General Gaming Article

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• How to Install SteamOS
• China Outlaws Battlefield 4, Claims Game Threatens National Security
• Puget Systems Pitches Virtues of Prebuilt Versus DIY Based on Component Failure Rates
• Laptop Makers are Feeling Skeptical About Convertible Models Heading into 2014
• IBM Analyzes Holiday Mobile Traffic, Says iOS Users More Active than Android
• Newegg Daily Deals: Intel Core i5 3570K, Western Digital Black Series 1TB HDD, and More!

How to Install SteamOS Posted: 27 Dec 2013 02:57 PM PST Everything you need to know before installing Steam OS Valve recently released its Beta version of SteamOS, based on the Debian distro of Linux. Naturally, we were intrigued by its release and wanted to take the new OS for a test run. We've put together a guide on how to install the operating system, and also provide you with our hands-on impressions of Valve's software.  NOTE: Before beginning, we highly recommend that you back up everything on your system before attempting to install SteamOS, as the installer in this guide will erase your entire drive. System Requirements: To get started, you'll need to make sure that your rig meets the minimum hardware requirements: Intel or AMD processor, 4GB of RAM or more, a 500GB hard drive or larger, Nvidia video card (Valve states AMD and Intel graphics support are coming soon), UEFI boot support, a USB port for installation, and a 4GB flash drive or larger.  How to Install SteamOS instructions: Step 1: Format your flash drive to FAT32 Plug in your flash drive and format it to FAT32. To do this, right click on the USB drive in My Computer and select format. Then change the file system from NTFS to FAT32 (if it isn't already FAT32). Then click format to freshly wipe your flash drive. Step 2: Download the zip installer Download the SteamOSInstaller.zip from repo.steampowered.com/download. Step 3: Extract the files from the zip file Right click on the SteamOSInstaller.zip you just downloaded and extract it to your flash drive. We used the free 7-Zip software to do this. Do not click on or open the flash drive to view its contents after the unzipping is complete, as this will mess up your extraction, and you won't be able to boot from the key after that. Step 4: Reboot your system and boot from your flash drive Reboot your system and press F8, F10, or F12 to get to your Boot Menu and select your flash drive as your Boot Device. Make sure the Boot Option says UEFI and then the name of your flash drive, for example, UEFI SanDisk Cruzer. Step 5: Run the automated installer You will then boot into a black screen with a purple Steam logo. This screen will have a list of three options, which include Automated Install WILL ERASE DISK!!!, Expert Install, and Rescue Mode. Select Automated Install WILL ERASE DISK!!! by pressing enter and the OS will start installing onto your hard disk. You will then see a white and purple installation screen for about 10-15 minutes, as it installs a fresh copy of SteamOS onto your machine. Step 6: Remove your installation device After the OS finishes installing you'll be prompted to reboot your system and to remove your installation device. Step 7: Select SteamOS Linux GNU/I The OS will boot up and have you choose between two options: SteamOS GNU/Linux, with Linux 3.10-3-amd64 and SteamOS GNU Linux, with Linux 3.10-3-amd64 (recovery mode). Make sure the first option is selected and then hit enter to start the boot up process. Step 8: Log into SteamOS You'll then see a login screen. To login use "steam" as both your password and username. Step 9: Launch the terminal application to install Steam Now that you're at the desktop the last step is to launch the terminal application to install Steam. Go to the top left corner of the OS and click on Activities and then click on the Applications tab. Once the terminal is launched, type in steam and then hit enter to start the installation process. (You will need an internet connection for this installation setup to work) Step 10: You can now start gaming After the installer is finished running, you can login into your Steam account and start playing games. Click the next page for our impressions of SteamOS.   Impressions: With our GeForce GTX 680, our performance was great and we had no trouble hitting 60+ FPS in every title that we played using SteamOS. However, we didn't like how there was an immense amount of screen tearing, even when V-Sync was enabled. We saw less tearing in 2D games like Bastion and Shattered, but we experienced a heavy amount of tearing in Portal. Our current assessment is that games with complex polygons will experience a lot of screen tearing while 2D games will have very little to no screen tearing. We encountered audio problems on the OS, as it only supports audio via HDMI, so your onboard motherboard audio will not work. We did get external headphones to work when we used an audio pass through on our monitor, in combination with HDMI as our video output. Valve probably assumes people will use SteamOS in their living room, so we think they guess most people will be using an HDMI audio setup too, or this could simply be patched up when SteamOS officially launches to the masses. We like the idea of SteamOS and feel it could give Microsoft a run at being the go-to gaming OS, but right now it's very stripped-down. There aren't many third party applications you can run on SteamOS because not much supports it. We tried installing Chrome on the OS, and it didn't work because the browser doesn't support SteamOS. We were able to use the Internet by using Iceweasel, which is a rebranded version of Mozilla's Firefox for Debian distros of Linux, however. SteamOS isn't a free gaming OS that can replace Windows at the moment. We'd much rather take Ubuntu 12.04 LTS, as a Windows alternative at this point because there's much more you can do with this Linux distro. Ubuntu 12.04 LTS also has more third party applications than SteamOS, and it performs similarly in gaming too. Ubuntu also supports legacy hardware, so you won't need to mess around modifying an installer to get it to work properly on your coveted rig. Lastly, unlike SteamOS, which doesn't support Intel and AMD graphics as of print time, Ubuntu 12.04 LTS will install easily to Intel, AMD, or Nvidia graphics hardware. If Valve wants to move people away from Windows and onto SteamOS, they'll need a more versatile OS to bring people on board. When it comes to gaming, currently, there are over eight thousand titles on Steam that support Windows, while SteamOS has just 440 games. For an OS devoted to living room gaming, it's a cool idea, but Windows can do so much more than the free OS at the moment, both in gaming and productivity. Still, if you've got some time to spare, SteamOS is free so feel free to give it a try and let us know what you think of it in the comments below!

