MMO Updates |
- Massively Rewind: WildStar's adventure time, GW2's Lion's Arch destruction, and ESO's Oculus Rift prospects
- Elder Scrolls Online Beta: Battling it out in Cyrodiil
- Test drive Black Gold Online's alpha with fan Avril Lavigne
- The Stream Team: Exploring Planet Nexus in WildStar
- League of Angels introduces two new angels for official full release
- Tamriel Infinium: The missing parts of Elder Scrolls Online impressions
- World of Darkness drawing inspiration from sandbox survival games while EVE CE goes on sale
- Some Assembly Required: Is this really the sandbox renaissance?
- The Daily Grind: Have you ever killed off an MMO character?
- The Stream Team: Into the wilds of EQ
- McQuaid: 'Vast majority' of early Vanguard players quit by level two or three
- The Summoner's Guidebook: Two years and I'm still playing LoL
- European Warfare commences as Stronghold Kingdoms hits 200,000 monthly users
- Mabinogi update introduces Doki Doki Island, Valentine's Day events
- NCsoft boosts numbers in Q4 2013 while Nexon names new CEO
- The Think Tank: How do you feel about press-only beta coverage?
- Heroes of the Storm client screenshots and character list leaked
- Happy Valentine's Day from ArenaNet! Here's the corpse of your vanquished foe
- The Stream Team: Building my own (EQN) Landmark
- Field Journal: Tortage and the problem of starting areas
| Posted: 14 Feb 2014 09:00 AM PST Filed under: Video, MMO Industry, News Items, Opinion, Massively Meta, Humor, Miscellaneous, MMORPG, Massively Rewind  This week, Smedley's tweets once again make headlines, while Elder Scrolls Online gets unofficial Oculus Rift support. And both WildStar and Guild Wars 2 pumped out new trailers this week to discuss instanced adventures and the attack on Lion's Arch respectively. Check out the full episode after the cut.
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| Elder Scrolls Online Beta: Battling it out in Cyrodiil Posted: 14 Feb 2014 08:30 AM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Video, New Titles, Previews, PvP, Opinion, Hands-On, First Impressions, The Elder Scrolls Online, Subscription, MMORPG  Massively's resident ESO columnist, Larry Everett, visited the Tamrielian answer to realm-vs.-realm this past weekend and is finally allowed to discuss it. Players have suggested that it will resemble Guild Wars 2 or Warhammer Online open-world PvP. Are they right? In this 10-minute video, Larry explores the details of his experience from the Ebonheart Pact side of the battle. Continue reading Elder Scrolls Online Beta: Battling it out in Cyrodiil
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| Test drive Black Gold Online's alpha with fan Avril Lavigne Posted: 14 Feb 2014 08:15 AM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, MMO Industry, News Items, Steampunk, Black Gold  If you get into this test drive, you might even be playing alongside Avril Lavigne; the studio revealed that Lavigne is not only a fan of Black Gold Online, but one of its top players. The songstress shares her support of the game via video. [Source: Snail Games press release]
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| The Stream Team: Exploring Planet Nexus in WildStar Posted: 14 Feb 2014 08:00 AM PST Filed under: Betas, Sci-Fi, Hands-On, Livestream, WildStar, The Stream Team, Subscription, MMORPG  Game: WildStar Host: Richie "Bog Otter" Procopio Date: Friday, February 14th, 2014 Time: 11:00 a.m. EST Enjoy our Stream Team video below. Continue reading The Stream Team: Exploring Planet Nexus in WildStar
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| League of Angels introduces two new angels for official full release Posted: 14 Feb 2014 07:30 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Launches, MMO Industry, New Titles, PvP, Free-to-Play, Browser  R2Games also revealed the four cosplayers who will be representing some of the free-to-play game's angels in a live action shots: Maridah, Ginny McQueen, HezaChan, and Riki LeCotey, who plays Riddle in Heroes of Cosplay. Fans who sign up for the official LoA newsletter will see these exclusive shots as well as get further game news and updates. [Source: R2Games press release]
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| Tamriel Infinium: The missing parts of Elder Scrolls Online impressions Posted: 14 Feb 2014 07:00 AM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Screenshots, New Titles, PvE, Opinion, Hands-On, First Impressions, The Elder Scrolls Online, Subscription, MMORPG, Tamriel Infinium  Although I didn't come away agreeing with my colleague Eliot Lefebvre that the beta is nothing special, I didn't come away with an overwhelmingly positive opinion of the front of the game, either. Continue reading Tamriel Infinium: The missing parts of Elder Scrolls Online impressions
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| World of Darkness drawing inspiration from sandbox survival games while EVE CE goes on sale Posted: 14 Feb 2014 06:30 AM PST Filed under: Betas, Horror, Sci-Fi, EVE Online, Interviews, World of Darkness, Promotions, Sandbox  CCP CEO Hilmar Pétursson told RPS that survival games have given the team inspiration for World of Darkness' social dynamics: "DayZ and Rust have shown us the power of a sandbox when you bring it into a more recognizable context. The creators of those experiences often reference EVE Online as an inspiration for their things. We're now cross-inspired by what we're seeing there. How the absence of all these structured game mechanics -- by just allowing these natural interactions to happen -- that is something we're definitely incorporating into how we think about World of Darkness." Speaking of EVE, the space game's collector edition has gone on sale for $99.99. This 33% discount will last from today through February 17th.
