MMO Updates |
- The Road to Mordor: The ins and outs of mithril coins
- WRUP: And now the conclusion edition
- The Daily Grind: How much would you pay to keep an MMO alive?
- Smedley: SOE's new unannounced MMO is dedicated to SWG players
- Betawatch: January 18 - 24, 2014
- Trove: You make it, we play it
- The Stream Team: A triumphant return to Guild Wars 2
- Storyboard: How to say goodbye and mean it
- Why I Play: Defiance
- SOE shuttering Vanguard, Clone Wars, Free Realms, and Wizardry [Updated]
- Camelot Unchained eyeing $2.5 million Depths stretch goal
- Firefall developer secures $23 million in funding
- Legislation may pave a path for 38 Studios case settlement
- DayZ griefers force victims to sing
- Tamriel Infinium: Look! A video not about Elder Scrolls Online PvP
- Pantheon's Crusader brings two shields to the fight
- The Soapbox: MMO 'nostalgia' isn't nostalgia
| The Road to Mordor: The ins and outs of mithril coins Posted: 25 Jan 2014 09:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Business Models, Economy, Opinion, Free-to-Play, The Road to Mordor  Mithril coins were added in March 2013's Update 10, and their purchasing power expanded in subsequent updates. Basically, the mithril coin was a new type of currency that offered a quick and clean solution to buying goods and services in the game without the player's having to go through the LotRO store. Think of them as video arcade tokens, obtained with real money and used on the entertainment that you desire. Turbine saw these coins as a way to streamline certain pay-for-service portions of the game that had their own separate currencies (such as revival tomes and stablemaster writs). One unified currency for a variety of uses. I haven't seen a lot of chatter on these coins as of late, leading me to believe that their inclusion in the game is more or less accepted now. Some people find the coins irritating and an abuse of free-to-play moneygrabbing tactics. Others find them very useful and welcome in the game. I have a foot planted in both camps, and today we're going to look at the ins and outs of using mithril coins. Continue reading The Road to Mordor: The ins and outs of mithril coins
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| WRUP: And now the conclusion edition Posted: 25 Jan 2014 07:00 AM PST Filed under: Massively Meta, Miscellaneous  Then the entire staff is slowly eaten by hyenas. So now we... oh, wait, that's next week's episode. So please try and put all that out of your head as you read this week's WRUP about what we're going to be playing, and leave your own weekend plans down in the comments. You'll note that I left several other people's fates ambiguous, so guess your own conclusion! (Here's a hint: It's hyenas.) Continue reading WRUP: And now the conclusion edition
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| The Daily Grind: How much would you pay to keep an MMO alive? Posted: 25 Jan 2014 05:00 AM PST Filed under: Business Models, MMO Industry, Opinion, Vanguard, Free-to-Play, The Daily Grind  The phrase "past economic viability" is odd since SOE has literally been giving Vanguard away for nearly two years now. The other part of the equation that doesn't add up is why SOE -- or any other firm that insists on closing down a license-free MMO -- doesn't first reach out to the affected playerbase and offer them a chance to save the day. It might go something like this. "Dear Vanguard player, we thank you for your support and we regret to inform you that the game is not doing well financially. In order to avoid shutting it down, we require you and every other current player to pay a $50 monthly subscription fee." Sure, 50 bucks is an arbitrary number that I just made up and a large number for an MMO sub. But can anyone credibly state that loyal players wouldn't gladly pay $50 or more if it meant saving their game? How would we know since no MMO company can be bothered to try it? Which leads in to today's Daily Grind question. How much would you pay to keep your favorite MMO alive?  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!
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| Smedley: SOE's new unannounced MMO is dedicated to SWG players Posted: 24 Jan 2014 06:30 PM PST Filed under: MMO Industry, New Titles, Star Wars Galaxies, Sandbox  CEO John Smedley took to Reddit to answer questions following the announcement, and while it makes for a sobering read if you're a Vanguard, Wizardry Online, Free Realms, or Clone Wars Adventures fan, there was a hopeful nugget buried in there for sandbox lovers and more specifically, fans of Star Wars: Galaxies. "SWG players, our next game (not announced yet) is dedicated to you," Smedley wrote. "Once we launch it... you can come home now."