China Outlaws Battlefield 4, Claims Game Threatens National Security Posted: 27 Dec 2013 12:20 PM PST Is anyone truly surprised? The Chinese government doesn't just keep a tight grip on the Internet, it has a firm hold on the games market, as well. So, it doesn't come as a total shock that China just banned Battlefield 4 while pointing an angry finger at publisher Electronic Arts (EA) for pushing content that government officials claim is a threat to national security. But wait, there's more. China also considers BF4 a form of cultural invasion. Citing a Chinese-language PCgames.com.cn report (the original link appears to have been pulled down), ZDNet says China's Ministry of Culture issued a notice prohibiting all game-related materials regardless of form. That includes news reports, game downloads, patches, demos, etc. China had already censored the world "ZhandDi4," which means "Battlefield 4," on the country's largest social media site Weibo.com. The game was never officially released in China, though users in China have been posting peer-to-peer download links of BF4 under its English name. BF4's single-player campaign is set in the year 2020. China is on the brink of war as Admiral Chang plans to overthrow China's government. Should he succeed, he would have support from Russia, bringing China to the brink of war with the United States. How that translates into a threat to national security is a good question. At the same time, the game has been so buggy since launch, the Chinese government may inadvertently be doing gamers a solid with this move. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Puget Systems Pitches Virtues of Prebuilt Versus DIY Based on Component Failure Rates Posted: 27 Dec 2013 11:25 AM PST Kingston emerges as one of Puget Systems' most reliable brands of 2013 Boutique system builder Puget Systems recently wrote an interesting piece that both gives readers a glimpse of what the company found to be the most reliable hardware of the past year, and makes a case for buying a prebuilt system over going the do-it-yourself (DIY) route. Based on Puget's own data, a prebuilt system is roughly five times less likely to have a hardware failure than one you built yourself. Let's back the boat a moment. Puget builds a lot of systems so it's in a unique position (compared to an end user) to analyze which components and brands are the most reliable based on failure rates. The company shared that info in a blog post, noting that it only considered items it's dealt with in bulk. "Since we are a custom computer company and do at times special order in components to meet a customer's specific needs, there is one stipulation we are imposing on what hardware we will be allowing into this list," Puget explains. "Specifically, we are only considering high volume items from our product line so that we have a large enough sample size to make an informed call on the reliability of the component." Based on Puget's failure reports, there were four motherboards that stood out, each with zero failures in 2013. Three of them were from Asus (P8B-M, P9D-M, and F2A85-V Pro) and one was from MSI (FM2-A75IA-E53). As for CPUs, the failure rate was so small -- a combined 0.39 percent for both AMD and Intel combined -- that Puget decided to keep it simple and say that every CPU in 2013 is "incredibly reliable." Where things get interesting is the RAM. Puget says it almost exclusively uses Kingston brand RAM these days because it keeps proving itself more reliable than the competition. "Any time we tried any of the other prominent brands (when Kingston was either in shortage or did not offer exactly what we wanted), we almost always ended up moving back to Kingston once we were able," Puget stated. "This is primarily due to the fact that as a whole, Kingston is as much as three to four times more reliable than other brands." We reached out to Puget Systems founder Jon Bach to find out which other brands his company tried and were told it gave volume orders to OCZ, Corsair, and Patriot at one point or another. Based on a sample size of 3,000 to 4,000 PCs for each of those brands, the failure rates repeatedly pushed Puget back towards Kingston. Bach says his company also has a "little experience" with Crucial/Micron, though not enough to make a public claim about its reliability (it was still less reliable than Kingston based on a small sample size). Moving on, Puget lists out reliable components in several other categories before comparing a prebuilt system with a home brewed one. Through its qualification process, Puget is able to weed out faulty components so that the chance of failure is greatly reduced to the end user. For example, the overall failure rate of an AMD-brand graphics card is 10.09 percent, but that figure drops to 1.83 percent for the end user once Puget weeds out the bad eggs, so to speak. For Intel motherboards, the overall failure rate is 4.71 percent versus 0.47 percent of the end user. When you combine all the components, there's a 14.43 percent of a hardware failure in a home built Intel machine with Nvidia graphics, and 20.4 percent change of a hardware failure in home brewed AMD rig with Radeon graphics. Because Puget is able to detect and eliminate parts that are faulty from the get-go, those figures drop down to 3.3 percent and 3.66 percent, respectively, for end users who buy a pre-built system from Puget. In other words, a system built by Puget is about five times less likely to have a hardware failure than a DIY system. "Keep in mind that these numbers are only true for Puget Systems computers/hardware and won't be true for every computer manufacturer out there. Here at Puget Systems we put our computers through a very rigorous testing process so we are much more likely to find hardware problems before the customer receives the machine than most other companies," Puget says. Interesting stuff. Give the blog post a once over and then post your thoughts in the comment section! Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Laptop Makers are Feeling Skeptical About Convertible Models Heading into 2014 Posted: 27 Dec 2013 09:30 AM PST Vendors don't want to get stuck with a bunch of 2-in-1 devices There's still no clear cut indication from consumers whether or not hybrid notebooks that also function as tablets are all that desirable compared to keeping the form factors separate. That being the case, notebook vendors are reportedly having cold feet when it comes to stockpiling 2-in-1 devices, fearing that weak sales could leave them with a bunch of unsold inventory needing to be written off. To make matters more of a gamble, some peripherals are device specific, such as keyboards. That means that if a particular 2-in-1 device fails to drum up sales, vendors will also be stuck with a pile of related peripherals. This is something vendors fear, Digitimes says. These 2-in-1 devices accounted for less than 10 percent of the mobile device category in 2013. Intel reckons the category the will increase 10-fold in 2014, but notebook vendors aren't as confident. Interestingly enough, these vendors don't seem as reluctant to embrace the 2-in-1 systems that function as both an all-in-one (AIO) and tablet, otherwise known as convertible AIOs. It was reported back in October that first-tier vendors other than Apple are getting ready to promote convertible AIO systems in a big way, with volume shipments expected to take place in the second quarter of 2014. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

