MMO Updates

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• Ask Massively: Misconceptions about new, old, and sunsetted MMOs
• DayZ servers hacked, Bohemia says user data is safe
• Elite's Alpha 4 is here, beta starts May 30th
• TERA's remodeling system removal causing player unrest
• The Daily Grind: What are your four pillars of MMO gaming?
• EVE Fanfest 2015 dated, tix discounted for limited time
• The Think Tank: Listen to the music
• Carbine spotlights WildStar's PvE raid design
• Forsaken World: Blood Harvest adding new class and region next week
• Albion introduces player-driven cities
• RIFT opens up new raids and improves ascend-a-friend program
• Origins of Malu will offer F2P with limited lives and permadeath
• Age of Conan kicks off the Festival of Bloodshed for its anniversary
• The Division delayed to 2015
• The Stream Team: Whiling away the work hours in WildStar
• Special H1Z1 livestream event going on right now
• WildStar compensating players with bonus loot
• Valve adding Stanley Parable announcer pack to Dota 2 store

Ask Massively: Misconceptions about new, old, and sunsetted MMOs Posted: 16 May 2014 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Culture, MMO Industry, Opinion, Massively Meta, Ask Massively, Miscellaneous As the editor-in-chief of Massively, I make it a point to read as many of our comments as I can. We have some really smart people here chatting at the bottom of our posts, and I learn a lot from them. But I also see the same illogical statements and easily countered arguments being made independently by different commenters across many different threads and games. I'd like to address some of those misconceptions today in the first part of a new Ask Massively miniseries. Today's misconceptions are all about new, old, and sunsetted MMOs. Continue reading Ask Massively: Misconceptions about new, old, and sunsetted MMOs Ask Massively: Misconceptions about new, old, and sunsetted MMOs originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 16 May 2014 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

DayZ servers hacked, Bohemia says user data is safe Posted: 16 May 2014 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Horror, MMO Industry, PvP, News Items, Sandbox Bohemia recently confirmed Reddit rumors of an attack on its DayZ servers. Speaking with Rock, Paper Shotgun, the studio downplayed concerns about user data security. "We have recently detected an attack on some of our servers, the precise nature and scope of this attack is currently being extensively investigated. There were no user data on any of the servers. Current development goals and schedules for our games will not be affected by this attack. More information will follow as our investigation continues," the firm explained. Initial reports claimed that DayZ's source code was stolen, which could lead to all manner of future exploits in the post-apocalyptic zombie survival sandbox. Bohemia has neither confirmed nor denied the source code rumor. DayZ servers hacked, Bohemia says user data is safe originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 16 May 2014 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: RPS

Elite's Alpha 4 is here, beta starts May 30th Posted: 16 May 2014 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-Fi, Economy, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Sandbox, Crowdfunding, Elite: Dangerous, Buy-to-Play Development on Elite: Dangerous is moving right along, as evidenced by this week's release of the space sim sandbox's Alpha 4 client. The latest patch represents the final Alpha phase, and it "vastly expands scale, scope, and depth over previous alpha versions," according to a Frontier press release. Elite's already massive universe just got bigger, and the devs have released two additional travel methods to assist with traversing it. Hyperspace jumps are now a thing as is super-cruise for accelerated in-system jaunts. Alpha 4 also introduces inter-system trading via a dynamically evolving market. [Source: Frontier press release] Continue reading Elite's Alpha 4 is here, beta starts May 30th Elite's Alpha 4 is here, beta starts May 30th originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 16 May 2014 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

TERA's remodeling system removal causing player unrest Posted: 16 May 2014 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, News Items, Free-to-Play, TERA Avatar customization is a big deal in MMOs, especially ones as gorgeous as TERA. It's such a big deal, in fact, that changes to TERA's system brought on by the recent Reaper patch have resulted in a titanic forum protest thread that's well over 30 pages long as of this writing. In a nutshell, TERA's dearly departed remodeling system allowed players to alter the look of individual gear pieces. It was similar to World of Warcraft's transmogrification mechanics, but it has now been replaced by a system that necessitates grinding for tickets which may be exchanged for whole armor sets. [Thanks everyone who tipped us!] TERA's remodeling system removal causing player unrest originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 16 May 2014 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Forum thread

The Daily Grind: What are your four pillars of MMO gaming? Posted: 16 May 2014 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Business Models, Culture, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, Opinion, Massively Meta, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Miscellaneous A few weeks ago, Massively's Star Wars: The Old Republic expert Larry Everett proposed that "ownership" or perhaps the broader term "immersion" should be considered one of the real four pillars of MMO gaming instead of the four that BioWare picked (combat, exploration, progression, and story). This sounds like a fun mind-challenge to me too because I don't think combat is actually essential to MMOs, I couldn't care less about stock progression, and I don't think any MMO can run a good story from the top down unless it's run by gamemasters. Surely we can come up with some better pillars. Stickiness would be my first pick; games need to keep people coming back because they want to come back, not because they feel they must. Community would make my list as something developers should develop intentionally rather than hope it happens offscreen. Setting to me is far more important than story since how seriously a studio takes its setting determines how invested players will be in their own stories. Customization would round out my quartet; our ability to take charge of our character's development, appearance, home, and activities is crucial to keeping us around. Taken together, those four echo Larry's column -- they're all about ownership in a game, something BioWare's pillars just don't address. What about you? If you were tasked with coming up with the four pillars of MMO gaming, what would they be? 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: What are your four pillars of MMO gaming? originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 16 May 2014 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

