General Gaming Article

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• Build a PC: Recommended Builds (December 2013)
• DayZ Standalone Out Now on Steam Early Access
• First Round of GeForce Benchmarks on SteamOS Beta Pop Up Online
• Microsoft's Online Store Sells Out of Surface 2 Inventory
• UPS Driver Leaves Android Tablet in Trash Bin
• Amazon Now Offering Kindle Fire HDX on Interest Free Holiday Payment Plan
• Partial Steam Machine Tear Down Video Shows Off Excellent Cable Management
• Newegg Daily Deals: MSI Z87-GD65 Gaming Motherboard, AMD FX-8320 Vishera, and More!

Build a PC: Recommended Builds (December 2013) Posted: 16 Dec 2013 04:17 PM PST Budget, baseline, and performance PC builds! What time is it? It's time to build a PC with our Blueprints! This month, we've built three rigs at three approximate price points: Baseline, Performance, and Ultra. Baseline gets you a powerful that is suitable for gaming and content creation at 1080p, Performance beefs everything up across the board, and Ultra is the kind of rig you build when price is no object. These rigs are lab-tested and editor-approved. Feedback is, of course, welcome. Tell us what you think!     We're trying something different this month by switching our CPU from Intel to AMD. The FX-6300 appears to be a better value at first, since it costs about $120, while the Core i5-4430 we used previously is around $180. We like to overclock though, so we needed a fancier mobo and CPU than the Core i5-4430 combo we were using, as well as an aftermarket CPU cooler. Add in price fluctuations elsewhere in the build, and we were able to upgrade and save $16 overall. We took that cash and spent it on another upgrade, going from a 1GB Radeon HD 7790 to a 2GB Radeon HD 7850. The Corsair CX500M power supply we used previously is no longer available, so we swapped it with a quality 500W unit from PC Power and Cooling.       Intel doesn't have as much competition at this semi-powerful tier, so we're holding firm with its Core i5-4670K and a Gigabyte Z87X-UD3H motherboard. This build uses the most current-generation Intel enthusiast platform, Haswell and Z87, so it offers six native SATA 6Gb/s ports and integrated voltage regulation. The Radeon HD 7950 may be discontinued by the time you read this; the GeForce GTX 760 is a similar alternative. The Fractal Design Define R4 case we used before is no longer on sale, so we've switched to the militaristic Corsair Vengeance C70. The Seasonic SS-650KM PSU sale is over, so the Cooler Master Silent Pro M2 is a fine alternative. Finally, the Intel 530 Series SSD was on sale this month, so we swapped it for the 335 model.   This system is a bit tricky. If we dropped the solid-state drive from 500GB to 250GB, traded the Blu-ray drive for a DVD burner, and maybe made a couple of cuts elsewhere, we could upgrade from the quad-core Core i7-4820K to the hexa-core Core i7-4930K. It all depends on what you want to use this system for. If it's primarily gaming, you'll benefi t more from the extra storage space than the additional CPU threads. A Steam/Origin library can take up a ton of space. If you do a lot of video encoding and other highly threadable tasks, then the hexa-core would make more sense. Since we like the extra storage, we stuck with the quad-core. Regardless of your CPU plans, you'll still benefi t from the AMD-Nvidia sale-pocalypse, which has delivered a big upgrade with the GeForce GTX 780 Ti from the GeForce GTX 780 video card we previously had in this build. This new "Ti" flavor is the fastest single-GPU card on the market, and costs just $30 more than what we were paying before. Yes, it's even speedier than Titan, for $300 less.

DayZ Standalone Out Now on Steam Early Access Posted: 16 Dec 2013 03:56 PM PST Welcome to Chernarus It's been a long time coming, but it's finally here. Dean "Rocket" Hall has finally unleashed the standalone version of DayZ to the world. It's still incomplete and is listed as an early access alpha available for $30 on Steam and on the Bohemia Interactive store. It started as a zombie mod for Arma II that became an overnight phenomenon. It was so popular that Bohemia Interactive, the developers of the Arma-franchise, offered Hall the opportunity to create a standalone version with the company. "DayZ Early Access is your chance to experience DayZ as it evolves throughout its development process. Be aware that our Early Access offer is a representation of our core pillars, and the framework we have created around them. It is a work in progress and therefore contains a variety of bugs," Hall says. "We strongly advise you not to buy and play the game at this stage unless you clearly understand what Early Access means and are interested in participating in the ongoing development cycle." The current release includes the entirety of Chernarus, the new inventory and crafting system, weapon and clothing customization, as well as 40-player servers and persistent player profiles. The Steam page for the game lists playable vehicles, player-created constructions, as well as interface and graphics updates among a slew of other planned features.