IBM Analyzes Holiday Mobile Traffic, Says iOS Users More Active than Android Posted: 27 Dec 2013 08:35 AM PST iOS users spent five times more than Android users on Christmas IBM revealed some interesting statistics about holiday spending in a thinly veiled attempt to draw attention to its Digital Analytics Benchmark, which IBM claims is the industry's only real-time, cloud-based digital analytics platform that tracks millions of transactions and analyzes terabytes of raw data from around 800 retail sites across the nation. So, what did IBM find? As a percentage of online sales, IBM says iOS was more than five times higher than Android. iOS users drove 23 percent of online sales versus Android at 4.6 percent. iOS users spent on average $93.94 per order, which works out to almost twice as much as Android users, who spent $48.10 per order. Finally, iOS led as a component of overall traffic with 32.6 percent 14.8 percent for Android, IBM says. Regardless of platform, one thing that's interesting is that smartphones trumped tablets in terms of online traffic at 28.5 percent versus 18.1 percent, respectively, but when it came time to shop online, tablets drove 19.4 percent of sales, more than twice that of smartphones at 9.3 percent. The average sale was also higher on tablets ($95.61 per order) versus smartphones ($85.11 per order). Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Newegg Daily Deals: Intel Core i5 3570K, Western Digital Black Series 1TB HDD, and More! Posted: 27 Dec 2013 06:34 AM PST Top Deal: You may have heard the news that Intel's going to launch its Haswell-E Series of desktop processors in the third quarter of 2014, and if you have the disposable income to drop a grand on a CPU, more power to you (literally and figuratively). If not, you'll need to look elsewhere for your next upgrade or build. A good place to start your search is today's top deal for an Intel Core i5 3570K Ivy Bridge processor for $200 with free shipping (normally $225; Free Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn game coupon with purchase). This is a quad-core part clocked at 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) with 6MB of L3 cache and Intel HD Graphics 4000. Other Deals: WD Black Series WD1003FZEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5-inch Internal Hard Drive for $75 with free shipping (normally $100; use coupon code: [EMCWVVP23]) G.SKILL Trident X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2400 (PC3 19200) Desktop Memory Model F3-2400C10D-16GTX for $158 with free shipping (normally $175; use coupon code: [EMCWVVP27]) Asus P8Z77-V Pro LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard for $165 with free shipping (normally $190; use coupon code: [EMCWVVP29]; additional $25 Mail-in rebate) Cooler Master V700 - 700W Power Supply with Fully Modular Cables and 80 Plus Gold Certification for $125 with free shipping (normally $160; use coupon code: [EMCWVVP34]; additional $40 Mail-in rebate)

