MMO Updates

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• Transformers Universe delivers trailer
• Previewing The Elder Scrolls Online: Massively goes to Tamriel
• Tamriel Infinium: Story and character in The Elder Scrolls Online
• Starting out in The Elder Scrolls Online: Bleakrock Isle and Khenarthi's Roost
• Starting out in The Elder Scrolls Online: Coldharbour and Stros M'Kai
• What do The Elder Scrolls Online's racial abilities mean for endgame?
• A guide to skill progression in The Elder Scrolls Online
• A guide to character creation in The Elder Scrolls Online
• The Elder Scrolls Online beta is absolutely nothing special
• The Stream Team: Sneaking around the WildStar beta
• EVE Online, now in text adventure form
• Storyboard: Only mostly dead
• The Daily Grind: Who the heck uses Raptr and Xfire?
• The Stream Team: CMA Live hops into EverQuest
• The Summoner's Guidebook: My goals in League of Legends
• SMITE unveils your new nemesis, Nemesis
• World of Warcraft subs increase to 7.8 million
• Rhode Island House to vote on out-of-court settlements for 38 Studios fiasco
• The Guild Counsel: What EverQuest Next Landmark means to guilds
• Field Journal: Across the DC Universe
• EVE Online graph shows connection between production and destruction
• Ask Massively: Vanguard's CE, Pandaria, and region-locked servers
• Wurm Online prepares for Update 1.2, now with more wagons
• Lord of the Rings Online community Q&A talks region revamps
• Massively exclusive: Champions Online gears up for a rampage