First Round of GeForce Benchmarks on SteamOS Beta Pop Up Online Posted: 16 Dec 2013 01:24 PM PST Putting SteamOS under the microscope Valve recently made its Debian Linux-based SteamOS available to download free of charge in beta form and though it's only been available for a short time, there are already some benchmarks to digest. The benchmarks come courtesy of the folks at Phoronix who tested more than half a dozen Nvidia graphics cards ranging from the GeForce GTX 550 Ti on up the GeForce GTX 780 Ti. An Intel Core i7 4770K sets up the foundation of the testbed, which also includes an ECS Z87H3-A2X Extreme v1.0 motherboard, 16GB of RAM, 150GB Western Digital hard drive, and onboard audio. While it's early, the preliminary results look pretty impressive. In Unigine Tropics v1.3 running at 2560x1600, the testbed benched anywhere from 32.2fps (GeForce GTX 550 Ti) to 170.55fps (GeForce GTX 780 Ti). All in all, the testbed put up some high numbers across the board, serving as an indication that SteamOS isn't gimping performance. These are just some reference benchmarks, however, and over the course of the next few days, Phoronix will look to compare the results with other platforms. That's when things should really get interesting. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Microsoft's Online Store Sells Out of Surface 2 Inventory Posted: 16 Dec 2013 12:55 PM PST Surface 2 products are suddenly hot commodities There are signs that suggest consumers are warming up to Microsoft's second generation Surface products. The first sign is the sold out status of every single Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2 device at Microsoft's Online store. Every single SKU is out of stock, including Surface 2 in 32GB and 64GB form, and Surface Pro 2 in 64GB, 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB form. Can there really be that much demand? It's possible that Microsoft has created an artificial shortage, but with Christmas just around the corner and the holiday shopping season in full swing, this would be a quirky strategy at best, especially since it could drive potential Surface 2 buyers to pick up an alternative device. What's also worth noting is that some outlets reported earlier in the day that places like Best Buy and Staples were out of Surface 2 inventory as well. At the time of this writing, both shops show Surface 2 as being in-stock, and Walmart's online site has the 32GB Surface 2 in-stock as well. For now, however, we can't be sure. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