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MMO Updates

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• Tamriel Infinium: The year before launching the Elder Scrolls Online
• The Repopulation returns to Kickstater, launches Steam Greenlight campaign
• War Thunder expands Ground Forces beta test
• The Daily Grind: Are MMO beta NDAs counterproductive?
• The Stream Team: Exploring The Secret World's Lairs
• The Summoner's Guidebook: The allure of new LoL champions
• Field Journal: Pandaria's pastoral paradise
• Mark Kern addresses his departure from Red 5 Studios
• The Stream Team: Touring Vanguard's first dungeons on Kojan
• The Guild Counsel: Making the most of holiday events with your guild
• Ask Massively: The one where we talk about our 2013 awards

Tamriel Infinium: The year before launching the Elder Scrolls Online Posted: 27 Dec 2013 09:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, New Titles, Previews, PvP, Endgame, PvE, Opinion, Free-to-Play, Races, The Elder Scrolls Online, Subscription, MMORPG, Tamriel Infinium Based on the comments for this column a couple of weeks ago, it became apparent to me that many readers have very little idea about what to expect when the Elder Scrolls Online launches. And I guess with the big push of information about PvP, it would seem that that is all ESO has to offer. In some people's minds, that might still hold true. I admit that I believe PvP might be the thrust of the max-level game, but ESO will offer different things to do as you level up as well as when you hit max level. Today, for my year-end review of ESO, I will attempt to paint a picture of the Elder Scrolls Online game based on what we know so far. I think you'll find that the game does have more to offer than PvP, but ultimately, I'll let you decide if it's enough. Continue reading Tamriel Infinium: The year before launching the Elder Scrolls Online Tamriel Infinium: The year before launching the Elder Scrolls Online originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 27 Dec 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Repopulation returns to Kickstater, launches Steam Greenlight campaign Posted: 27 Dec 2013 07:00 AM PST Filed under: Betas, Sci-Fi, MMO Industry, New Titles, PvP, News Items, Sandbox, Crowdfunding, The Repopulation If you still regret missing the opportunity to support the sci-fi sandbox The Repopulation during its first crowdfunding campaign, you're getting a second chance! Above and Beyond Technologies would like to offer players even more features than are currently available and has launched a new Kickstarter campaign to reach those goals. Concurrently, the studio has also launched a Greenlight campaign on Steam to expand the game's exposure beyond its current community and offer an additional payment option. So now players have two ways to show their support for The Repopulation: vote yes to get the game Greenlit and/or pledge financial support through Kickstarter. As a thank you, those who backed the first Kickstarter campaign will receive at least one Beta preview weekend invite as well as access to the first round of closed beta. The beta preview weekends will kick off the next round of testing in March 2014. [Source: Above and Beyond Technologies press release] The Repopulation returns to Kickstater, launches Steam Greenlight campaign originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 27 Dec 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