Transformers Universe delivers trailer Posted: 07 Feb 2014 08:00 AM PST Filed under: Betas, Sci-Fi, Trailers, Video, News Items, Free-to-Play, Transformers Universe Yesterday we learned that Transformers Universe is no longer going to be an MMO, but a "MOTA" (massively online, tactical action game) instead. And delivering on CEO Mark Gerhard's promise that fans would see more about the game from here on out, Jagex has released a new trailer. Check out the action of Autobots and Decepticons battling it out in the clip below. The game, slated for release this summer, is accepting beta sign ups now. [Source: Jagex press release] Continue reading Transformers Universe delivers trailer Transformers Universe delivers trailer originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 07 Feb 2014 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Previewing The Elder Scrolls Online: Massively goes to Tamriel Posted: 07 Feb 2014 07:15 AM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Screenshots, Video, Business Models, Game Mechanics, Previews, News Items, Opinion, Hands-On, First Impressions, Events (Massively's Coverage), The Elder Scrolls Online Have you heard that rumbling in the air over the last few months? That was the sound of millions of gamers grinding their teeth over The Elder Scrolls Online's unwavering NDA, a sound that grew ever louder as the game announced controversial preorder bonuses last month and passed the two-months-from-launch mark earlier this week. Fortunately for your dental health, that NDA is at least partly coming down today. The gaming press was invited to play a limited portion of the game last weekend, and though our readers are still under NDA, we're finally not, so at last we can pass along our experiences! Today, we present to you our impressions of last weekend's preview event and the beta so far. We've got videos on character creation, thoughts on the starting zones and storytelling, guides to skill progression and racial perks, and an overview of the state of the game from an MMO player who isn't already a nut for the series. Enjoy! The Elder Scrolls Online beta is absolutely nothing special Eliot posts his general impressions of ESO as an MMORPG fan with no Elder Scrolls baggage. A guide to character creation in The Elder Scrolls Online Larry tackles ESO's robust character creation with an in-depth video. Butt sliders included. A guide to skill progression in The Elder Scrolls Online Matt investigates ESO's skills and character progression in the noble pursuit of battlemagery. What do The Elder Scrolls Online's racial abilities mean for endgame? Larry explores just how annoyed we should be about the Imperial Edition's perks. Starting out in The Elder Scrolls Online: Coldharbour and Stros M'Kai Matthew treks through the tutorial and Daggerfall Covenant zones. Starting out in The Elder Scrolls Online: Bleakrock Isle and Khenarthi's Roost Matt scopes out the early areas of ESO's Ebonheart Pact and Aldmeri Dominion factions. Tamriel Infinium: Story and character in The Elder Scrolls Online Larry considers the quality of ESO's pivotal players and introductory story. Continue reading Previewing The Elder Scrolls Online: Massively goes to Tamriel Previewing The Elder Scrolls Online: Massively goes to Tamriel originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 07 Feb 2014 10:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Tamriel Infinium: Story and character in The Elder Scrolls Online Posted: 07 Feb 2014 07:12 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Classes, Lore, PvE, Opinion, Hands-On, First Impressions, The Elder Scrolls Online, Subscription, MMORPG, Tamriel Infinium This past weekend, ZeniMax invited the press to play its addition to the Elder Scrolls franchise: The Elder Scrolls Online. We were allowed to play any faction or race that we wanted, with the exception of the newly introduced Imperial race. We took video and screenshots. We truly wanted to see whether this game lived up to our expectations for the series, and most of all, we wanted to know why this game has hidden behind an NDA for much longer than its closest competitors. Not everyone is going to love The Elder Scrolls Online. Many of the things you find in ESO coordinate with existing MMOs, but it also has its own twists on certain aspects of the genre. Although I didn't find every moment a thrilling dive into the world of Tamriel, I did enjoy myself, and I can certainly see myself playing this game for a while. For the next few minutes, I would like to put aside the marketing strategy and the issues I have with the payment model and preorder bonuses. Let's examine just the story and the characters in the game and take the measure of their worth. Continue reading Tamriel Infinium: Story and character in The Elder Scrolls Online Tamriel Infinium: Story and character in The Elder Scrolls Online originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 07 Feb 2014 10:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Starting out in The Elder Scrolls Online: Bleakrock Isle and Khenarthi's Roost Posted: 07 Feb 2014 07:10 AM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Game Mechanics, Lore, Previews, PvE, Opinion, Hands-On, Races, Humor, First Impressions, Events (Massively's Coverage), The Elder Scrolls Online Everyone knows that first impressions matter, and this is especially true for MMOs. The Elder Scrolls Online starts all players in Molag Bal's realm of Coldharbour, but after their escape, they're sent to a faction-specific starting zone, each with its own questline and flavor. While Massively's Matthew has Coldharbour and the Daggerfall Covenant's starting area covered in his own piece, I had the opportunity to make my way through the starter zones of the Ebonheart Pact and the Aldmeri Dominion. The difference between the two is borderline comical. The Aldmeri Dominion is treated to a sunny tropical paradise, while the Ebonheart Pact fights its way through the frozen mountains of Skyrim. On top of that, they seem to be designed almost completely independently from one another. Continue reading Starting out in The Elder Scrolls Online: Bleakrock Isle and Khenarthi's Roost Starting out in The Elder Scrolls Online: Bleakrock Isle and Khenarthi's Roost originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 07 Feb 2014 10:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Starting out in The Elder Scrolls Online: Coldharbour and Stros M'Kai Posted: 07 Feb 2014 07:08 AM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, New Titles, Previews, PvE, Opinion, Hands-On, Consoles, First Impressions, Guides, The Elder Scrolls Online, Subscription, MMORPG When we were planning assignments for The Elder Scrolls Online's embargo lift, I volunteered to go through and document each of the factional starting zones. This was a great plan, except for technical difficulties. I was able to play fine for the first few hours at high settings, but coming back to continue where I left off led to a series of frequent GPU crashes, even at lower settings. Fortunately, I was eventually able to make it work well enough get one zone done, and Matt stepped up to cover the other two. So today I'm going to cover the shared introductory experience, followed by the first island zone you end up on as a member of the Daggerfall Covenant. That's the faction based in the north-west of Tamriel, consisting of the magically inclined mountain kingdoms of the Bretons, the dark-skinned Redguard and their desert homeland, and the roving clans of Orsimer, better known as Orcs. I actually made a character of each faction but settled first on the very pretty Orc lass with a flower in her hair over the chubby, antlered Wood Elf and ostentatious Argonian lizard featured in the other factions. Spoilers ahead! Continue reading Starting out in The Elder Scrolls Online: Coldharbour and Stros M'Kai Starting out in The Elder Scrolls Online: Coldharbour and Stros M'Kai originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 07 Feb 2014 10:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