UPS Driver Leaves Android Tablet in Trash Bin Posted: 16 Dec 2013 12:28 PM PST And the award for worst place to leave a delivery goes to... If you're a delivery driver, there are probably worse places to leave a package than in an empty trash bin at the end of a driveway -- in a barrel of toxic waste, for example. However, common sense should dictate that, in theory, while a trash can isn't the absolute worst spot to leave a package, there has got to be a better alternative in each and every place where a trash can is an option. Yet, that's exactly what a UPS driver did, and of course it had to happen on trash day. As initially reported by KTVI-TV and picked up by CNET, a mother who had been saving her money for several months to buy her daughter an Android tablet was driven to tears after finding a notice in her mailbox letting her know that her package had been delivered and was left "in a black trash can." UPS drivers are trained to deliver packages that do not require a signature and leave them out of sight. An Info Notice lets the recipient know where they can retrieve it. In this case, the driver seeing an empty bin assumed that garbage had already been picked up and that it would be safe to leave a package inside. However, Tracey Sole, the woman who ordered the Android tablet, left the trash bin at the bottom of her driveway because she was unable to bring it back up on the slick ice. After contacting UPS, Sole was told they would replace her tablet but couldn't guarantee it would arrive in time for Christmas. That was before the story made headlines. "UPS has apologized to me...I guess [the UPS driver] thought the empty trash can meant that they had already picked up," Sole explains. "UPS is going to be getting a new tablet for my daughter...before Christmas!" As for the driver, Sole says "he made a huge mistake" but hopes it won't end up costing him his job. Image Credit: Flickr (loop_oh) Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Amazon Now Offering Kindle Fire HDX on Interest Free Holiday Payment Plan Posted: 16 Dec 2013 09:05 AM PST Take a full year to pay for a Kindle Fire HDX today Amazon is making one last effort to sell more Kindle Fire HDX tablets this holiday shopping season by offering buyers an extended payment plan free of interest. The way it works is rather simple -- you pay 25 percent of the retail cost at checkout, and the remaining balance is billed in three equal installments every 90 days. There are no finance charges, hidden fees, credit check, or application process to go through. The final price is the same whether you pay the full cost upfront or spread it out over a year with a 25 percent initial payment, so you have that going for you. However, if you don't make one of the payments, Amazon goes into geek mafia mode and can deregister the device, blocking your ability to access Amazon content (partially bricking it, in other words). The e-tailer might also suspend or terminate your account. It's not clear what kind of grace periods, if any, exist but the consequences are something to be aware of. As for eligible tablets, they include the $229 Kindle Fire HDX 7-inch (4 payments of $75.25 plus tax and shipping) and $379 Kindle Fire HDX 8.9-inch (four payments of $94.25 plus tax and shipping). Amazon's wording makes it seem like additional SKUs will be available, but as of right now, those are the only two showing the quarterly payment option. If you're interested, be sure to check out the full terms and conditions. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Partial Steam Machine Tear Down Video Shows Off Excellent Cable Management Posted: 16 Dec 2013 08:35 AM PST More tightly packed than a can of sardines YouTube user Corey Nelson is one of the lucky few who received a prototype Steam Machine from Valve and one of the first things he did after receiving his system was tear it down on video. What's revealed from the 5 minute video is an impressive arrangement of components packed tightly together in a precise manner, yet not all that difficult to take apart and service or upgrade, should either need arise. About a third of the entire housing is dedicated to the graphics card, which runs the length of the Steam Machine's backside. Once removed, there's a sizable void, which makes accessing the other parts a little bit easier. One thing we found interesting is that all the shrouds holding down the parts in the video are plastic. This will help keep costs down, though servicing the Steam Machine might be a more delicate process as a result. Towards the end of the video, Nelson points out there's room for a second storage drive in the prototype Steam Machine, along with an extra SATA cable in case a user decides to plop one in. The power cable that plugs into the installed drive sports dual-power connectors spaced appropriately. And speaking of cables, check out that cluster next to the power supply -- props to Valve on a job well done. Take a look at the tear down and let us know what you think about it. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Newegg Daily Deals: MSI Z87-GD65 Gaming Motherboard, AMD FX-8320 Vishera, and More! Posted: 16 Dec 2013 06:41 AM PST Top Deal: If you're reading this from a high-end PC built with speedy parts sporting fancy features, thank a gamer (heck, you probably are a gamer). The PC gaming community is partially responsible for motivating component makers to push out increasingly powerful and feature-rich products -- you don't need DDR3-3000 support to run Microsoft Office, after all. The downside to this is that manufacturers often place a premium on products designed for gamers. That's why you should check out today's top deal for an MSI Z87-GD65 Gaming Motherboard for $168 with free shipping (normally $188; additional $15 mail-in-rebate). It's marked down in price but loaded up with features like high-frequency RAM support, Killer E2200 game networking, high-end components, and the list goes on. Plus, it looks snazzy to boot. Other Deals: AMD FX-8320 Vishera 3.5GHz (4.0GHz Turbo) Socket AM3+ 125W Eight-Core Desktop Processor FD8320FRHKBOX for $140 with free shipping (normally $160; use coupon code: [EMCWVWV27]) Corsair Hydro Series H100i Extreme Performance Water/Liquid CPU Cooler. 240mm for $95 with free shipping (normally $110; use coupon code: [EMCWVWV24]) G.Skill Sniper Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 (PC3 14900) Desktop Memory Model F3-1866C9D-16GSR for $136 with free shipping (normally $160; use coupon code: [EMCWVWV34]) Seagate Barracuda ST1000DM003 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5-inch Internal Hard Drive Bare Drive for $55 with free shipping (normally $70; use coupon code: [EMCWVWV23])

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MMO Updates

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• Smartphone MMO Avabel Online releases new content
• Infinite Crisis trailer introduces Robin
• R2Games goes retro with Magic Barrage
• ArcheAge Korea trailer confirms library dungeon
• The Mog Log Extra: Final Fantasy XIV's great housing fiasco
• Jagged Alliance Online starts Spanish open beta
• The Stream Team: The night is dark edition, December 16 - 22, 2013
• Mythos Global shutting down January 22nd
• The Daily Grind: What's your least favorite thing about your favorite MMO?
• MMO Week in Review: The heavy-hitters of 2014
• EVE Evolved: Three exploitable game features
• Star Wars: The Old Republic reveals second anniversary rewards
• Molten Games is building something called Blunderbuss
• Stick and Rudder: Star Citizen and The Phantom Menace

