MMO Updates

MMO Updates

Lineage II's Hero Coin rewards program debuts to firestorm

Posted: 20 Jan 2014 08:00 AM PST

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Lineage II just rolled out Hero Coins, a new rewards system designed to give players who purchase items from the cash shop a little something extra. But the devil is in the details, and players in the official thread have expressed that the illicit RMT deals look sweet in comparison.

Here's how the program works: Players earn Hero Coins whenever they make qualifying purchases from the L2 Store or the L2 Galleria, with coins awarded retroactively for all purchases since November 30th, 2011. Sounds decent so far, right? But this is where the program loses its appeal for some players.

Hero Coins are not account-wide; they're bound to whichever character received the purchased item. On top of that, all Hero Coins expire at the end of every calendar year at 3:01 a.m. EST January 1st, so players can't accumulate them until they can make a decent purchase. And accumulate they must: There are items in the rewards program that equate to over $35K, but can be found on the black market for approximately $2K. For really big spenders, the top item converts to spending over $200K in cash in the store -- in a single year.

[Thanks to Ville for the tip!]

MassivelyLineage II's Hero Coin rewards program debuts to firestorm originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 20 Jan 2014 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chaos Theory: How The Secret World makes you learn

Posted: 20 Jan 2014 07:00 AM PST

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Maybe it's my age or maybe it's just a little bit of laziness about me, but I'm finding myself a little peeved whenever someone or something wants to make me learn a new system. I mean, I'll be the one constantly reading Wikipedia to all hours of the night because I like soaking up info, but if a game asks me to go through a two-minute tutorial, I'm like, "Forget that!" and upturn my computer desk while I go to the other room to calm down.

It's not that I don't like learning -- I end up really enjoying myself when I do, in fact -- but that the energy and attention required to absorb a new lesson can often be a tad daunting. This is what drives me back into familiar gaming arms again and again, and why I'm more than a little apprehensive about all of the sandbox tools that will be coming to MMOs near us.

That's why I have to hand it to The Secret World -- here's an MMO that pushed me out of my comfort bubble and made me learn, sometimes kicking and screaming, and sometimes with a giddy and joyful heart. This is an MMO that isn't content to spoon-feed you the same mush you've been downing for years; it's one that operates under a practical mission statement of teaching through gameplay.

Continue reading Chaos Theory: How The Secret World makes you learn

MassivelyChaos Theory: How The Secret World makes you learn originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 20 Jan 2014 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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    The Stream Team: Non-edition edition, January 20 - 26, 2014

    Posted: 20 Jan 2014 06:00 AM PST

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    The Stream Team: Non-edition edition, January 20 - 26, 2014
    Some weeks there's just no overarching theme to tie things together. There's no opening theme song, no matching decorations, nothing. In fact, life can be just a hodgepodge of scattered unrelated elements randomly tossed together! But don't worry; when things get like that, The Stream Team is always here for you. With our mismatched hosts streaming a variety of unrelated shows on Massively TV, we can fit right into your incongruity of your life and tie it all together like a two-year old attempting his own shoelaces. You'll see what we mean with this week's lineup.

    Continue reading The Stream Team: Non-edition edition, January 20 - 26, 2014

    MassivelyThe Stream Team: Non-edition edition, January 20 - 26, 2014 originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 20 Jan 2014 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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      The Daily Grind: Do you like LotRO's mounted combat?

      Posted: 20 Jan 2014 05:00 AM PST

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      Lord of the Rings Online - The Norcrofts
      I realize that I'm like a year late to Riders of Rohan and Lord of the Rings Online's mounted combat, but I'm nonetheless enjoying it a fair bit. It's different, for one thing. And it's got customizable horses and plenty of room to ride them, for another.

      It lags a bit more than I'd like, even when there are no other players around, and that brings me to my point. I rarely see anyone participating in mounted combat, at least on the Landroval server around the Norcrofts, Wold, and Entwash Vale areas. It could be that everyone's at endgame and Helm's Deep, or it could be that I'm just playing at the wrong times. Or it could be any number of other factors, including the possibility that mounted combat isn't that popular with LotRO's playerbase.