What do The Elder Scrolls Online's racial abilities mean for endgame? Posted: 07 Feb 2014 07:06 AM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Video, Classes, Game Mechanics, New Titles, Previews, Opinion, Hands-On, Races, First Impressions, The Elder Scrolls Online, Subscription, MMORPG The Elder Scrolls Online faced significant controversy when it announced that players will be able to roll a character of the Imperial race if and only if they upgrade to the Imperial Collector's Edition of the game. At the same time, ZeniMax revealed that players who preorder the game will be able to play any race in any faction, adding to player angst. In the following video, Massively's ESO columnist Larry Everett examines the skill trees and the racial abilities of two different races to see whether there is any substance to these concerns. Continue reading What do The Elder Scrolls Online's racial abilities mean for endgame? What do The Elder Scrolls Online's racial abilities mean for endgame? originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 07 Feb 2014 10:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

A guide to skill progression in The Elder Scrolls Online Posted: 07 Feb 2014 07:04 AM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Classes, Game Mechanics, Previews, Hands-On, Events (Massively's Coverage), Guides, The Elder Scrolls Online In any roleplaying game, a character's identity is largely defined by his abilities, and The Elder Scrolls Online is no exception. During their adventures in Tamriel, players will develop their characters in a variety of ways, including acquiring fancy new gear, but the core progression in ESO is found in its skill advancement system. Many players of modern MMOs might be inclined to think of a character's abilities as being determined by that character's class, and that is indeed somewhat the case in ESO. However, ESO owes its genesis to a series of games renowned for its freedom of character development, and that legacy continues (albeit to a slightly lesser extent) in ESO's skill progression system, though it also takes ample cues from its contemporary MMOs as well. Continue reading A guide to skill progression in The Elder Scrolls Online A guide to skill progression in The Elder Scrolls Online originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 07 Feb 2014 10:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

A guide to character creation in The Elder Scrolls Online Posted: 07 Feb 2014 07:02 AM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Video, New Titles, Previews, Opinion, Hands-On, Races, First Impressions, The Elder Scrolls Online, Subscription, MMORPG Creating the perfect character in an MMO can take hours. In Elder Scrolls games, it can take longer -- mostly because you have to download mods. However, in the Elder Scrolls Online, you can't mod your character's appearance, and you might not want to anyway. In the following video, Massively ESO columnist Larry Everett takes a moment to explore the different aspects of the character creator. Who knows -- this might be the first Elder Scrolls game where you aren't forced to make a hideous Elf. Continue reading A guide to character creation in The Elder Scrolls Online A guide to character creation in The Elder Scrolls Online originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 07 Feb 2014 10:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Elder Scrolls Online beta is absolutely nothing special Posted: 07 Feb 2014 07:00 AM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Game Mechanics, Opinion, Consoles, First Impressions, The Elder Scrolls Online, Subscription I've always had a profound antipathy toward the Elder Scrolls franchise. Part of this may very well be timing; the first three major installments released when I didn't have a computer that could handle them (I was generally more of a console gamer), and so I've no memories of happily chugging away across Tamriel as a young lad to sustain me. But I've also never seen anything that's reached out and grabbed me, no inspiring bits of lore, no systems that particularly grab my interest, just the promise that "you can do anything you want" without a great deal of encouragement. The point I'm making here is that the franchise is not my jam. But that's part of the reason I wanted to try out The Elder Scrolls Online in the first place. Sure, at a glance, it seemed like a fairly generic fantasy RPG that had the weight of a franchise behind it, but that's an evaluation based on nothing but bits of story and gameplay videos. So I settled in over the past weekend to play the beta and see what all the fuss was about, to give it a more fair evaluation than one based simply on the name of the franchise and what I saw at a glance. Continue reading The Elder Scrolls Online beta is absolutely nothing special The Elder Scrolls Online beta is absolutely nothing special originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 07 Feb 2014 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Stream Team: Sneaking around the WildStar beta Posted: 07 Feb 2014 06:55 AM PST Filed under: Betas, Sci-Fi, Hands-On, Livestream, WildStar, The Stream Team, Subscription, MMORPG It's Friday and that means it's time once again to join Massively's Richie as he glides on his hoverboard and explores Planet Nexus in the WildStar beta. Last week, his Draken Stalker took on the Metal Maw world boss and lived to tell the tale. Who knows what kind of dangerous tomfoolery he'll get himself into this week. Join him live at 10:00 a.m. EST to find out. Game: WildStar Host: Richie "Bog Otter" Procopio Date: Friday, February 7th, 2014 Time: 10:00 a.m. EST Enjoy our Stream Team video below. Continue reading The Stream Team: Sneaking around the WildStar beta The Stream Team: Sneaking around the WildStar beta originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 07 Feb 2014 09:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

