| The Game Archaeologist: The bizarre death of Wish Posted: 23 Nov 2013 09:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Business Models, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, The Game Archaeologist First of all, "wish" is one of those words that ends up looking dang strange the more you focus on it. Wish, wish, wish, wish. It's just a bunch of meaningless lines and squiggles to me now. Anyway, what's up for today's topic? We're going to look at another MMO that didn't make it to the starting gate even with some genuine enthusiasm and hype surrounding it, and that game is wrrrshhsish. Wish. That game is Wish. While memories of this never-launched title have faded with time, Wish is still remembered for two things: a truly audacious feature set that promised the world and an abrupt, bizarre end that seemed to come out of nowhere. What made this MMO so special and why did it die so young? Our very own Game Archaeologist is on the scene with a special report. Continue reading The Game Archaeologist: The bizarre death of Wish  The Game Archaeologist: The bizarre death of Wish originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 23 Nov 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| WRUP: Perpetual gaming initiative edition Posted: 23 Nov 2013 07:00 AM PST Filed under: Massively Meta, Miscellaneous If there's one thing I know people hate, it's spiders hidden inside of all of their clothes. The second thing would be people writing for game sites without ever actually playing games. So I went ahead and did the opposite! The editing staff said there was no need whatsoever for me to hook myself up to a complicated system of IVs providing nutrition and stimulants so that I could be playing games all day every day, but I did it anyway. It's been five days, and I've learned a great lesson: This is completely miserable. Someone, please unhook me. If you aren't coming to unhook me, well, you can still enjoy this week's WRUP. Probably. If you can live with yourself for ignoring me while I'm sitting here, trapped in a video game-related torment that is more or less of my own devising. No, no, by all means, find out what the staff is up to this weekend and let us know in the comments. I'll wait. I can't do anything else. Continue reading WRUP: Perpetual gaming initiative edition WRUP: Perpetual gaming initiative edition originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 23 Nov 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Daily Grind: How long have you played your current game? Posted: 23 Nov 2013 05:00 AM PST Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous, Anniversaries It really doesn't mean much for someone to have played a game since launch. The game has likely changed a great deal since then, and what was true at launch is no longer true. But there's still that spectre of being committed. A player who's been on board for two years commands a certain amount of respect compared to someone who's been playing for just over a month. And when a game like Star Wars: The Old Republic or World of Warcraft or Fallen Earth celebrates another anniversary, there's a certain pleasure in being able to say you've been there the whole time. So today's question is very simple: How long have you played your current game? If you have just one MMO, tell us about that one; if you have several, tell us about all of them. We're just curious how long you've been in your games of choice. A month? A year? Five years? Let us know!  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: How long have you played your current game? originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 23 Nov 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Forsaken World's latest expansion is live Posted: 22 Nov 2013 06:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Expansions, MMO Industry, Patches, PvP, News Items, PvE, Free-to-Play, Dungeons Forsaken World's newest expansion is now live. The content drop is called Dysil's Wrath, and it adds a new arena season, cross-server PvP, and new raid bosses to the free-to-play fantasy MMO. Players may also construct guild buildings, according to Perfect World Entertainment's press release. Don't take our word for it, though. Have a look at the teaser trailer after the break. [Source: Perfect World press release] Continue reading Forsaken World's latest expansion is live Forsaken World's latest expansion is live originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 22 Nov 2013 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Roberts on Star Citizen's immersive mining and Squadron 42 Posted: 22 Nov 2013 05:30 PM PST Filed under: Sci-Fi, Trailers, Video, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Sandbox, Crowdfunding, Star Citizen, Buy-to-Play Ho hum, Cloud Imperium collected another windfall this week for Star Citizen, pushing the crowdfunded space sim sandbox's total take north of $29 million. Chris Roberts returns with the obligatory chairman update, and there's plenty of interesting stuff in there relating to enhanced Squadron 42 functionality and more. The team at Foundry 42 has big plans for Squadron 42, and we're going to provide extra funding to make it a true spiritual successor to Wing Commander! Squadron 42 can go above and beyond anything you've seen before. From opening with an epic battle instead of a training patrol to missions that seamlessly combine boarding and space combat, we aim to put you right into the action! Additional funding will let the team realize this, with enhanced mission design and more resources and animations to enhance fidelity. If you're new to Star Citizen fandom, it's worth noting that Squadron 42 is the single-player story campaign that serves as an optional introduction prior to entering the SC persistent world. And speaking of that persistent world, Roberts also says that a resounding number of citizens asked for a mining ship. "We're happy to oblige," he writes, "but I'll go ahead and warn you that mining in Star Citizen is going to be a lot more