War Thunder expands Ground Forces beta test Posted: 27 Dec 2013 06:00 AM PST Filed under: Betas, Historical, Events (In-Game), War, Free-to-Play Tanks ahoy! War Thunder has moved into its next wave of beta testing, Gaijin Entertainment announced. A new batch of invites have been sent out for the closed beta of the Ground Forces content. It's not just hard work and bug hunting, however; the team is currently running a Winter Magic event through January 12th that can net participants special gifts, premium aircraft, and a week of premium account access. It's important to understand that while the Ground Forces content is in closed beta, War Thunder itself is in open beta. Gaijin reports that over five million players have given the title a try so far. [Additional source: Gaijin Entertainment press release] War Thunder expands Ground Forces beta test originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 27 Dec 2013 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Ground Forces beta announcement

The Daily Grind: Are MMO beta NDAs counterproductive? Posted: 27 Dec 2013 05:00 AM PST Filed under: Betas, Events (Real-World), MMO Industry, Opinion, Massively Meta, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous In the last month, Massively staffers (and no doubt some of you readers!) have taken part in several high-profile beta tests, and they all seem to fall into one of two categories: those that guard their games behind NDAs thick enough to protect all the gold in Fort Knox, and those that just don't seem to care. And I've gotta say, when my screenshots come out with watermarks plastered all over them, obscuring what I'm looking at and preventing NDA-breakers from ripping videos, nowadays my gut reaction is not wow, what a well-organized beta but dude, what are they trying to hide? Diablo III's upcoming expansion, by contrast, slipped into closed beta with a wink and a shrug and nary an NDA in sight. Talk about us, Blizzard seemed to say. Screencap us. We're gorgeous. We're ready. But upcoming major MMORPGs give off a terrified vibe, even when they have nothing to be worried about. NDA violators will break their agreements anyway, and the studio relinquishes the control it seeks to retain to exactly the malicious testers it hoped to squelch. What do you think -- are MMO beta NDAs counterproductive? 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: Are MMO beta NDAs counterproductive? originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 27 Dec 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Stream Team: Exploring The Secret World's Lairs Posted: 26 Dec 2013 06:00 PM PST Filed under: Horror, Real-Life, Video, The Secret World, Livestream, Dungeons, The Stream Team, Buy-to-Play Have you ever been to a Lair in The Secret World? You'd know it if you stumbled across one while adventuring solo because you'd be PDD PDQ: Pretty Darn Dead, Pretty Darn Quick. And yes, Massively's MJ found that out the hard way once! But now she's heading back with a friends to exact her revenge on those bunched-up hordes of evil. Join us live at 9:00 p.m. see what awaits the group in these overland challenges. Game: The Secret World Host: MJ Guthrie Date: Thursday, December 26th, 2013 Time: 9:00 p.m. EST Enjoy our Steam Team video below. Continue reading The Stream Team: Exploring The Secret World's Lairs The Stream Team: Exploring The Secret World's Lairs originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 26 Dec 2013 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Summoner's Guidebook: The allure of new LoL champions Posted: 26 Dec 2013 04:00 PM PST Filed under: PvP, Opinion, Free-to-Play, MOBA, League of Legends, The Summoner's Guidebook Picking new champions in League of Legends is akin to picking a role. There are a few major schools of thought: Either you pick a small number of characters and stand by them or you grab every new character that strikes your fancy. Of course, there's a middle road where you get a lot of characters but you still focus on getting new characters that add something to your roster. There's less of an opportunity cost with picking up a new character than there is with picking a new role. Learning a new champion takes some practice, but many of the things you learn while playing your new character are applicable to every character in the same role. Continue reading The Summoner's Guidebook: The allure of new LoL champions The Summoner's Guidebook: The allure of new LoL champions originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 26 Dec 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Field Journal: Pandaria's pastoral paradise Posted: 26 Dec 2013 02:00 PM PST Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, PvE, Opinion, Hands-On, Subscription, MMORPG, Field Journal This week in Massively's Field Journal, I'm turning my attention to the big one, the game that must not be named, World of Warcraft. Some of you might say that's what WoW Insider is for, but our sister site's staff is made up of hardcore players who have kept up with the times and are used to the game's ways, some perhaps to the exclusion of other MMOs. What I'm offering is a look at the introduction of the current expansion with fresh eyes, from someone who used to be that person but hasn't been for a long time. Continue reading Field Journal: Pandaria's pastoral paradise Field Journal: Pandaria's pastoral paradise originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 26 Dec 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Mark Kern addresses his departure from Red 5 Studios Posted: 26 Dec 2013 01:00 PM PST Filed under: Sci-Fi, MMO Industry, Free-to-Play, MMOFPS, Firefall Using a mixture of geek culture references, former Red 5 Studios CEO Mark Kern posted a brief statement on MMORPG.com to address his departure from the Firefall studio. Kern referenced the event as his "Kobayashi Maru test" and insinuated that fans shouldn't fully believe what they may have heard. "While there have been rumors about whether I was demoted, terminated, or maybe even corporately executed, I will only say this: Remember that Han always shot first," he wrote. Kern said that he had fond memories of his time with the company and wished the studio success in the future. Mark Kern was let go from Red 5 on December 19th and replaced by acting CEO James Macauley. [Thanks to ArchDevi for the tip!] Mark Kern addresses his departure from Red 5 Studios originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 26 Dec 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments MMORPG.com