EVE Online, now in text adventure form Posted: 07 Feb 2014 06:30 AM PST Filed under: Sci-Fi, EVE Online, Culture, Humor, Sandbox, Subscription While it came out last July, EVE Online: The Text Adventure has only now come to our attention and so we bring it to yours. This satirical fan project attempts to "look at a day in the life of a grounded pod pilot, poking fun at CCP Games and some of their developmental missteps whilst celebrating the community and the people involved with EVE Online." The adventure takes a few spirited jabs at CCP's "walking in stations" concept while challenging players to explore and perhaps escape their officer's quarters. If you're a fan of the MMO or need a quick diversion from the mundanities of life, give it a whirl and see if you can't beat it. EVE Online, now in text adventure form originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 07 Feb 2014 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Source: EVE Online: The Text Adventure Via: Mystic Worlds

Storyboard: Only mostly dead Posted: 07 Feb 2014 06:00 AM PST Filed under: Lore, Opinion, Roleplaying, Storyboard, Miscellaneous Dead is dead. I can't stand when comics endlessly bring back dead characters, I can't stand when shows bring back dead villains, and I can't stand when death is treated less like the final note and more like a brief inconvenience. If you want someone to come back from the dead, don't kill the character in the first place! Death needs to be permanent to have any impact. So this week's article is all about ignoring that and bringing characters back from the dead anyhow because the only reason to have rules is to know when to occasionally break them. Roleplaying deaths are already rare, of course. I can count how many characters I've actually killed on one hand, and that's stretching back to roleplaying in Final Fantasy XI (abortively). But sometimes you decide that you want someone alive after all. And when it's done carefully, you can actually make the revival interesting again because you're not doing it for shock value so much as making a point. Continue reading Storyboard: Only mostly dead Storyboard: Only mostly dead originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 07 Feb 2014 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Daily Grind: Who the heck uses Raptr and Xfire? Posted: 07 Feb 2014 05:00 AM PST Filed under: MMO Industry, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous Every month or so, we hear from Raptr and Xfire publicists that such-and-such a game is now ranked number one on that platform and 80 bajillion people total are gaming while logged into said tracking service. And at least once a week, commenters will inform us that one MMO or another is pure fail because its Raptr numbers have trailed off, which is usually followed up with a "shut up; no one uses Raptr" or something similar. I'm not saying social media is useless; I know it's a factor in predicting market penetration and even Kickstarter success. But I do have to wonder: Who the heck actually does use Raptr and Xfire? Do you? Do you know anyone who does? Is this a thing MMO players avoid because they can already spam their achievements inside games or using Twitter plugins? Do you use them to tell you how much you really play games? How useful do you think these platforms' data are in discussions about MMO numbers? 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 Daily Grind: Who the heck uses Raptr and Xfire? originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 07 Feb 2014 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Stream Team: CMA Live hops into EverQuest Posted: 06 Feb 2014 06:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Video, EverQuest, Free-to-Play, Livestream, The Stream Team CMA Live With Massively's MJ returns to the airwaves, and this season spotlights EverQuest. Currently she's a new Froglok Shadowknight facing the dangers of the game, but she hopes to live to be an old Froglok Shadowknight! Do you have some tips to help guide her through as she navigates Norrath? Or maybe you'd like to be a star in the series as well? If so, be sure to tune in and join us live at 9:00 p.m. EST for the premiere episode, then help direct the next exploits every Wednesday in Choose My Adventure. Game: EverQuest Host: MJ Guthrie Date: Thursday, February 6th, 2014 Time: 9:00 p.m. EST Enjoy our Stream Team video below. Continue reading The Stream Team: CMA Live hops into EverQuest The Stream Team: CMA Live hops into EverQuest originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 06 Feb 2014 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Summoner's Guidebook: My goals in League of Legends Posted: 06 Feb 2014 05:00 PM PST Filed under: PvP, Opinion, Free-to-Play, MOBA, League of Legends, The Summoner's Guidebook Whenever I enter a League of Legends match, I have a few goals set in mind. Of course, winning is a goal, but that's not the only goal. My agenda tends to be a lot more long-term, relative to other LoL players. We've talked a lot about meta lately, and it tends to be a hot topic with Season 4's preseason patches shaking up the meta quite a bit. There are a lot of reasons to justify not playing meta. There are also a lot of reasons to take risky decisions that might not pan out. Continue reading The Summoner's Guidebook: My goals in League of Legends The Summoner's Guidebook: My goals in League of Legends originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 06 Feb 2014 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

