MMO Updates

MMO Updates


The Repopulation closes its second Kickstarter with triple funding

Posted: 27 Jan 2014 09:30 AM PST

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Sit down and talk.  They're kind of a big deal.
The development team at Above and Beyond Technologies went back to Kickstarter to ask for a little extra funding to develop The Repopulation. The project's goal was set at a very reasonable $50,000. Now the campaign is over, and it turns out that the company's philosophy of starting low and using stretch goals worked out quite well. Funding for this campaign closed out at around $176,000, more than triple what was initially requested.

Despite that high number, not every stretch goal was hit, but that's what happens when the developers build a high ceiling. Still, it means that the game squeaked past the mark needed to unlock gladiatorial arenas in player-run cities. It's good news for the game's developers, backers, and even fans who elected not to back the second campaign.

MassivelyThe Repopulation closes its second Kickstarter with triple funding originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 27 Jan 2014 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Blade Hunter beta gets big content update

Posted: 27 Jan 2014 09:00 AM PST

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The side-scroller Blade Hunter, which started beta a little over a month ago, just received a large content update that brought UI improvements, new game systems, mounts, quest lines, cosmetic options, and a raised level cap to the action MMO.

Players can boost their stats with elemental companions called sprites starting at level 39, and higher level characters can equip more sprites. Additionally, players at any level can nab a pair of wings through either in-game challenges, crafting item recipes, or Diamond recharge bonuses; however, only level 80s can upgrade and personalize wings beyond the standard buff.

If faster travel is more your speed, combat mounts are now available in a variety of types, from horses to dragons. You can ride that mount to the Citadel, a new instance unlocked at level 79 that promises a challenge that puts even Nightmare Mode to shame.

[Source: R2Games press release]

MassivelyBlade Hunter beta gets big content update originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 27 Jan 2014 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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    Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen to livestream game development tonight

    Posted: 27 Jan 2014 08:00 AM PST

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    Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen to livestream game development
    If you've ever wanted to get an insider's look at MMO development, Visionary Realms is offering that chance. The studio will stream sessions of Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen's development from the desktop of Senior Artist Vu Nguyen live on Twitch while various team members offer commentary and answer audience questions from chat. The first show airs on the Rob and Dan Show tonight, January 27th, at 7:00 p.m. EST.

    Additionally, Chief Creative Officer Brad McQuaid will host a Reddit Ask-Me-Anything at 4:00 p.m. EST Wednesday, January 29th. "We've said from day one that we want the community involved every step of the way, and this is a chance to prove that we're committed to that," noted Director of Development Salim Grant.

    [Source: Visionary Realms press release]

    MassivelyPantheon: Rise of the Fallen to livestream game development tonight originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 27 Jan 2014 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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      Smedley confirms EverQuest Next will arrive on PlayStation 4

      Posted: 27 Jan 2014 07:00 AM PST

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      Although CEO John Smedley's Reddit AMAA last Friday was to address the closures of four SOE games, he also fielded questions about other titles. And one tidbit that Smedley slipped in was that EverQuest Next will definitely be available on the PlayStation 4, a fact that he all but assured players last November but stopped short of confirming. For those who weren't following the AMAA (or maybe lost that brief announcement in the conversation), it was also officially tweeted when the AMAA closed.

      MassivelySmedley confirms EverQuest Next will arrive on PlayStation 4 originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 27 Jan 2014 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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      The Stream Team: Spring or else edition, January 27 - February 2, 2014

      Posted: 27 Jan 2014 06:00 AM PST

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      After a month that involved a polar vortices and a polar plunge (I'm surprised we didn't end up with polar bears!), I know a number of people who are threatening to carry out bodily harm to a certain weather-forecasting critter if he deigns to suggest that winter will be extended. Spring or the groundhog gets it! That's the cry I hear around these parts. Hopefully it doesn't come to that, but if you have any furry friends show up on your doorstep this week asking for asylum, you just might want to grant it. Invite them in to watch some Stream Team adventures on Massively TV. And whatever you do, keep them out of the sun on February 2nd!