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| Betawatch: January 18 - 24, 2014 Posted: 24 Jan 2014 05:00 PM PST Filed under: Betas, MMO Industry, News Items, Betawatch, Miscellaneous  Hearthstone entered into its open beta, although its functioning cash shop since closed beta puts it directly into the "soft launched" category for reasons discussed in last week's Betawatch. Star Wars: Attack Squadrons has also entered a second phase of closed testing for those who can't get enough dogfighting but don't want to play Star Wars: The Old Republic. Oh, and there's the usual list of betas and our Testing Notes just past the break. Like always, feel free to let us know in the comments if something slipped into open testing or the like without our catching it! Continue reading Betawatch: January 18 - 24, 2014
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| Trove: You make it, we play it Posted: 24 Jan 2014 04:30 PM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Interviews, Previews, Free-to-Play, Sandbox, Trove  The title, which is still in deep alpha, has yet to implement core features such as world cycling and additional classes. But what it is adding, day after day, are items and weapons created by fans. Krausnick said that the decision to turn over the item creation toolset to players has been a resounding success, with over 100 weapons created and 10 to 20 player-created items going into the game with each patch. One player even volunteered to create housing trophies for each creature in the game, which the team is now putting in as rare drops. Trion is rewarding players who create chosen designs with credit in a tooltip for their effort, a special hat, and game access if they haven't paid into it yet. That's right: If you want an alpha invite but don't want to shell out cash, then making a good-looking axe could be your ticket into Trove. We've got more to share about Trove's ongoing development and a video walking you through player-designed items after the break! Continue reading Trove: You make it, we play it
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| The Stream Team: A triumphant return to Guild Wars 2 Posted: 24 Jan 2014 04:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Video, MMO Industry, PvE, Guild Wars 2, Hands-On, Livestream, The Stream Team, MMORPG, Buy-to-Play  Game: Guild Wars 2 Host: Mike Foster Date: Friday, January 24th, 2014 Time: 7:00 p.m. EST Enjoy our Steam Team video below. Continue reading The Stream Team: A triumphant return to Guild Wars 2
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| Storyboard: How to say goodbye and mean it Posted: 24 Jan 2014 03:00 PM PST Filed under: Culture, Opinion, Roleplaying, Storyboard, Miscellaneous  Right. That part. Where are you going to go? When you've been with one group of players for a while, it's tempting to see the game in pretty narrow terms because the focus narrows. The game is less about the whole server and more about the people whom you spend your time with in the game, naturally. But when you take away the group that you've been immersed in for so long, you're back to looking at an overall environment you hadn't considered. So here are some tips to make leaving as painless as possible. Continue reading Storyboard: How to say goodbye and mean it
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| Posted: 24 Jan 2014 02:00 PM PST Filed under: Screenshots, Culture, Game Mechanics, PvP, PvE, Opinion, Free-to-Play, Casual, MMOFPS, Humor, Sandbox, Why I Play, Defiance, Buy-to-Play  The game is not really revolutionary in many ways, but it does do many things that have never been done before. The more I play it, the more I see that the game developers and producers of the show sold the entire thing the wrong way from the start, but "the show will grow on ya, don't worry" would not make for a good tagline, and "the game is damn fun and does away with all of that level-based stuff that plagues RIFT" would probably not look too great on the game's website. Either way, I'm glad I've stuck with the game and the show. The game, especially, has provided me with hours of entertainment. In order to illustrate how I enjoy the game, I think it would be easiest to detail a typical evening of play. Continue reading Why I Play: Defiance
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| SOE shuttering Vanguard, Clone Wars, Free Realms, and Wizardry [Updated] Posted: 24 Jan 2014 01:45 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Business Models, MMO Industry, News Items, Vanguard, Free-to-Play, Free Realms, Wizardry Online, Sunsets  "At Sony Online Entertainment, we are always evaluating our portfolio to ensure we're providing players with the best gameplay experiences," the company said via press release. "At times, as part of this commitment, we have to make the difficult decision to sunset a game so we can refocus our resources on other areas in the best interest of our company and player community." SOE CEO John Smedley will be fielding questions on Reddit at 6:00 p.m. EST. We'll update you with the link when it's live. [Update]: Smedley's Reddit AMA
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| Camelot Unchained eyeing $2.5 million Depths stretch goal Posted: 24 Jan 2014 01:30 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Business Models, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, PvP, News Items, Crowdfunding, Camelot Unchained, Subscription  The Builders Tiers start at $35 and go all the way up to the $425 level. You can browse all the tier rewards individually or scroll down to the bottom of the page for a handy-dandy tier comparison chart.