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| Some Assembly Required: Is this really the sandbox renaissance? Posted: 14 Feb 2014 06:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-Fi, EVE Online, Business Models, Culture, Economy, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, PvP, PvE, Opinion, Free-to-Play, EverQuest Next, Some Assembly Required, Sandbox, Crafting, Player-Generated Content, Subscription, Star Citizen, Pathfinder Online, Buy-to-Play  EverQuest Next and Landmark aren't the only reasons to be amped, either, as games like Star Citizen, Elite: Dangerous, and The Repopulation are all putting their own spin on emergent virtual worlds and standing on the shoulders of genre giants. It's not all roses, though, and amidst the cautious optimism on display from starving sandbox fans, I feel the need to remind myself of the various personal pitfalls that still need to be addressed. Continue reading Some Assembly Required: Is this really the sandbox renaissance?
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| The Daily Grind: Have you ever killed off an MMO character? Posted: 14 Feb 2014 05:00 AM PST Filed under: Events (In-Game), Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, Opinion, Massively Meta, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous  I don't think it's too common among my friends, either. In fact, I remember a hung-over guildie logging in one morning, shocked to discover that in a drunken rage the night before, he'd deleted his alchemist. I think that moment in time made me covet my characters; I'm almost afraid to delete them even if I never play them, lest I change my mind later. In City of Heroes, for example, I frequently moved abandoned characters to remote servers just in case. But other folks delete to dramatize roleplay, to get attention, to ensure they can't return, or to ensure a clean slate if they ever do return. What about you guys -- have you ever killed off or deleted a "serious" MMO character? And can I have your stuff?  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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| The Stream Team: Into the wilds of EQ Posted: 13 Feb 2014 06:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Video, EverQuest, Free-to-Play, Livestream, The Stream Team  How much trouble can a Massively's MJ get into in EverQuest? Plenty! Norrath is full of misadventures for one young Froglok Shadowknight, and episode two of CMA Live will chronicle the latest ones. MJ is out roaming the wilds and invites you along for the adventure. You know what they say: There's safety in numbers! Join us live at 9:00 p.m. to help direct the continuing saga of Kurobi (and perhaps keep her out of too much trouble!). And don't forget to follow along every Wednesday in Choose My Adventure. Game: EverQuest Host: MJ Guthrie Date: Thursday, February 13th, 2014 Time: 9:00 p.m. EST Enjoy our Stream Team video below. Continue reading The Stream Team: Into the wilds of EQ
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| McQuaid: 'Vast majority' of early Vanguard players quit by level two or three Posted: 13 Feb 2014 05:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Culture, Game Mechanics, Interviews, MMO Industry, News Items, PvE, Vanguard  "The game sold very well at retail. Around 250,000 units just blew out of the stores. But the game wasn't optimized, the client wasn't optimized, and the server wasn't optimized," McQuaid explains. "The vast majority of people who played it early on left by the time their characters hit level two or three."
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| The Summoner's Guidebook: Two years and I'm still playing LoL Posted: 13 Feb 2014 04:00 PM PST Filed under: PvP, Opinion, Free-to-Play, MOBA, League of Legends, The Summoner's Guidebook, Anniversaries  Playing more stuff that you play Disappointingly for a lot of Dominion players who read these articles, I haven't been talking about it much lately. The big reason is I've been playing it a lot less, and unfortunately it's because the game mode isn't very popular. My solo queue time in Dominion is kind of long, for starters. Once you get to any sort of respectable level in that game mode, queue times start to get obscene. I end up having to wait 5-6 minutes for games on CS, and that's not so good. Continue reading The Summoner's Guidebook: Two years and I'm still playing LoL
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| European Warfare commences as Stronghold Kingdoms hits 200,000 monthly users Posted: 13 Feb 2014 03:00 PM PST Filed under: Historical, Patches, News Items, Free-to-Play, MMORTS  [Source: Firefly Studios press release]
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| Mabinogi update introduces Doki Doki Island, Valentine's Day events Posted: 13 Feb 2014 02:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Events (In-Game), Patches, News Items, Free-to-Play, Mabinogi  Just in time for Valentine's Day, Nexon America has announced a new update to its free-to-play title Mabinogi that will add the romantic Doki Doki Island to the game. The new area will also introduce the Soulmate system, which makes romance more of a game than it already is. On the island, players can "create a profile" by talking to the Matchmaker, who will then match them with their "soulmate." Side-by-side, players and their soulmates can "explore charming landmarks such as the Harmony Torch in the town square and participate in events to accumulate Romantic Points." When enough Romantic Points have been earned, soulmates gain the ability to fly, presumably through the power of love or something equally inspirational. Aside from hanging out with their hopefully-not-axe-murderer soulmates, players can also take part in a variety of new minigames and daily quests centered around Doki Doki Island or scour the beaches for cat's eye gems that can be exchanged for items such as an exclusive armor set. To top it all off, beginning on February 26th players will be able to celebrate their newfound powers of flight by taking part in the Seize the Skies event, which will allow players to test their aeronautical prowess against one another in competitions for prizes and bragging rights. If this romantic getaway sounds up your alley, you can join the fun over at Mabinogi's official site. [Source: Nexon America press release]
