MMO Updates |
- Defiance previews the next DLC pack, Gunslinger Trials
- Perfect Ten: MMO features that were hyped but never delivered
- The Guild Counsel: How to find a good pre-launch guild
- EQN Landmark livestream highlights new building mats, hints at co-op harvesting
- Brad McQuaid looks for 'angel investors' for Pantheon
- The Daily Grind: Do layoff announcements affect your MMO gameplay?
- The Stream Team: New Bloom continues in Dota 2
- The Art of Wushu: Getting yourself a bounty
- MMO Family: Winter fun and cool cash in Roblox
- Pantheon Kickstarter updated with info on two stretch goal races
- The Stream Team: Checking out creativity in EQN Landmark
- Free for All: Can roleplay rise above the sexy stuff?
- SOE teases Landmark development plan, polls build contests
- Former Free Realms lead outlines the dangers of metric-based design
- Mark Jacobs promises stretch goals won't delay Camelot Unchained
- Anthropologist delves into World of Warcraft as a parallel to religion in China
- Turbine suffers another round of layoffs
- RIFT Update 2.6 goes live
- Infinite Crisis brings Star Sapphire into the fold
- Age of Wushu updates with World of Contenders
- Rhode Island House passes 38 Studios settlement bill
- Leaderboard: What sort of MMO would you make? Part deux
- FlapMMO brings non-combat gameplay to new heights
- World of Tanks launches worldwide on the Xbox 360
| Defiance previews the next DLC pack, Gunslinger Trials Posted: 13 Feb 2014 09:30 AM PST Filed under: Sci-Fi, Previews, News Items, Consoles, MMOFPS, Defiance, Buy-to-Play  The DLC content isn't limited to story developments, though. Players will also be taking on new four-person challenges in which a group of hunters struggle to reach the end of a course, killing and progressing as quickly as possible. And raw damage isn't all that matters; teamwork and coordination will play a major role in clearing the end. Gunslinger Trials is planned for release in March, so get your trigger fingers ready if this sounds like your sort of fun.
|
| Perfect Ten: MMO features that were hyped but never delivered Posted: 13 Feb 2014 09:00 AM PST Filed under: World of Warcraft, Age of Conan, City of Heroes, EVE Online, Guild Wars, Warhammer Online, Opinion, Ultima Online, Vanguard, Humor, Champions Online, Perfect Ten, Miscellaneous  These are the features that studios would much rather you forget were mentioned in the first place, although this is the internet and the internet never forgets. Well, players who latch on to everything devs say as absolute truth never forget. Sometimes things happen along the way in development. Studios run out of time to get in all of the features and have to prioritize which make the cut and which do not. Features end up not testing as well as hoped and the studio quietly drops them because the PR hit for the features not going in is much less than the disaster that they might cause. And some developers like to flap their gums and spout brainstorm ideas that send the actual programmers and designers back at the company into spasms of agony when they try to figure out how to make them work. Today let's go through 10 features that were talked up but never delivered in MMOs! Continue reading Perfect Ten: MMO features that were hyped but never delivered
|
| The Guild Counsel: How to find a good pre-launch guild Posted: 13 Feb 2014 08:00 AM PST Filed under: Guilds, Opinion, The Guild Counsel, Miscellaneous  But it's hard to find the right guild when you can't really see it in action. How do you know whether the guild you join will end up being the best fit for you? Let's look at how to link up with the best pre-launch guild in this week's Guild Counsel. Continue reading The Guild Counsel: How to find a good pre-launch guild
|
| EQN Landmark livestream highlights new building mats, hints at co-op harvesting Posted: 13 Feb 2014 07:00 AM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Video, Game Mechanics, New Titles, News Items, Free-to-Play, EverQuest Next, Livestream, Housing, Player-Generated Content  During the stream, Producer Terry Michaels also mentioned upcoming features currently in development, such as cooperative harvesting, attached claims, caves, permissions, and groups. The show then wrapped up with the announcement that these official streams, newly christened Landmark Live, will be a weekly occurrence from here on out. Watch the full livestream below, and read up on the latest alpha additions in the patch notes. Continue reading EQN Landmark livestream highlights new building mats, hints at co-op harvesting
|
| Brad McQuaid looks for 'angel investors' for Pantheon Posted: 13 Feb 2014 06:00 AM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, MMO Industry, Crowdfunding, Subscription, Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen  "If anyone knows an angel investor or other type of investor who might be interested in investing in [Visionary Realms], please let me know," McQuaid tweeted on Wednesday. Even with this plea, McQuaid said that he and his team would not abandon the project even if the Kickstarter goal isn't met: "NOT giving up on [Kickstarter]! People are super excited about Pantheon, as are we. This game is going to be developed one way or another! Whether we meet [the Kickstarter goal] or not, we will have all of the [Kickstarter] info on our site and the ability to pledge there. Pantheon has amazing momentum behind it right now, and we're going to keep it that way!"