The Stream Team: Touring Vanguard's first dungeons on Kojan Posted: 26 Dec 2013 12:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Vanguard, Free-to-Play, Livestream, Dungeons, The Stream Team So far the dungeons of Vanguard have been confined to caves, but that's not always the case. In fact, some dungeon experiences are right out in the open! So it is with the first low-level dungeon on Kojan, Vaelwyn Citadel. Join Massively's MJ as she travels to Ca'ial Brael and works her way through first the Citadel and then Glade of the Lost. As a bonus, the two dungeons are close to each other! This next tour departs promptly at 3:00 p.m., so don't miss it. Game: Vanguard Host: MJ Guthrie Date: Thursday, December 26th, 2013 Time: 3:00p.m. EST Enjoy our Steam Team video below. Continue reading The Stream Team: Touring Vanguard's first dungeons on Kojan The Stream Team: Touring Vanguard's first dungeons on Kojan originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 26 Dec 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Guild Counsel: Making the most of holiday events with your guild Posted: 26 Dec 2013 11:00 AM PST Filed under: Events (In-Game), Guilds, Opinion, The Guild Counsel, Miscellaneous The holidays might seem like a good time to lay low and take a break, but they can actually be a great opportunity to get ahead, particularly for more casual guilds. The arrival of holiday events means that players can relax and enjoy the short-term change of pace, but with the right approach, those limited events can help your guild boost its finances and its morale at the same time. Let's look at how even the most casual guild can benefit from holiday events in this week's Guild Counsel. Continue reading The Guild Counsel: Making the most of holiday events with your guild The Guild Counsel: Making the most of holiday events with your guild originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 26 Dec 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Ask Massively: The one where we talk about our 2013 awards Posted: 26 Dec 2013 09:00 AM PST Filed under: MMO Industry, Opinion, Massively Meta, Ask Massively, Miscellaneous Let's talk about our 2013 awards (not the 2012 awards, though this image demonstrates why we avoid easily manipulable community polls). Some of you agreed with our picks. Some of you didn't. That's OK. Not everyone on the Massively staff agreed with all of them either. A lot of sites just let the Important People reach a consensus on nominations or even the final vote, but we let every staffer vote on the entire pool of everything. Everything, as one columnist put it, was a write-in. Goodness, even TUG scored a vote in there. Of course, TUG is adorable. A bunch of people wrote something to the effect of, "How dare you say subs are the year's biggest mistake? Massively hates subs! You're so biased for F2P!" Specifically, we said that subs were a huge blunder for The Elder Scrolls Online and WildStar. "Massively" is not a hivemind entity, and "Massively" does not hate subs. Quite a lot of us like or even prefer subs. Most of us grew up when subs were the norm. I'm subbed to two games right this very second, even though what I personally prefer was classic Guild Wars' buy-to-play campaign set-up. We also voted for a sub game as our game of the year! But let's be perfectly clear when we're fighting this F2P-vs.-sub war: The sub model we remember so fondly is not the sub model games are deploying now. Continue reading Ask Massively: The one where we talk about our 2013 awards Ask Massively: The one where we talk about our 2013 awards originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 26 Dec 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