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| NCsoft boosts numbers in Q4 2013 while Nexon names new CEO Posted: 13 Feb 2014 01:30 PM PST Filed under: Aion, Lineage, Lineage 2, MMO Industry, Guild Wars 2, Legal, Blade & Soul, Miscellaneous, WildStar  In the recently released Q4 2013 earnings report, NCsoft announced that sales, operating profit, pre-tax income, and net income were up over Q3 2013. Overall, 2013 was profitable for the company as its income went up year-over-year. NCsoft credited a growing Lineage and a "strong" and "solid" Guild Wars 2 for this effort, as well as cost savings initiatives. While sales in Korea improved from 2012 to 2013, those in Japan, Europe, and North America all declined over the same time period. Lineage is by far NCsoft's biggest earner, followed by Guild Wars 2, Aion, and Blade & Soul. The company said that WildStar is on track to launch in mid-2014 and that the key GW2 focus is not on an expansion but with bringing the game to China. Meanwhile, NCsoft's biggest investor, Nexon, just named Owen Mahoney as its new president and CEO, replacing Seungwoo Choi. Nexon also announced a revenue and income increase in 2013 and acknowledged that it is underperforming in Japan and the West.
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| The Think Tank: How do you feel about press-only beta coverage? Posted: 13 Feb 2014 01:00 PM PST Filed under: Opinion, Massively Meta, The Elder Scrolls Online, The Think Tank  After going through one of these episodes just last week, we figured it would be a good time to share our (wrong) opinions on how these press-only beta NDA lifts play out. Continue reading The Think Tank: How do you feel about press-only beta coverage?
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| Heroes of the Storm client screenshots and character list leaked Posted: 13 Feb 2014 12:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, News Items, Free-to-Play, MOBA  Blizzard's upcoming universe mash-up MOBA, Heroes of the Storm, has sprung a bit of a leak as screenshots of the game client's login screen and option menus have hit the internet along with a list of the game's playable characters. Massively's sister site WoW Insider reports that many of the playable heroes on the list have been public knowledge for some time now, but there are still a few new contenders, including Warcraft's Muradin Bronzebeard and Zeratul, Tychus, and Sgt. Hammer of Starcraft fame. And while the leaked screenshots aren't particularly interesting since they only display your standard array of PC game options, WoW Insider notes that the more exciting implication behind the screenshots is that the game's beta may be coming soon, though it's worth noting that the screenshots are watermarked as alpha. We'll just have to wait and see about that, but if you need a quick Heroes of the Storm fix, you can check out the full character list, complete with stats and descriptions, at the link below.
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| Happy Valentine's Day from ArenaNet! Here's the corpse of your vanquished foe Posted: 13 Feb 2014 11:30 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Culture, News Items, Guild Wars 2, Humor, Buy-to-Play  ArenaNet, the developer of Guild Wars and Guild Wars 2, has set the bar a little higher this year. We didn't receive just a worm from ArenaNet: It's a giant jungle wurm, one of the terrors of the Bloodtide Coast. Its terrorizing days are over, according to the text on the thoughtful card, which reads, "We pulled this wurm fresh from Tyria just for you! This one won't be bothering Bloodtide Coast any more!" Looking at its bright blue innards, we here at Massively are overcome with emotion. We're also a little bit hungry, and that's causing some mixed feelings. Thank you, ArenaNet. If you're looking at the tub of nightcrawlers you planned to present your special someone with tomorrow and feeling a little inadequate, it's OK. The bait store is probably still open.
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| The Stream Team: Building my own (EQN) Landmark Posted: 13 Feb 2014 11:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Free-to-Play, EverQuest Next, Livestream, Housing, The Stream Team, Player-Generated Content  Game: EverQuest Next Landmark Host: MJ Guthrie Date: Thursday, February 13th, 2014 Time: 2:00 p.m. EST Enjoy our Stream Team video below. Continue reading The Stream Team: Building my own (EQN) Landmark
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| Field Journal: Tortage and the problem of starting areas Posted: 13 Feb 2014 10:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Age of Conan, Game Mechanics, PvE, Opinion, Free-to-Play, Hands-On, MMORPG, Field Journal  So I leaped into the fray on my Stygian Herald of Xotli to refresh my memory while slicing, dicing, and frying pirates. I had a fair bit of fun doing so, but from the start, I had one nagging complaint distracting me: This isn't very representative of the game after Tortage. It's true that few starting areas in MMOs are, but AoC makes for an interesting case in how sharp that division is. Continue reading Field Journal: Tortage and the problem of starting areas
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