|
| The Daily Grind: Do layoff announcements affect your MMO gameplay? Posted: 13 Feb 2014 05:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Dungeons and Dragons Online, Lord of the Rings Online, Business Models, MMO Industry, Opinion, Free-to-Play, The Daily Grind  Regardless of whether or not we believe Warner Bros. "normal strategic alignment" statement, layoffs are layoffs and they reflect negatively on an ongoing game service to some extent. What that extent is varies from player to player, of course, and that's where today's Daily Grind comes in. Do MMO studio layoff announcements cause you to rethink the amount of time or money you spend on a given game, or is it just business as usual?  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 Stream Team: New Bloom continues in Dota 2 Posted: 12 Feb 2014 05:30 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Patches, PvP, Free-to-Play, Massively Meta, Hands-On, Livestream, MOBA, The Stream Team  Tune in at 8:30 p.m. EST for all the action. Game: Dota 2 Host: Mike Foster Date: Wednesday, February 12th, 2014 Time: 8:30 p.m. EST Enjoy our Stream Team video below. Continue reading The Stream Team: New Bloom continues in Dota 2
|
| The Art of Wushu: Getting yourself a bounty Posted: 12 Feb 2014 05:00 PM PST Filed under: Historical, PvP, Opinion, Free-to-Play, Age of Wushu, The Art of Wushu, MMORPG  If I don't have a bounty, a kill that doesn't get me a bounty is pointless. Infamy is a resource, and if I ramp it up too much, I could be looking at jail time without even getting a bounty. Nothing is more frustrating than having to idle for hours in some out of the way place because my infamy shot up over 2000, but it's pretty easy to get there. Being selective in whom I kill helps prevent those kinds of mistakes. Continue reading The Art of Wushu: Getting yourself a bounty
|
| MMO Family: Winter fun and cool cash in Roblox Posted: 12 Feb 2014 04:00 PM PST Filed under: Kids, MMO Family, Family, Miscellaneous, Sandbox  Let's take a look at what Roblox has been up to this winter in this week's MMO Family. Continue reading MMO Family: Winter fun and cool cash in Roblox
|
| Pantheon Kickstarter updated with info on two stretch goal races Posted: 12 Feb 2014 03:30 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, MMO Industry, News Items, PvE, Crowdfunding, Subscription, MMORPG, Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen  For what it's worth, the T'Jinn are magic beings composed of arcane particles who were previously bound into servitude by mages but earned freedom thanks to the efforts of a goddess. The Vrilaska are reptilian humanoids of great agility and strength who were among the first to arrive in Terminus. The Kickstarter campaign for Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen ends February 22nd, 2014. [Thanks to Josh for the tip]
|
| The Stream Team: Checking out creativity in EQN Landmark Posted: 12 Feb 2014 03:00 PM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Trailers, Free-to-Play, EverQuest Next, Livestream, Sandbox, Housing, The Stream Team, Player-Generated Content  Game: EverQuest Next Landmark Host: MJ Guthrie Date: Wednesday, February 12th, 2014 Time: 6:00 p.m. EST Enjoy our Stream Team video below. Continue reading The Stream Team: Checking out creativity in EQN Landmark
|
| Free for All: Can roleplay rise above the sexy stuff? Posted: 12 Feb 2014 02:30 PM PST Filed under: Business Models, Culture, Game Mechanics, Opinion, Roleplaying, Free for All, Miscellaneous, Sandbox, MOBA  I logged in and was assigned to play the character Malik, who was something of a wise man. My apparent goal was to find a spy, hire a thief to steal secrets, and look for other players who were from the same background. I was also assigned the task of blessing people in the hopes of gaining new disciples. Excited, I logged in and approached a group of players. Almost as soon as I did, I was disappointed. Within minutes several players were talking non-stop about women's underwear. At first I thought it was part of the story, but then I realized it was simply another great roleplay opportunity taken down by a few jerks. Continue reading Free for All: Can roleplay rise above the sexy stuff?
