MMO Updates

MMO Updates

WoW Archivist: Tier 0.5 and the birth of modern dungeons

Posted: 11 May 2014 10:00 AM PDT

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Bokk
WoW Archivist is a biweekly column by WoW Insider's Scott Andrews, who explores the secrets of World of Warcraft's past. What did the game look like years ago? Who is etched into WoW's history? What secrets does the game still hold? It first appeared on our sister site on May 9th and is included here by permission.

For a long time in classic WoW, non-raiders felt neglected. Dungeons were the only endgame PvE option for non-raiders. Back then, dungeons didn't have a five-player limit. They could be "raided," even though they weren't considered raids. Blizzard added new raiding content on a regular basis, but the developers didn't release new dungeons after adding Dire Maul in patch 1.3, four months after the game's release. Until the launch of The Burning Crusade in early 2007, non-raiders ran the same dungeons for almost two years.

Amidst a storm of complaints, Blizzard said it wanted to offer additional content for non-raiders. In patch 1.10, Blizzard delivered a new endgame quest line using existing dungeons. Composed of 29 steps in all, this was one of the game's most elaborate -- and most punishing -- quest lines ever. Blizzard called it the "high-level armor set" quest line. Players called it Tier 0.5. To create it, Blizzard had to reimagine what WoW's dungeons should be.

This quest line was removed, like many others, when Deathwing brought the Cataclysm. Let's walk through what once was and explore how it gave rise to the modern dungeons we tackle today.

Continue reading WoW Archivist: Tier 0.5 and the birth of modern dungeons

MassivelyWoW Archivist: Tier 0.5 and the birth of modern dungeons originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 11 May 2014 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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    One Shots: Dance like nobody's watching

    Posted: 11 May 2014 08:00 AM PDT

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    Boy howdy, my screenshot challenge from a couple of weeks ago for you folks to take pictures of your characters dancing was pretty popular! I received a slew of entries, so why not dedicate an entire column to Massively readers shaking what their developers gave them?

    First up is reader Duncan, who wins the internet (for a minute at least) with this picture: "Hey Massively! Here is a snapshot of my Chua character BuzzCracker in WildStar taking time off from his adventures on Nexus to get down and funky on the dance floor at 'Wild William's Tiki Bar' in the tree tops of Wilderrun. Don't ask me why the Mechari and the two Loppi are dancing with no clothes behind Buzz; it must be something in the drinks being served by old Bill at the bar. Next stop for BuzzCracker is a spring break beach party ongoing in Malgrave!"

    Really, this should go to show that the world is primed and ready for an all-dancing MMO. Let's shake our groove thang with the rest of this week's entries!

    Continue reading One Shots: Dance like nobody's watching

    MassivelyOne Shots: Dance like nobody's watching originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 11 May 2014 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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      The Daily Grind: Does your mom play video games?

      Posted: 11 May 2014 06:00 AM PDT

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      German Mother's Day heart cake
      Hey you! It's Mother's Day! What are you doing reading Massively when you should be calling your mom?

      In honor of moms everywhere, and with a tip of the hat to our comrades at Joystiq, we're pre-empting your regularly scheduled dose of Daily Grind snark in favor of mom-related questions. Does your mom play video games? Do you, as a mom, play video games? Let us know, and happy Mother's Day.

      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: Does your mom play video games? originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 11 May 2014 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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        Make My MMO: May 4 - May 10, 2014

        Posted: 10 May 2014 04:00 PM PDT

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        Make My MMO header
        This week in MMO crowdfunding news we said hello to The Stomping Land and goodbye to Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen. The former is a PvP survival sandbox focused on taming dinosaurs, pitting the larger beasties against one another (because they're unkillable by puny player characters), and avoiding the typical gank squad behavior that's certain to manifest.

        The latter is of course Brad McQuaid's bid to recapture his EverQuest glory days. The latest bit of news, aside from various unsubstantiated internet rumors, involves McQuaid's decision to continue development with a volunteer dev team. Click past the cut for Massively's list of crowdfunded MMOs and their latest news updates.

        Continue reading Make My MMO: May 4 - May 10, 2014

        MassivelyMake My MMO: May 4 - May 10, 2014 originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 10 May 2014 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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          Meet The Secret World's Tokyo cast

          Posted: 10 May 2014 02:00 PM PDT

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          TSW
          Tokyo is coming -- no, really! -- to The Secret World later this month, and Funcom is fueling fans' anticipation by introducing to them several of the primary NPCs who will be in the new zone.

          These characters include Sarah, a Council of Venice occult investigator; Gozen, a samurai leader who protects Japanese leadership from demons; Inbeda, an Oni demon mercenary; Daimon Kiyota, a leader of the Yakuza occult branch; and Kurt 'Buster' Kuszczak, an Orochi tank commander who is having a very bad day.

          Interestingly enough, players have already met Sarah. She was the character through whom players explored the tutorial; we saw the aftermath of the Tokyo disaster through her eyes.

          [Thanks to Cotic for the tip!]

          MassivelyMeet The Secret World's Tokyo cast originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 10 May 2014 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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          SOE announces game-specific player events for SOE Live

          Posted: 10 May 2014 12:00 PM PDT

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          Are you headed to SOE Live this summer? We are, even if the game list is a tad shorter than in previous years. And that's why we're excited to see SOE's latest official post about the convention, set to run in Las Vegas, Nevada, this coming August 14th to 17th. The studio has announced special events for several of the games it plans to feature at the event:
          • Plane raids await EverQuest fans.
          • Deck-building games and PvP tournaments lie in store for DC Universe Online players.
          • EverQuest II players will participate in speed instances and a murder mystery quest.
          • Landmark devotees will be treated to a mega-build event and a harvesting-themed dice event.
          • Finally, the studio has planned a squad showdown event for PlanetSide 2 players.
          Early bird registration for SOE Live ends on Monday.

          MassivelySOE announces game-specific player events for SOE Live originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 10 May 2014 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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          Posted by Shri Krishna

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