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| Firefall developer secures $23 million in funding Posted: 24 Jan 2014 01:00 PM PST Filed under: Sci-Fi, MMO Industry, Free-to-Play, Legal, MMOFPS, Firefall  Red 5 Acting CEO James Macauley pointed to the influx of cash as a sign that the battle-worn company is moving forward: "This additional round of funding will offer us the means to execute on our plan for successfully launching Firefall in 2014. This is the year Firefall takes flight. The entire Red 5 tribe is focused on creating top quality content that will take Firefall to the next level and we are excited for this next stage of development." The studio has plans to create a new story campaign for Firefall, take the fight to the Chosen, and reveal some of the burning secrets that have been in the game. [Source: Red 5 press release]
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| Legislation may pave a path for 38 Studios case settlement Posted: 24 Jan 2014 12:00 PM PST Filed under: MMO Industry, Legal, Miscellaneous  The Associated Press is reporting that efforts are being made to settle the 38 Studios lawsuit out of the courts. Rhode Island's lawyer is encouraging the state senate to pass legislation allowing both sides to come to a settlement, as the remaining 38 Studios assets and resources are "being eaten up very rapidly." The state is suing Curt Schilling and 13 others over the $75 million loan that 38 Studios defaulted on back in 2012, looking for repayment plus additional compensation for damages. If the legislation passes and a settlement is reached, then the defendants would be protected from any further claims for compensation.
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| DayZ griefers force victims to sing Posted: 24 Jan 2014 11:30 AM PST Filed under: Video, Culture, MMOFPS, Humor, Post-Apocalyptic  In the following video, you can see and hear players sneak up on unprepared foes, force them to their knees at gunpoint, and then offer them a choice. Either they sing their national anthem or they get shot. The bandits don't make their victims sing the entire thing and are recorded saying that they'll help them out with in-game supplies if they go along with it. You can preview the spectacle after the jump. Continue reading DayZ griefers force victims to sing
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| Tamriel Infinium: Look! A video not about Elder Scrolls Online PvP Posted: 24 Jan 2014 11:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Classes, Game Mechanics, New Titles, PvE, Dungeons, The Elder Scrolls Online, MMORPG, Tamriel Infinium  Because I've been critical of ZeniMax's marketing, I should praise the studio when it does something right. And the video the team released on Wednesday was amazing. Don't get the wrong impression when I say amazing. I wasn't knocked out of my chair, but I did find myself completely engaged with the video. That, I think, is more important than feeling a rush of adrenaline following the destruction of a huge keep or the explosion of a Daedric beast. Although a rush might make someone artificially excited about the game, an informative and engaging video will make people want to stick to the game for the long haul. Let me break down this video for you. Continue reading Tamriel Infinium: Look! A video not about Elder Scrolls Online PvP
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| Pantheon's Crusader brings two shields to the fight Posted: 24 Jan 2014 10:30 AM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Classes, Crowdfunding, Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen  Crusaders are front-line fighters that use heavy armor, one- and two-handed weapons, and tall shields as well as a dollop of divine power to smite foes and bless allies. Players who go down this virtuous path can specialize either as a melee-focused Cavalier or a magic-using Paladin. It sounds as though Crusaders will be very beneficial to parties with group-wide buffs and the ability to tank effectively. They'll also get a squire to help out, undead-banishing abilities, and the option to pick up two shields for both protection and offense.
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| The Soapbox: MMO 'nostalgia' isn't nostalgia Posted: 24 Jan 2014 10:00 AM PST Filed under: Sci-Fi, Culture, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, Opinion, Star Wars Galaxies, The Soapbox, Sandbox  nos·tal·gia noun \nä-ˈstal-jə, nə- also nȯ-, nō-; nə-ˈstäl-\ : pleasure and sadness that is caused by remembering something from the past and wishing that you could experience it again 1 : the state of being homesick : homesickness 2 : a wistful or excessively sentimental yearning for return to or of some past period or irrecoverable condition; also : something that evokes nostalgia And here's where I tell you that nostalgia is the most misused, overused, and overly simplistic word in modern MMO discourse. Continue reading The Soapbox: MMO 'nostalgia' isn't nostalgia
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