|
| SOE teases Landmark development plan, polls build contests Posted: 12 Feb 2014 02:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Polls, Game Mechanics, New Titles, News Items, PvE, Free-to-Play, EverQuest Next, Dev Diaries, Player-Generated Content, MMORPG  Additionally, Georgeson revealed that SOE is going to start running Landmark building contests. The first contest revolves around designing a landmark for island hubs, but future contests are left up to a poll in the post. Choices include homages to buildings in previous EverQuest games, new architecture for Norrath, and genre-specific contests that center on modern, sci-fi, or fantasy designs. You can vote for your preference on Georgeson's forum post.
|
| Former Free Realms lead outlines the dangers of metric-based design Posted: 12 Feb 2014 01:45 PM PST Filed under: Business Models, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, News Items, Free-to-Play, Free Realms  "There's no measuring spoon for love. You can't quantify it," McWilliams explained to a Casual Connect Europe audience. "Retention is not the same as happiness." She went to detail how metrics can contribute to an illusion of control and confidence on the part of developers when in reality, "the point is that it's a mix of logic and emotion that goes into our decisions as game designers. That's why we can never design by metrics."
|
| Mark Jacobs promises stretch goals won't delay Camelot Unchained Posted: 12 Feb 2014 01:30 PM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Dev Diaries, Crowdfunding, Camelot Unchained, Subscription  To avoid any future conflict with funders, Jacobs went on to list several principles that his studio will adhere to for stretch goals. He said that future stretch goals must add something very useful to the game, not be thrown in just to raise funding, not require adding too many new people to the team, and be added only if they don't conflict with other goals. Jacobs also indicated that he's perfectly fine with halting further stretch goals or waiting to put them in until the time is right and the team has already finished what it needs to do. Finally, Mark Jacobs made a sacred vow to fans: "I PROMISE, ON BEHALF OF CSE, NEVER TO ADD, OR ALLOW TO BE ADDED, STRETCH GOALS THAT ENDANGER THE ESTIMATED LAUNCH OF CAMELOT UNCHAINED IN DECEMBER 2015. Okay, now it's official."
|
| Anthropologist delves into World of Warcraft as a parallel to religion in China Posted: 12 Feb 2014 01:00 PM PST Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Culture, MMO Industry, News Items, MMORPG  Hornbeck explains that opportunities for moral expression are "largely restricted to the affordances of the education system" but World of Warcraft offers an opportunity to "experience strong upwellings of moral sentiment." Additionally, he offers numerous quotes from Chinese WoW players that express how the game has transcended gameplay and turned into something entirely different -- something with deep personal value. Here's one such quote: In the end, the most important thing I want to say is what we are playing is not merely a game. In this world we find a feeling of existence we cannot find in the real world. This does not mean we are escaping, nor that we can only play games. People who say this are not real players. Do not think playing games is a waste of time, because the game made up for something we lost.The full post is well worth a read.
|
| Turbine suffers another round of layoffs Posted: 12 Feb 2014 12:40 PM PST Filed under: Asheron's Call, Dungeons and Dragons Online, Lord of the Rings Online, MMO Industry, News Items, Miscellaneous, Infinite Crisis  A Warner Bros. representative responded with an official statement: "As part of our normal business process, we're routinely looking at the strategic alignment of our company. Unfortunately, in order for us to invest in growth areas at Turbine, we have to eliminate some positions. These are always tough decisions, which we don't approach lightly, but it's crucial that Turbine is structured in a way that reflects the current and coming marketplace." Massively has reached out to Turbine for additional comments.
|
| Posted: 12 Feb 2014 12:30 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Patches, Free-to-Play, RIFT, Crafting  The update contains a hefty assortment of features, the most notable of which is the new Dream Weaver crafting profession. With 2.6 also comes unstable artifact sets, over two dozen new dimensions, pet skins, a bounty system, and the first part of the new Air Saga storyline. The patch coincides with the start of the love-themed Festival of Mariel-Taun.