Smartphone MMO Avabel Online releases new content Posted: 16 Dec 2013 09:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Classes, News Items, Mobile While it didn't impress too much in the beginning, Avabel Online is hoping its latest major content update changes a few minds. A mobile 3-D action game available on both Android and iOS smartphones, Avabel Online offers both PvE content and PvP. The newest update adds six advanced classes (each with four new skills) to the 12 already available. Additionally, characters can now equip items in their left hands, from daggers to guns to fist weapons. Players can also roam new maps. See what's in store in the trailer below. You can try the game and try it out for yourself by visiting Apple's AppStore, Google Play, or Amazon. [Source: ASOBIMO, Inc press release] Continue reading Smartphone MMO Avabel Online releases new content Smartphone MMO Avabel Online releases new content originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 16 Dec 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Infinite Crisis trailer introduces Robin Posted: 16 Dec 2013 08:30 AM PST Filed under: Betas, Super-hero, Trailers, Video, Classes, New Titles, PvP, News Items, Free-to-Play, MMORTS, Infinite Crisis While full of plenty of superheroes to play, Infinite Crisis has not forgotten about the sidekicks that fight alongside them. The latest playable hero to join the MOBA's roster is none other than Robin, based on Tim Drake. Cast as (what else) a melee support role, Robin benefits his team with skills such as This Guy, Bo Master, and Dynamic Duo, each skill offering various team buffs and enemy debuffs. Robin's ultimate, Emergent Leader, combines AoE damage with team buffs. Gather some hints and tips for utilizing Robin in the reveal trailer below. Folks interested in playing Robin -- or any of the other heroes -- for themselves, can sign up for closed beta on the official site. [Source: Turbine press release] Continue reading Infinite Crisis trailer introduces Robin Infinite Crisis trailer introduces Robin originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 16 Dec 2013 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

R2Games goes retro with Magic Barrage Posted: 16 Dec 2013 08:00 AM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Free-to-Play, Browser If smooth graphics have lost their luster and you yearn for the days of yore with pronounced pixels, you should take a look at Magic Barrage, developed by Gameguyz. The new free-to-play browser game will open its beta doors tomorrow, December 17th at 10:00 a.m EST, and invites all those who want to re-experience the 8-bit, early 90s console game feel of classic dungeon crawlers merged with bullet hell games to jump in. Though retro, Magic Barrage still offers plenty of standard MMO features like guilds, crafting, PvP, and pets. To play, simply sign up on the official site. [Source: R2Games press release] R2Games goes retro with Magic Barrage originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 16 Dec 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

ArcheAge Korea trailer confirms library dungeon Posted: 16 Dec 2013 07:30 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Patches, News Items, ArcheAge, Sandbox, Dungeons Only teased before, XLGAMES has now confirmed that the library dungeon will be part of ArcheAge Korea's 1.0 update coming in January. Filled with unique new mobs, this dungeon contains four themed areas, each with its own levels. The update also introduces a new NPC antagonist, an Elf wizard. Additionally, 1.0 brings changes to how players earn Labor points, adding the ability for free-to-play players to earn the points while online. Quietly peek through the library in the trailer below, then check out more images of the different levels and new mobs at MMO Culture. Continue reading ArcheAge Korea trailer confirms library dungeon ArcheAge Korea trailer confirms library dungeon originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 16 Dec 2013 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Library dungeon trailer, F2P changes