SMITE unveils your new nemesis, Nemesis Posted: 06 Feb 2014 04:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Video, PvP, News Items, Free-to-Play, MOBA Hi-Rez has introduced a new goddess to the world of SMITE. Nemesis, Goddess of Revenge, is a physical melee warrior who "unleashes her vengeance on all who oppose her." According to the lore, Nemesis is in charge of dishing out punishment to both humans and gods guilty of hubris; her method is summed up nicely by the phrase, "Let the punishment fit the crime." Nemesis's abilities center on her massive blade. Swift Vengeance allows for a quick dash and slash followed by a second dash and slash, Slice and Dice is an AOE attack that damages and slows targets, Retribution creates a shield around her that absorbs damage, and Divine Judgment reduces the health and movement speed of a target god while stealing some of his or her protections. Catch Nemesis in action after the break. Continue reading SMITE unveils your new nemesis, Nemesis SMITE unveils your new nemesis, Nemesis originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 06 Feb 2014 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: New in SMITE: Nemesis

World of Warcraft subs increase to 7.8 million Posted: 06 Feb 2014 03:00 PM PST Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, MMO Industry, PvP, News Items, PvE, Subscription, MMORPG A successful BlizzCon and the announcement of upcoming expansion Warlords of Draenor seems to have been a positive thing for World of Warcraft; Activision-Blizzard is reporting that the game's subscriber numbers have received a slight bump from 7.6 million in November 2013 to 7.8 million through the fourth quarter of the year. Numbers for the MMO behemoth have been on the decline as of late, with the most notable dive coming in the form of a 1.3 million player exodus reported early in 2013. With the financial year now at an end, we can trace WoW's subscriber numbers through each of 2013's reported quarters: 8.3 million in the first, 7.7 million in the second, 7.6 million in the third, and 7.8 million in the fourth. World of Warcraft subs tend to ebb and flow in sync with the release of expansions, so we'll get a better hint of the strength of the game's staying power when Warlords of Draenor launches later this year. World of Warcraft subs increase to 7.8 million originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 06 Feb 2014 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: WoW Insider