immersive than what you've seen before; you won't be clicking on an asteroid until you've collected metal!" Click past the cut for a six-minute video featuring the Foundry 42 dev team. Continue reading Roberts on Star Citizen's immersive mining and Squadron 42 Roberts on Star Citizen's immersive mining and Squadron 42 originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 22 Nov 2013 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Betawatch: November 16 - 22, 2013 Posted: 22 Nov 2013 05:00 PM PST Filed under: Betas, MMO Industry, News Items, Betawatch, Miscellaneous Yes, The Elder Scrolls Online fans, another set of beta invitations has gone out, making for a large number of very happy fans. ArcheAge fans, by contrast, are probably extremely unhappy. Unless they're in Russia, which is apparently higher priority for release than over here. This is why we can't have nice things. Speaking of games that seem to outright refuse to launch over here, we learned Blade & Soul is doing quite well in its Chinese beta. The good news is that open beta is launching on the 28th and will feature no IP locks; the bad news is that it will obviously be in Chinese, which may be quite a hurdle for anyone not fluent. Other than that? Oh, you know, the usual list of tests past the break. Let us know if something crept into open testing or added a cash shop without our noticing! Continue reading Betawatch: November 16 - 22, 2013 Betawatch: November 16 - 22, 2013 originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 22 Nov 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| This is how ANet makes a Guild Wars 2 PvP map Posted: 22 Nov 2013 04:30 PM PST |
| The Stream Team: It's 90 or bust in World of Warcraft Posted: 22 Nov 2013 04:00 PM PST Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Video, PvE, Massively Meta, Hands-On, Livestream, Subscription, MMORPG World of Warcraft's upcoming Warlords of Draenor expansion has Massively's Mike Foster all fired up, so he's working his way through the Mists of Pandaria content he never got around to finishing. Tune in for quests galore as he pushes his Shaman through the dreaded final level before cap. The adventure begins at 7:00 p.m. EST. Game: World of Warcraft Host: Mike Foster Date: Friday, November 22, 2013 Time: 7:00 p.m. EST Enjoy our Steam Team video below. Continue reading The Stream Team: It's 90 or bust in World of Warcraft The Stream Team: It's 90 or bust in World of Warcraft originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 22 Nov 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Ragnarok Online 2 closing in Korea next month Posted: 22 Nov 2013 03:00 PM PST |
| Neverwinter dispels the mystery of its artifact system Posted: 22 Nov 2013 02:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Game Mechanics, Patches, Previews, Free-to-Play, Dev Diaries, Neverwinter For those of you who are a little mystified over the new artifact system coming with Neverwinter's Shadowmantle module, Cryptic's put out a clear-cut guide to what's what with these special objects. Artifacts are items that imbue the possessor with certain bonuses while at the same time giving players new skills to use. These skills recharge every few minutes and offer significant benefits, from healing to damage boosting to... shopkeeping. Players will get their first artifact for free at level 20, after which additional artifacts will need to be found elsewhere in the game. Artifacts can be leveled up through the refinement system (also coming with module 2). Ultimately, a player can have one active and two passive artifacts slotted at any given time, with the passives offering only the stat bonuses. Neverwinter dispels the mystery of its artifact system originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 22 Nov 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| DUST 514 dev blog showcases new assault weapons Posted: 22 Nov 2013 01:30 PM PST Filed under: Sci-Fi, Patches, PvP, News Items, Free-to-Play, Consoles, MMOFPS, DUST 514, Dev Diaries, Miscellaneous Two new weapons are headed to the DUST 514 battlefield in the form of the Caldari rail rifle and the Minmitar combat rifle. These items join the Gallente assault rifle and Amarr scrambler rifle as the latest in DUST 514's race-specific weaponry; each gun possesses unique traits based on the preferences of the race that designed it. The Minmitar combat rifle comes in three-shot burst and fully automatic variants. The Caldari rail rifle also comes in two variants; the assault version uses no sight and loses range for increased rate of fire, while the normal version fires slowly but with higher accuracy. You can check out full crunchy breakdowns on both in the typical CCP style over on the official update post. DUST 514 dev blog showcases new assault weapons originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 22 Nov 2013 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Azeroth and beyond: Nine years of World of Warcraft Posted: 22 Nov 2013 01:05 PM PST Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Expansions, MMO Industry, PvP, PvE, Events (Massively's Coverage), Anniversaries, Subscription, MMORPG In 1999, Blizzard Entertainment was well on its way to becoming something of a titan in the PC gaming space. Riding high on hits like Diablo, Warcraft II, and the barely-a-year-old StarCraft, Blizzard had established itself as a purveyor of quirky, well-made, and entertaining games mostly of the RTS variety. However, something else was brewing behind closed doors at Blizzard's Irvine campus. While sequels to Warcraft, StarCraft, and Diablo were all in development (and hotly anticipated), the company had also quietly started work on a brand-new massively-multiplayer online game set in one of the studio's existing game universes. That game, of course, was World of Warcraft. And nine years ago tomorrow, it completely changed the face of MMO gaming. Continue reading Azeroth and beyond: Nine years of World of Warcraft Azeroth and beyond: Nine years of World of Warcraft originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 22 Nov 2013 16:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Stream Team: Killing things softly with Aion's Songweaver Posted: 22 Nov 2013 01:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Aion, Classes, Free-to-Play, Livestream, The Stream Team In Aion, music not only calms the savage beat, it also slays it! The Songweaver is an interesting class since it uses melodies to heal and to hurt both friends and foes (hopefully in that order!). And when have you known Massively's MJ to turn down playing an interesting healer class? This week she dusts off those jet-black Asmodian wings and sets out with her harp on her back to make Atreia a better place for all... OK, maybe not the Elyos. Join us live at 4:00 p.m. EST for more 4.0 adventures as she flies through levels. Game: Aion Host: MJ Guthrie Date: Friday, November 22nd, 2013 Time: 4:00 p.m. EST Enjoy our Steam Team video below. Continue reading The Stream Team: Killing things softly with Aion's Songweaver The Stream Team: Killing things softly with Aion's Songweaver originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 22 Nov 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Trove starts alpha testing, sells supporter packs Posted: 22 Nov 2013 12:30 PM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Free-to-Play, Sandbox, Crowdfunding, Trove Trion Worlds has sent out its first wave of Trove alpha invites today as the game moved into its latest phase of testing. On Reddit, Trion devs addressed how players may gain access to the alpha: "We will be inviting people both at random from the pool of everyone who has signed up as well as directly inviting strong Trove supporters: community contributors, streamers, and so on." If you're not content to wait for an alpha or beta invite, you can cut the wait with a few bucks by purchasing one of Trove's new supporter packs. These start at $5 and go up to $2,500, with perks such as testing spots, in-game credits, in-game items, the soundtrack, and even the ability to help create a biome. Basically, $5 gets you the beta and $20 (on up) gets you the alpha, if that's what you're seeking. Additionally, the more that the community chips in for these packs, the more additional rewards will be unlocked for everyone in the form of "bonus milestones." Trove starts alpha testing, sells supporter packs originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 22 Nov 2013 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Champions Online previews customizable auras Posted: 22 Nov 2013 12:00 PM PST Filed under: Super-hero, Game Mechanics, Free-to-Play, Champions Online, Dev Diaries Champions Online is promising players "thousands" of new visual customization options with its upcoming auras. A new Cryptic dev diary gives a brief preview of the aura system, tantalizing players with the possibility of fine-tuning all sorts of special effects to give their hero a unique sparkle. Players can slot auras as either skin or cloud effects, mix-and-matching them to create all manner of combos. In addition, auras can be always on or activated in combat, and players can shift the hue of each one. Cryptic will be giving all players a pair of free aura slots, with additional ones available for a fee. Aura items can be found as rare loot or purchased from the C-Store. Champions Online previews customizable auras originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 22 Nov 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| WoW supporting Make-A-Wish through new charity pet sales Posted: 22 Nov 2013 11:30 AM PST Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Events (Real-World), MMO Industry, News Items, Promotions Through the end of the year, Blizzard is supporting the Make-A-Wish Foundation with proceeds from the sales of World of Warcraft's cuddly new pet, the Alterac Brew Pup. From now until January 1st, 2014, at 2:59 a.m., players can purchase the charity pup for $10.00, half of which goes right to Make-A-Wish. Additionally, a new Enchanted Fey Dragon mount is also available; during the charity event, it can be bought in a special bundle with the Brew Pup. Players who opt for the bundle purchase will receive a $5.00 discount over buying the two separately, and $5.00 still goes to the charity. If you think these two critters sound too cute for words, see them for yourself in the clips below. Continue reading WoW supporting Make-A-Wish through new charity pet sales WoW supporting Make-A-Wish through new charity pet sales originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 22 Nov 2013 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Storyboard: Now I only want you gone Posted: 22 Nov 2013 11:00 AM PST Filed under: Culture, Opinion, Roleplaying, Storyboard, Miscellaneous Roleplaying friendships are like any other sort of friendship. The person you started roleplaying with at the launch of the game may not be someone you want to keep roleplaying with through the whole of your time with the game. The question isn't whether or not this will happen; it's when it will happen and what you're going to do when you realize that you don't want to play with this person any longer. What sounds like the simplest thing in the world becomes much harder due to the simple fact that none of us likes telling someone else, "I don't want to interact with you any longer." That means you've got to read the signs and derive a lesson -- and also learn the way that your signals are going to be read, even if you don't mean it that way. So what signs do you get, what signs do you send, and what do you do? Continue reading Storyboard: Now I only want you gone Storyboard: Now I only want you gone originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 22 Nov 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Looking For Guild: These guilds need you! Posted: 22 Nov 2013 10:00 AM PST |
Twitter taking moves to further encrypt user data 
ARM has "no plans" for chips because they "aren't needed"
Black Friday deals at Microsoft abound 