The Mog Log Extra: Final Fantasy XIV's great housing fiasco Posted: 16 Dec 2013 07:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Culture, Economy, Patches, Opinion, Consoles, Final Fantasy XIV, The Mog Log, Housing, Subscription This past Saturday morning, Final Fantasy XIV announced free company housing prices in its patch notes for 2.1. These prices did not explicitly include an upturned middle finger and looping sounds of laughter, but they may as well have. This was not a positive move by Square-Enix. With the patch scheduled for release on Tuesday, players had an enormous part of their enjoyment kneecapped immediately and almost arbitrarily. One of the major features of this patch that has been announced and discussed repeatedly is housing, and nearly every free company I spoke with said that this announcement more or less killed any dream of having housing accessible to the players on my server. And they're not the only ones. To say that this has been disheartening is an understatement. Final Fantasy XIV has had an immensely strong relaunch, and this debacle -- and the complete lack of communication from the community team on the issue -- is absolutely astounding. These are not launch woes that almost every game suffers from; this is a result of failing to consider so many basic elements of playstyles and the playerbase. Continue reading The Mog Log Extra: Final Fantasy XIV's great housing fiasco The Mog Log Extra: Final Fantasy XIV's great housing fiasco originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 16 Dec 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Jagged Alliance Online starts Spanish open beta Posted: 16 Dec 2013 06:30 AM PST Filed under: Betas, War, Free-to-Play Jagged Alliance Online's community has expanded to include our Spanish-speaking gaming brethren, as the open beta has started today for Spanish and Latin American markets. The Spanish beta has been tailored to provide localized translation, community management, and customer service. IDC/Games will be publishing the Spanish version of Jagged Alliance Online. The company reported that 300,000 players "showed interest" in the two-week closed beta period. If this is of interest to you, you can sign up for the open beta on IDC/Games' website. [Source: IDC/Games press release] Jagged Alliance Online starts Spanish open beta originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 16 Dec 2013 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Stream Team: The night is dark edition, December 16 - 22, 2013 Posted: 16 Dec 2013 06:00 AM PST Filed under: Polls, MMO Industry, Massively Meta, Livestream, Miscellaneous, The Stream Team And so full of terrors! Or is that streams? If you've seen some of The Stream Team's antics, you'd most likely say it is a combination of the two! With Winter Solstice this week, we will soon enjoy the longest night of the year here up north, so what will you be doing while it is dark for so long? Here's an idea: How about dive into some live shows on Massively TV mingled with a heaping helping of reruns? There's no better way to pass the time until more light starts creeping back into our days than with your favorite hosts in your favorite games. Check out what we're playing this week and join us. Continue reading The Stream Team: The night is dark edition, December 16 - 22, 2013 The Stream Team: The night is dark edition, December 16 - 22, 2013 originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 16 Dec 2013 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Mythos Global shutting down January 22nd Posted: 16 Dec 2013 05:30 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, News Items, Mythos, Free-to-Play, Sunsets T3Fun, publisher of the free-to-play fantasy title Mythos Global, has announced that the game will be shutting down on January 22nd of next year. As a result, the in-game cash shop will be shut down during maintenance on December 18th, and the post notes that "A Compensation Model is currently at work mainly for users who made recent purchases." Game shutdowns are rarely fun for those involved, but Mythos has certainly had a rocky history of constant death and resurrection, so this might be just another turn of the wheel. In any case, Mythos will be around for a bit longer, so fans can jump in for one last hurrah before the game goes dark. You can check out the full shutdown announcement at the Mythos official site. [Thanks to Mehighlow for the tip!] Mythos Global shutting down January 22nd originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 16 Dec 2013 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Mythos Global -- Shutdown Announcement

The Daily Grind: What's your least favorite thing about your favorite MMO? Posted: 16 Dec 2013 05:00 AM PST Filed under: Super-hero, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, Opinion, Free-to-Play, The Daily Grind, DC Universe Online My favorite MMO -- for the moment -- is DC Universe Online. That doesn't mean it's perfect or that it's my favorite MMO ever, mind you. It's just that for now, it's the one I'm playing and enjoying most often. What it would take to elevate DCUO from current favorite to bestest ever? That's hard to say, but we'd have to start with that consolized UI, chat system, and inventory. Yuck! What about you, Massively readers? What's your least favorite thing about your favorite MMO? Or if you're feeling especially contrarian, what's your favorite thing about your least favorite MMO? 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 least favorite thing about your favorite MMO? originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 16 Dec 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

MMO Week in Review: The heavy-hitters of 2014 Posted: 15 Dec 2013 05:00 PM PST Filed under: Massively Meta, Week in Review, Miscellaneous At the end of every week, we round up the best and most popular news stories, exclusive features, and insightful columns published on Massively and then present them all in one convenient place. If you missed a big MMO or WoW Insider story last week, you've come to the right post. This week, a massive press embargo lift for WildStar led to an avalanche of articles on housing, character creation, and the most recently revealed classes, the Engineer and the Medic. Not to be outdone, The Elder Scrolls Online raised its bet by announcing an official release date of April 4th of next year (not an April Fools' joke) and a brand-new ask-us-anything on character progression. Oh yeah, 2014's going to be fun. Read on for a look at the rest of this week's top MMO stories. Continue reading MMO Week in Review: The heavy-hitters of 2014 MMO Week in Review: The heavy-hitters of 2014 originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 15 Dec 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