Rhode Island House to vote on out-of-court settlements for 38 Studios fiasco Posted: 06 Feb 2014 02:30 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, MMO Industry, News Items, Legal, Miscellaneous After a successful vote yesterday from the Rhode Island House Judiciary Committee, the full state House of Representatives is set to consider legislation next week that encourages out-of-court settlements in Rhode Island Commerce Corp.'s lawsuit against 38 Studios and its founder, Curt Schilling. The bill, which won unanimous support in the House Judiciary Committee and has already been passed by the Senate, is designed to protect defendants who settle in this case from lawsuits levied by co-defendants found liable for damages. Fallout from the collapse of the Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning studio has left Rhode Island stiffed on a bill that totals out to roughly $90 million; The attorney for the RICC believes this bill will provide for an increase in potentially recovered funds. In related but sad news, Schilling has revealed to ESPN that he was recently diagnosed with cancer. His statement expressed hope, with Schilling saying, "My father left me with a saying that I've carried my entire life and tried to pass on to our kids: 'Tough times don't last. Tough people do." Rhode Island House to vote on out-of-court settlements for 38 Studios fiasco originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 06 Feb 2014 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Source: ESPN, Source: Boston Globe Via: Via: Joystiq

The Guild Counsel: What EverQuest Next Landmark means to guilds Posted: 06 Feb 2014 02:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Guilds, Opinion, Free-to-Play, EverQuest Next, The Guild Counsel, Miscellaneous With the arrival of EverQuest Next Landmark's alpha, the buzz is all about how the game is a fresh change from what we've been used to in MMOs. And actually, in some ways, it's a return to the roots of the MMO industry. But EQ Next Landmark is also redefining the whole concept of guilds, perhaps in the process raising the question of what guilds will look like in the future. In this week's Guild Counsel, let's look at how Landmark could drastically change the way we think about guilds in MMOs. Continue reading The Guild Counsel: What EverQuest Next Landmark means to guilds The Guild Counsel: What EverQuest Next Landmark means to guilds originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 06 Feb 2014 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Field Journal: Across the DC Universe Posted: 06 Feb 2014 01:00 PM PST Filed under: Super-hero, Culture, Lore, Opinion, Free-to-Play, Consoles, Roleplaying, DC Universe Online, MMORPG, Field Journal Funny story: DC Universe Online was the first superhero MMO I played to any meaningful extent. I briefly dabbled with Champions Online when it went free-to-play, but it didn't grab me enough to make me continue past the introductory area. A couple of months later I gave the still-fresh-from-launch DCUO a try. The game gripped me for the next four months, and though I would eventually find City of Heroes to be the crown jewel of capes-and-tights massively multiplayer games, DCUO is still one of my favorite MMOs. Why is that? There are several factors: the feel of combat, abundant collections that satiate my compulsions to find all the things, a costume system that lets me change any part on the fly, the inclusion of an achievement system that actually means something, and a vigorous update schedule including quite a lot of new power sets over time. Even little things contribute a lot, like how much of a badass I feel running at super speed up the side of a building and flinging myself from the apex for several blocks to land running up the side of another huge skyscraper. The biggest reason for me, though, has to be how well-realized the setting is in the game -- how Sony Online Entertainment has capitalized on the license to present a snapshot of the DC Universe at its best. Continue reading Field Journal: Across the DC Universe Field Journal: Across the DC Universe originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 06 Feb 2014 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

EVE Online graph shows connection between production and destruction Posted: 06 Feb 2014 12:30 PM PST Filed under: Sci-Fi, EVE Online, Economy, Sandbox, Subscription According to CCP, EVE Online is a constant feedback loop of production and destruction, each feeding off of each other in enormous amounts. The studio posted a colorful infograph that shows how much of each side was done in the game last year and under what level of system security. The devs explain the key difference between the two sides: "Most wars take place in the outermost regions of space (red on the scale), far beyond the safety of the high security regions of the Empires (light blue on the scale). The most favorable conditions for production are a mix of close proximity to major market hubs and the safety provided by the high security regions surrounding them. This visualization tells this story, showing the total produced- and destroyed-value of end products (ships and modules), where production mainly takes place in higher-security space (yellow to blue) and the majority of destruction takes place in low- or null-security space (orange to red)." EVE Online graph shows connection between production and destruction originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 06 Feb 2014 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Source: CCP