      Continue reading The Stream Team: Spring or else edition, January 27 - February 2, 2014

      MassivelyThe Stream Team: Spring or else edition, January 27 - February 2, 2014 originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 27 Jan 2014 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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        TUG project update details alpha and beta plans

        Posted: 27 Jan 2014 05:30 AM PST

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        The Untitled Game concept art
        Developer of the Kickstarter-funded sandbox MMO The Untitled Game, Nerd Kingdom, has announced a new update regarding the status of the game's alpha and beta, and it's a bit of good news and a bit of not-so-good news. The not-so-good news is that the developers have "decided to push back calling the game's current state a 'beta' and keep it in the alpha phase." The good news, though, is that many of the systems the devs were hoping to implement are ready to go live, and "[the devs have] had a chance to refine many things for this next major milestone."

        In the update e-mail, the devs tell fans that they are entering a "new phase of development" that will require the community's help to spread the word about the game and expand the game's fanbase. In addition, the devs are making a push to open more lines of public communication with the community, such as public updates on the game's tech development, more dev blogs and vlogs, and "a stronger presence with a bunch of [TUG's] YouTube content creator friends." On top of that, the devs announce they are planning to drop the price of alpha access while also working with the internet-favorite Humble Store to "allow for a much smoother purchasing process for everyone who is supporting [the game]." Last, but not least, TUG's devs are "preparing to launch a Steam Greenlight campaign on January 29th," so fans will have the opportunity to help bring TUG to everyone's favorite online game-delivery platform. "This year is certainly going to be our year," the e-mail closes, "and we could not be more excited or grateful to have you guys here to help push us."

        [Source: Nerd Kingdom press release]

        MassivelyTUG project update details alpha and beta plans originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 27 Jan 2014 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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          The Daily Grind: What do you need to do every day in your games of choice?

          Posted: 27 Jan 2014 05:00 AM PST

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          Every day I'm transmogging.
          My wife and I have been exploring Loot Island (or Timeless Isle, as it's more commonly known) in World of Warcraft as sort of a daily lark. It's not our main game (that honor goes to Final Fantasy XIV) and we don't really need to keep getting more gear, but it's a lot of fun for us to just partner up and clear our way through several Elites without blinking. Actual daily quests are a third or fourth priority for us; we just need to get in that little romp.

          Pretty much every MMO provides some sort of incentive for logging in every single day, but there aren't many players who actually use that as their to-do list. The question for today is what do you need to do every day? Do you want to get your daily quests out of the way every single day? Do you want to run at least one dungeon? Roleplay? Earn PvP currency? Craft? Even just stand in the center of a city and spam chat channels?

          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: What do you need to do every day in your games of choice? originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 27 Jan 2014 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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            MMO Week in Review: Quadruple sunsets

            Posted: 26 Jan 2014 05:00 PM PST

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            Vanguard
            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.

            With less than a week to go before the presumptive launch of EverQuest Next Landmark's alpha, SOE dropped a bomb on its core fans with the news that the studio will be shuttering four of its MMOs, making its all-access pass that much more unattractive. Vanguard, Wizardry Online, Free Realms, and Clone Wars Adventures are all slated for execution in the coming months. SOE CEO John Smedley told Reddit followers that he believed his company has "watered down [its] gaming a little too much" and "no longer [had] the resources to dedicate" to keeping the games secure and in-sync with SOE's overall gaming platform. He also promised Star Wars Galaxies fans, still smarting from their own sunset two years ago, that SOE's next (unannounced) game is dedicated to them.

            Massively's MJ made her farewells to Vanguard in yesterday's column, but stay tuned for more sunset coverage from our team. And in the meantime, read on for a look at the rest of this week's top MMO stories. Most of them are happy, even.

            Continue reading MMO Week in Review: Quadruple sunsets

            MassivelyMMO Week in Review: Quadruple sunsets originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 26 Jan 2014 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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              EVE Evolved: EVE needs real colonisation now

              Posted: 26 Jan 2014 03:00 PM PST

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              EVE Evolved title image
              MMOs have absolutely exploded in popularity over the past decade, with online gaming growing from a niche hobby to a global market worth billions of dollars each year. Once dominated by subscription games like EverQuest and World of Warcraft, recent years have seen free-to-play games take centre stage. Global MMO subscriptions have been reportedly shrinking since 2010, and EVE doesn't appear to be immune to this industry-wide trend. Though February 2013's figures showed EVE subscriptions have technically grown year-on-year, those numbers were published just after the Chinese server relaunch, and CCP hasn't released any new figures since.

