records Posted: 14 Nov 2013 02:00 PM PST |
| The Think Tank: Are non-combat sandbox tools a necessity in your MMO? Posted: 14 Nov 2013 01:00 PM PST |
| Dota 2 gets new heroes, crafting, and Diretide Posted: 14 Nov 2013 12:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Patches, PvP, News Items, Free-to-Play, MOBA Last week, the folks at Valve apologized to the Dota 2 community for silently skipping the game's Halloween-themed Diretide event. In the apology, the Dota team promised that Diretide would go live with the next big update, which they hinted would include a bunch of other features the community would be happy to see. Today, Valve announced the update, titled Three Spirits. And true to the Dota team's word, it's a big one. It includes two new heroes in the form of Earth Spirit and Ember Spirit (counterparts to the existing Storm Spirit), an in-game coaching mechanic that enables teams and individuals to improve their play, and a crafting and socketing system that provides for customizing existing items or combining unneeded ones to make something better and more useful. The patch also brings a new showcase view of matches, a lane-picker, colorblind mode, new training missions and more. Oh, and yes, Diretide is coming; the event runs from November 14th to November 28th. Check out the full patch notes on the official Three Spirits site. Dota 2 gets new heroes, crafting, and Diretide originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 14 Nov 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| EverQuest Next Landmark livestream delves into player-made structures Posted: 14 Nov 2013 11:30 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Previews, News Items, Free-to-Play, EverQuest Next, Livestream  One of the most touted features of Sony Online Entertainment's upcoming EverQuest Next Landmark is most certainly the ability of players to alter the world and build their own structures within it. If you're a would-be architect who wants to get more details on EQN Landmark's construction process, then you're in luck because yesterday's official livestream consists of over 50 minutes of building-related questions, answers, and even gameplay. Of course, a 50 minute video can't be easily summarized without turning this article into a novella, but suffice it to say that the devs reveal plenty of tasty information morsels on topics including resource gathering, world size, territory control, and naturally, building construction. And if that isn't enough, the video also features a healthy dose of honest-to-goodness gameplay footage of a player-made structure being built in real time. For all this and more, check out the full EQN Landmark video after the cut. Continue reading EverQuest Next Landmark livestream delves into player-made structures EverQuest Next Landmark livestream delves into player-made structures originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 14 Nov 2013 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Perfect World Entertainment explains more about Arc Posted: 14 Nov 2013 11:00 AM PST Filed under: MMO Industry, News Items, Miscellaneous Perfect World Entertainment is pulling its games together in a big way. The company's new Arc platform is meant to integrate all of its various titles, from Star Trek Online to Neverwinter to Perfect World International, under a single launcher and a more unified scheme. A new development update explains more about what this will mean for players of these titles and offers a rough idea of when these changes will begin rolling out. First and foremost in many players' minds, the new launcher will not be made mandatory just yet, although a new version of all the various game websites will be launching before the year's end. The change is also creating a new and streamlined format for buying Zen for each game, along with a new set of game guides to help new players understand what they're getting into. For more details on these changes as well as the new profile system, take a look at the full update, and keep your eyes peeled for our interview with PWE on these changes from Terilynn Shull. Perfect World Entertainment explains more about Arc originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 14 Nov 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Champions Online extends automatic veteran rewards to lifetime subscribers Posted: 14 Nov 2013 10:00 AM PST Filed under: Super-hero, News Items, Free-to-Play, Champions Online, Promotions Lifetime subscriptions are tricky things. Being able to simply drop money and forever have access to a game is nice on paper, but it takes a while before it starts paying for itself, and it really comes back to bite you if you turn out to not enjoy a game's direction. Champions Online was one of the first games to offer a lifetime option, and as of today Cryptic Studios has sweetened the offer slightly by giving lifetime subscribers all of the game's veteran rewards. As soon as you purchase a lifetime subscription, even if you've never logged into the game before, your account is eligible for every single long-term subscriber benefit. Obviously this won't have much of an impact on people who have already been lifetime subscribers since the beginning, but more recent players will benefit from an influx of new rewards. It's up to you whether or not those extra perks are worth a $300 investment in the game. Champions Online extends automatic veteran rewards to lifetime subscribers originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 14 Nov 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Sputnik 3 has landed
Not all Radeon R9 Series cards come with Battlefield 4
Buy a board or system today, add Thunderbolt support later
Cost of entry just got $50 cheaper