Ask Massively: Vanguard's CE, Pandaria, and region-locked servers Posted: 06 Feb 2014 12:00 PM PST Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, Opinion, Vanguard, Massively Meta, Ask Massively, Miscellaneous It can be easy to forget how awesome MMO players are when we're knee-deep in troll-infested comment threads, but a note from a reader named Joshua this week served as the perfect perspective-reorientation: I was helping my brother demo and clean his father-in-law's home today and stumbled upon what appears to be a mint-condition Vanguard limited edition (collectors edition?). It looks to have all the goods, so I was wondering whether anyone at Massively would like to have it. Knowing how easy it is to get attached to these games, I figured someone would want it for sentimental reasons (I still have my DAOC boxes and books!). I don't know whether our staff will take you up on it, but just the fact that you thought of offering it to our bereaved fans instead of making a beeline for eBay warmed my heart. Continue reading Ask Massively: Vanguard's CE, Pandaria, and region-locked servers Ask Massively: Vanguard's CE, Pandaria, and region-locked servers originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 06 Feb 2014 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Wurm Online prepares for Update 1.2, now with more wagons Posted: 06 Feb 2014 11:30 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Patches, Previews, Wurm Online, Sandbox That other mold-the-world-using-gumption-and-pickaxes sandbox, Wurm Online, is counting down the days until its Update 1.2 lands on Tuesday, February 18th, and the developers have posted a list of features today that will go into the game at that time. With Update 1.2 will come wagons, a ship carrier, a new crafting interface, crates, drag and drop functionality, a load function, reinforced cave floors, a village recruitment board, an invite command, world and island maps with notations, a status effect bar, new emotes, and a fearsome foe known as a Kyklops. Wurm Online prepares for Update 1.2, now with more wagons originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 06 Feb 2014 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Source: Countdown to 1.2

Lord of the Rings Online community Q&A talks region revamps Posted: 06 Feb 2014 11:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Free-to-Play, Community Q&A The number 42 isn't just the answer to life, the universe, and everything; it's also the number of questions that Turbine addressed in a new LotRO community Q&A forum post. A majority of the questions had to do with upcoming content, in particular what's coming with Update 13. In addition to the revamp of North Downs, the devs are apparently working on retooling Misty Mountains and Trollshows, as well as adding "a small slice of new region content." A future Paths of the Dead update was teased as well: "You can expect to see the Paths of the Dead in some form. Aragorn's path through them is described rather specifically, but I think your character will have a different reason to enter and explore the Paths." So what other features are the team working on right now? It sounds as though Rohan housing might be a possibility as are catapults in the Ettenmoors. Kinships and housing will receive some cross-feature love, crafters could see a wider range of tradeskills, and mail and inventory are both being worked on at the moment. Lord of the Rings Online community Q&A talks region revamps originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 06 Feb 2014 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Source: Ask the LotRO team

Massively exclusive: Champions Online gears up for a rampage Posted: 06 Feb 2014 10:00 AM PST Filed under: Super-hero, Patches, Previews, News Items, Free-to-Play, Champions Online, Subscription Are you ready to go on a rampage in Champions Online? Good, because there's a big Rampage revamp on its way to the game that should provide players with a lot of new things to do. Three missions are getting a full redo with rewards and challenges tweaked, and a brand-new Rampage is being added to the game, giving veteran players a chance to group up and pit themselves against the toughest opponents Millennium City and points related has to offer. The new Fire and Ice Rampage pits players against two villains originally designed by a player, and the title alone should give you some idea about what's coming. Meanwhile, the Gravitar, Lemurian Invasion, and Sky Carrier have been turned into proper Rampages with an updated set of items and costume pieces on offer. Check out the preview gallery, and click past the cut for all the details on this upcoming addition. Continue reading Massively exclusive: Champions Online gears up for a rampage Massively exclusive: Champions Online gears up for a rampage originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 06 Feb 2014 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

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