              Developers have done a good job of catering to current subscribers and polishing existing gameplay with the past few expansions, but the average daily login numbers are still the same as they were over four years ago. EVE will undoubtedly hook in plenty of new and returning subscribers when its deep space colonisation gameplay with player-built stargates and new hidden solar systems is implemented, but time could be running out on these features. Hefty competition is due in the next few years from upcoming sandbox games such as Star Citizen, EverQuest Next, Camelot Unchained, and Elite: Dangerous, and CCP will have to release something big soon to bring in some fresh blood.

              In this week's EVE Evolved, I ask whether CCP should focus on new players and suggest plans for two relatively simple colonisation-based expansions that could get EVE a significant part of the way toward its five-year goal in just one year.

              Continue reading EVE Evolved: EVE needs real colonisation now

              MassivelyEVE Evolved: EVE needs real colonisation now originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 26 Jan 2014 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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                Rise and Shiny: League of Angels

                Posted: 26 Jan 2014 01:00 PM PST

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                League of Angels screenshot
                I do not enjoy writing guide-like articles. I am no fan of reading walls of text that detail how to "properly" perform in an MMO, and I will not break my policy this week. It wouldn't really matter, anyway, because this week's Rise and Shiny game comes from the mind-bogglingly strange genre of hands-off browser-based MMOing. I've discussed the massive, massive success that browser-based gaming has seen in China and other places, but I always preface that discussion with a warning: It is not going away. There are plenty of players in the West who will (and do) gladly participate in this hands-off gaming. There is nothing so special about Western gamers -- and their tastes -- to prevent our MMOs from becoming single-click level races, and nothing more.

                I should have known as soon as I saw League of Angels that the game would ask nothing of me but to babysit the mouse and keyboard, making sure that neither ran out of juice. Sure, a player will occasionally need to look up from his Wyatt Earp biography to read two or three words of text on the screen, but generally the game does all of the work.

                That leads me to the two questions that always pop up when I play a game like this: Who does enjoy such a title, and why make such a title in the first place?

                Continue reading Rise and Shiny: League of Angels

                MassivelyRise and Shiny: League of Angels originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 26 Jan 2014 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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                  Elder Scrolls Online Q&A focuses on group mechanics

                  Posted: 26 Jan 2014 12:00 PM PST

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                  ESO
                  ZeniMax Creative Director Paul Sage fielded 42 questions from the Tamriel Foundry community yesterday about grouping and other Elder Scrolls Online topics.

                  Sage elaborated on various mechanics that PvE group members will encounter, such as healing, experience bonuses, role-swapping, switching alliances, and armor usage. He said that not every instance will require a four-person group to have the holy trinity, although the tougher dungeons will demand this.

                  Skill synergy was a topic that Sage addressed at great length: "Synergies are those abilities which another player casts, they are useful by themselves, but take on new dimension if another player comes over and activates the synergy effect. They are much more about reacting to situations and using them at the right time. They aren't necessary, but they do provide a large advantage when used correctly and may be the difference between life and death in harder combats."

                  Head over to Tamriel Foundry for the full read!

                  [Thanks to Phanes for the tip!]

                  MassivelyElder Scrolls Online Q&A focuses on group mechanics originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 26 Jan 2014 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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                  Stick and Rudder: It's the Massively Star Citizen guild

                  Posted: 26 Jan 2014 11:00 AM PST

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                  Stick and Rudder - Your Star Citizen source
                  I love me some guild management tools, which is strange since I don't manage guilds all that often. It's a bit of work, see, as one look through the titles and topics in our Guild Counsel category will make clear.

                  At any rate, I can't stop playing around with Star Citizen's recently launched Organization stuff.

                  Continue reading Stick and Rudder: It's the Massively Star Citizen guild

                  MassivelyStick and Rudder: It's the Massively Star Citizen guild originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 26 Jan 2014 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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