EVE Evolved: Three exploitable game features Posted: 15 Dec 2013 03:00 PM PST Filed under: Sci-Fi, EVE Online, Bugs, Game Mechanics, PvP, PvE, Opinion, EVE Evolved, Sandbox If there's one thing EVE Online players are good at, it's finding ways to get an advantage over each other. The hyper-competitive PvP sandbox breeds players with an investigative streak who will constantly figure out ways to bend and abuse new features to make ISK or get an edge over other players in combat. The most obvious cases include abusing bugs, as happened in 2009's starbase exploit that corporations used to generate valuable tech 2 materials out of thin air and 2010's MonkeySphere exploit that let players hide themselves from the local chat channel and sneak up on unsuspecting victims. Most cases of abusing features for profit or advantage aren't as clear-cut as these obvious exploits, as some have negative consequences but still use completely legitimate game mechanics. When players figured out how to abuse Faction Warfare's kill LP rewards to farm five trillion ISK, for example, they did so using in-game mechanics that just hadn't really been thought through. Many more subtle cases of broken game mechanics that undermine EVE's core design ethos still exist, some of which have been recently introduced and others that have managed to remain unchallenged for years because there isn't really a good alternative. In this week's EVE Evolved, I look at three features in EVE Online that I think fundamentally break the design ethos of the game but don't have very clear solutions. Continue reading EVE Evolved: Three exploitable game features EVE Evolved: Three exploitable game features originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 15 Dec 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Star Wars: The Old Republic reveals second anniversary rewards Posted: 15 Dec 2013 01:00 PM PST Filed under: Sci-Fi, News Items, Free-to-Play, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Anniversaries The 20th of this month marks the two-year anniversary of Star Wars: The Old Republic, and BioWare is bestowing upon players a couple of gifts to celebrate the occasion. On December 17th, players who have an active Star Wars: The Old Republic account created on or before December 16th, 2013, will receive a pair of exclusive paint jobs (one for the Empire and one for the Republic) for their Galactic Starfighter ships plus faction-specific fireworks that players can set off for an impromptu pyrotechnics show. While all players with an active account will receive these rewards, the paint jobs can be used only if you have access to the Galactic Starfighter expansion. While subscribers gained access to the feature earlier this month, Preffered Status players will have to wait until January 14, 2014, and Free-to-Play members will gain access on February 4th, 2014. For the full details on the anniversary rewards or to sign up for an account, head over to the Star Wars: The Old Republic official site. Star Wars: The Old Republic reveals second anniversary rewards originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 15 Dec 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Star Wars: The Old Republic -- Second Anniversary Rewards Coming December 17th!

Molten Games is building something called Blunderbuss Posted: 15 Dec 2013 12:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Free-to-Play Remember last summer when Molten Games sent out a press release saying that it had picked up ex-Blizzard and SOE personnel as well as a substantial chunk of funding courtesy of NCsoft? Well, the company has revealed the name of its project, though not much beyond that. The concoction is called Blunderbuss, and according to 2P it is an Unreal 4-powered title that is "expected to launch with [a] free-to-play model in the summer of 2015." The genre is still unknown, though the source article says it's a "core game" designed for e-sports. What's a core game? Your guess is as good as mine, since that's basically a marketing term that could mean anything from hardcore to softcore to Andrea Corr. OK, maybe not that last one, even though MOBAs with Irish pop musician heroes should be a thing. [Thanks Zedrick!] Molten Games is building something called Blunderbuss originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 15 Dec 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments 2P

Stick and Rudder: Star Citizen and The Phantom Menace Posted: 15 Dec 2013 11:00 AM PST Filed under: Sci-Fi, Culture, MMO Industry, Opinion, Sandbox, Stick and Rudder, Star Citizen, Buy-to-Play It's May 1999 and nearing midnight. My best friend and I are standing in a swollen, sweat-soaked line of humanity that snakes through a movie theater lobby, out into the overstuffed parking lot, and around back of the palatial building. Imperial stormtroopers mill through the crowd. Kids armed with plastic lightsabers duel their friends, their parents, and armies of imaginary opponents. Nerds share pizza deliveries with strangers, and the whole enterprise is steeped in an air of electric expectation more akin to a championship football game than an evening at the cinema. And then my buddy turns to me and says, "What if it sucks?" Continue reading Stick and Rudder: Star Citizen and The Phantom Menace Stick and Rudder: Star Citizen and The Phantom Menace originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 15 Dec 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

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