      What say you, Massively readers? Do you like LotRO's mounted combat?

      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!

      MassivelyThe Daily Grind: Do you like LotRO's mounted combat? originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 20 Jan 2014 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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        MMO Week in Review: Retro inspiration

        Posted: 19 Jan 2014 05:00 PM PST

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        Pantheon
        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.

        EverQuest veteran Brad McQuaid's latest MMO venture, Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen, launched on Kickstarter this week, making him the latest in a growing line of old-school game developers turning to the crowdfunding platform to make a retro-inspired title. Since the Kickstarter began, the fledgling team has outlined its design philosophy, added new pledge tiers, and revealed the classic Cleric class.

        Read on for a look at the rest of this week's top MMO stories. If you help us reach our stretch goal, we'll include some WoW Insider stories too.

        Continue reading MMO Week in Review: Retro inspiration

        MassivelyMMO Week in Review: Retro inspiration originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 19 Jan 2014 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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          EVE Evolved: Has colonisation been forgotten?

          Posted: 19 Jan 2014 03:00 PM PST

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          EVE Evolved title image
          At last year's EVE Online Fanfest, CCP revealed its ambitious plan to take the game where no sandbox MMO has ever gone before: full deep space colonisation. The plan will be delivered over the next five years and will end with the incredibly exciting vision of players building their own stargates and colonising brand-new solar systems that lie off the grid. Rubicon was intended as the first step toward this glorious plan, and its new focus on deployable sandbox structures certainly seemed to be introducing a more player-directed form of colonisation.

          I've been cautiously optimistic about the whole endeavour so far, but five years is hell of a long time to wait for that vision to come to fruition. Rubicon's Mobile Depot structure was a great first step toward player-run empires on all scales, but none of the recently announced Rubicon 1.1 deployables has continued along the same theme of colonisation and exploration. The Mobile Micro Jump Drive and Mobile Scan Inhibitor structures I looked at last week provide extra tactical options in PvP, and the three new structures revealed this week are all designed to steal money and resources from nullsec corporations.

          In this week's EVE Evolved, I ask whether the newly revealed Encounter Surveillance System and alternate Siphon Units are a step in the wrong direction. With games like Star Citizen and Elite: Dangerous on the way, CCP may not have five years to deliver the promise of colonisation.

          Continue reading EVE Evolved: Has colonisation been forgotten?

          MassivelyEVE Evolved: Has colonisation been forgotten? originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 19 Jan 2014 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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            The Repopulation passes $100K, eyes traveling vendors

            Posted: 19 Jan 2014 01:00 PM PST

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            The Repopulation traveling vendor
            Another day, another stretch goal accomplished by The Repopulation. This time, the sci-fi sandbox passed the $100,000 mark and ensured that cooperative structure placement will make it into the game.

            Next up is the traveling vendors goal at $115,000. What's a traveling vendor? Well, it basically "allows players to mark themselves as a vendor at any time," Above & Beyond explains on its website. "While this flag is enabled, other players will be able to interact with them to browse and purchase goods which they have marked for sale without any player interaction necessary."

            There's a lot more to traveling vendors, but you'll need to click through the links below for full details.

            MassivelyThe Repopulation passes $100K, eyes traveling vendors originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 19 Jan 2014 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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            Take a peek at MechWarrior Online's UI 2.0 upgrade

            Posted: 19 Jan 2014 11:00 AM PST

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            MWO
            Piranha Games recently conducted a public test of the changes it is planning for MechWarrior Online's UI 2.0 upgrade, and No Guts No Galaxy's Phil Langenberg managed to snag a lengthy video of the new UI in action. According to Piranha, UI 2.0 is "a complete rework of the existing UI" designed to streamline mech customization and MWO's social features. The redesign is set for release February 4th.

            Check out the VOD of the stream after the break to get a closer look, with commentary, of what MWO will look like post-2.0.

            Continue reading Take a peek at MechWarrior Online's UI 2.0 upgrade

            MassivelyTake a peek at MechWarrior Online's UI 2.0 upgrade originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 19 Jan 2014 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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