|
| Infinite Crisis brings Star Sapphire into the fold Posted: 12 Feb 2014 12:00 PM PST Filed under: Betas, Super-hero, Video, Classes, Free-to-Play, MOBA, Infinite Crisis  Star Sapphire wields her namesake's ring, able to channel love and keep the Predator entity in check. In the game, she's a ranged damage dealer who's best kept out of immediate harm's way. She can choose to unleash the Predator to do damage or to keep it attached for a speed boost. Star Sapphire will be added to the game on February 26th. You don't have to wait until then to check out her moves, however, as we've got her champion spotlight video after the break! [Source: Turbine press release] Continue reading Infinite Crisis brings Star Sapphire into the fold
|
| Age of Wushu updates with World of Contenders Posted: 12 Feb 2014 11:30 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Historical, Game Mechanics, Patches, PvP, News Items, Free-to-Play, Age of Wushu  Yes, the latest major update for the game is live, and it offers a lot of ways for players to contend with one another, most notably the Dragon and Tiger Tournament featuring a series of one-on-one duels in large arenas. You can also take part in the weekly battles between schools added with the School Rivalry system. Not really up for contention? There's still plenty to access with the addition of the fourth Internal skill and a new set of skills exclusive to married couples. Get patched up and get ready to contend just as much as you'd like, as it seems Snail Games is indeed looking out for you.
|
| Rhode Island House passes 38 Studios settlement bill Posted: 12 Feb 2014 11:00 AM PST Filed under: MMO Industry, Legal, Miscellaneous  The House vote was the twin of the Senate bill that passed last month. The bill shields the ex-38 Studios defendants from being sued further, aiding a final settlement in the legal matter of the defaulted $75 million loan and the studio's subsequent collapse. Now the bill will be handed over to Governor Lincoln Chafee to sign. The lawmakers also discussed whether or not Rhode Island taxpayers should continue to pay off the $90 million that the state is responsible for. One representative said that the state should be solely repaid from funds recouped following this round of litigation.
|
| Leaderboard: What sort of MMO would you make? Part deux Posted: 12 Feb 2014 10:30 AM PST Filed under: Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, Opinion, Massively Meta, Sandbox, Leaderboard  In round one, Leaderboard readers were asked to choose a primary focus for our MMO project. The simulation/virtual world choice won the day with 29.8% of the vote, followed by the PvE/combat progression choice and the PvE/crafting progression choice -- both with 19.5% of the vote. Now that we have a gameplay focus, we should probably pick a genre, don't you think? Vote after the cut!  Ever wish that you could put to rest a long-standing MMO debate once and for all? Then welcome to the battle royal of Massively's Leaderboard, where two sides enter the pit o' judgment -- and only one leaves. Vote to make your opinion known, and see whether your choice tops the Leaderboard!Continue reading Leaderboard: What sort of MMO would you make? Part deux
|
| FlapMMO brings non-combat gameplay to new heights Posted: 12 Feb 2014 10:00 AM PST Filed under: Culture, Game Mechanics, News Items, Free-to-Play, Browser, Humor, Sandbox  If all this sounds too good to be true, you should consider also the fact that the game is entirely free-to-play without so much as a cash shop. Chat functions are currently limited, as is character customization, but there's no word from the developer on whether or not this is part of the design or something that will be addressed in the first expansion. You might want to consider giving this wide-open combat-free exploration simulator a try if you've got some free time on your hands.
|
| World of Tanks launches worldwide on the Xbox 360 Posted: 12 Feb 2014 09:30 AM PST Filed under: Galleries, Screenshots, Launches, News Items, War, Free-to-Play, Consoles, MMOFPS, World of Tanks  Before you run downstairs to fire up your console, keep in mind that you won't be able to play the game for free; an Xbox Live Gold subscription is required for continued play. All Xbox Live accounts do get a free trial of the game for seven days, however, so you can decide if it's worth subscribing to the service. You can also take a look at the gallery below to get a glance at what the game will look like on the TV. [Source: Wargaming.net press release]
|
| You are subscribed to email updates from Massively To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