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MMORPG News

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• War Thunder: Ground Forces Second Wave Enters Closed Beta
• The Repopulation: Beta Preview Dates & More
• EverQuest Next: Landmark: A Block at a Time
• Aura Kingdom: Closed Beta Key Giveaway!
• General: Three Words for 2013
• WildStar: ‘Tis the Season
• General: My Own Kobayashi Maru
• General: Baldur's Gate 2 Enhanced Edition: D&D Perfection
• General: MMO Christmas
• General: My Year in Review

War Thunder: Ground Forces Second Wave Enters Closed Beta Posted: 27 Dec 2013 02:47 AM PST Gaijin Entertainment has announced that a second wave of beta invites has been sent out for the Ground Forces expansion to War Thunder. In addition, the team has detailed a Collector's Edition for the upcoming title and released some details about an upcoming January event.

The Repopulation: Beta Preview Dates & More Posted: 26 Dec 2013 02:47 PM PST We have received word from The Repopulation team that they are ready to announce the next beta date and to release a bit more information about the Steam Greenlight campaign.

EverQuest Next: Landmark: A Block at a Time Posted: 26 Dec 2013 12:19 PM PST In this week's EverQuest Next column, we're looking at the building and process SOE is taking when it comes to making and revealing a new Norrath for EQN and Landmark.

Aura Kingdom: Closed Beta Key Giveaway! Posted: 26 Dec 2013 11:06 AM PST MMORPG.com is pleased to give our users free access to the Aura Kingdom closed beta test phase! Check out this new anime MMORPG by Aeria Games with unique mounts and powerful pets. Get your beta key now while supplies last!

General: Three Words for 2013 Posted: 24 Dec 2013 05:36 PM PST Rob Lashley has chosen three simple words that he believes sums up 2013 perfectly. See what words he's chosen before heading to the comments to sum up 2013 in your own words.

WildStar: ‘Tis the Season Posted: 24 Dec 2013 05:46 PM PST As with most MMOs at this time of year, WildStar has its own in-game celebration, the first of what is hoped to be many more. We take a look at WildStar, lore, celebrations and much more. Read on!

General: My Own Kobayashi Maru Posted: 24 Dec 2013 11:17 AM PST It was recently spread across the Internet that Mark Kern, CEO and Founder of Firefall developer Red 5 Studios, had left the company he started. Today, in a Christmas Day exclusive here at MMORPG.com, Mark's offering a statement towards that event, with perhaps a cryptic hint or two on what's next for him in videogame development.

General: Baldur's Gate 2 Enhanced Edition: D&D Perfection Posted: 22 Dec 2013 05:03 PM PST Most MMO players look fondly back at one or two single player RPGs that 'changed their lives'. One of the most commonly heard names is Baldur's Gate 2. Recently an 'enhanced edition' arrived on scene. We take a look at how the new edition meets a new generation of gamers in today's RPG Files. Read on and then let us know about your BG2 memories and experiences with the enhanced edition in the comments.

General: MMO Christmas Posted: 22 Dec 2013 04:58 PM PST In our weekly comic, artist Blaz Klaric brings us his irreverent look into the foibles of the MMO worlds we love, and love to hate. Check out "MMO Christmas" and then leave us your thoughts in the comments.

General: My Year in Review Posted: 22 Dec 2013 04:53 PM PST As 2013 winds to a close, we often take a few moments to review the events of the preceding days. Matt Miller takes a look back at his 2013. See how his year fared and then leave us thoughts on your year in the comments.

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