EVE Fanfest 2015 dated, tix discounted for limited time Posted: 15 May 2014 07:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, EVE Online, Events (Real-World), MMO Industry, DUST 514, Sandbox, Subscription EVE Fanfest 2014 is still a recent and warm (if scandal-ridden) memory, but CCP is already looking ahead to next year. The studio opened the doors today for fans to pick up tickets to next year's convention. EVE Fanfest 2015 is scheduled for March 19th through the 21st, 2015, at the same place it's been in Reykjavik, Iceland. The studio says that in keeping with the space-themed MMO, there will be an observable solar eclipse during the event. CCP is offering several tiers of early discounts, starting with the current early bird limited special offer. While the regular price for the tickets will be $200, players can pick theirs up right now for $125 or 13 PLEX apiece. EVE Fanfest 2015 dated, tix discounted for limited time originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 15 May 2014 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Fanfest 2015 tickets

The Think Tank: Listen to the music Posted: 15 May 2014 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Culture, Opinion, Massively Meta, Miscellaneous, The Think Tank, Music When I logged into ultra-indie sandbox Villagers & Heroes a few weeks ago to explore its latest patch and arrival on Steam, the first thing that slammed into me was Jupiter. No, really: Holst's Jupiter, Bringer of Jollity, one of the iconic movements of The Planets suite that's been inspiring composers for a hundred years. I just wasn't expecting to hear it verbatim during character creation. It's... well, it's jolly and strangely annoying in a game context, even for someone who appreciates a good Holst-inspired game soundtrack. For this week's Think Tank, I polled the Massively writers about their in-game music preferences. Do they turn it off? Do they listen faithfully? Are they raiding to Bieber? I bet they are. Continue reading The Think Tank: Listen to the music The Think Tank: Listen to the music originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 15 May 2014 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Jupiter image in the public domain courtesy of NASA

Carbine spotlights WildStar's PvE raid design Posted: 15 May 2014 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Game Mechanics, Endgame, News Items, PvE, WildStar, Dungeons, MMORPG WildStar's raid team has just completed a Reddit ask-me-anything about -- you guessed it -- raids in the upcoming sci-fantasy themepark. Lead Dungeon and Raid Designer Brett Scheinert (aka CRB_Timetravel) was joined by an array of Carbine Studios developers to answer player questions about the large PvE encounters in the elder game. Here are a few highlights: Which encounter will "cause the most tears"? That'd be Avatus, the last boss of Datascape, Scheinert says. "Because the pairs change every week (and there are 9 possibilities, each of which is almost an entirely new encounter), guilds will spend an entire week reaching then learning a pairing... then the instance will reset and they'll be back to ground zero." At least at launch, raid tools will be "in the hands of the addon developers." "Voice chat definitely helps but is not necessary." Additional post-launch raid content is "in development," so raid tiers will be flexible. The team won't "admit defeat that easily" should 40-man raids prove unpopular. Enrage timers "just feel lame," so the devs are using them sparingly. Casual players won't be able to extend lockout timers at launch. Carbine is still sorting out how latency will affect Oceanic players in raids. There's plenty more to consume over on Reddit! Carbine spotlights WildStar's PvE raid design originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 15 May 2014 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Reddit AMA

Forsaken World: Blood Harvest adding new class and region next week Posted: 15 May 2014 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Classes, Patches, Free-to-Play Forsaken World has a new content update coming out next week called Blood Harvest that looks to expand the title in several directions. Blood Harvest will introduce the Blood Reaper class, bump up the level cap to 90, and add in the Freedom Islands zone. As with the rest of this game, the update will be free for players to enjoy. Blood Harvest is scheduled to arrive on May 21st. [Source: Perfect World press release] Forsaken World: Blood Harvest adding new class and region next week originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 15 May 2014 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Albion introduces player-driven cities Posted: 15 May 2014 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Economy, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, PvP, News Items, PvE, Sandbox, Housing Albion's latest press release talks up the fantasy sandbox's new player-driven cities. Initially said cities will be empty and will provide players with the opportunity to both claim them and "create whole new societies from the ground up." "These new cities will be strewn throughout the world, including deep inside PvP territory; these cities will be places where all players, regardless of their guild affiliations, can build houses and storage for themselves, utilize crafting stations and trade at an auction house, access their vaults, and otherwise prepare themselves for venturing back out into danger," explains lead game designer Robin Henkys. Cities will be owned by a single controlling guild, which will reap various benefits including market and property taxes. Click past the cut for more details. [Source: Sandbox Interactive press release] Continue reading Albion introduces player-driven cities Albion introduces player-driven cities originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 15 May 2014 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

RIFT opens up new raids and improves ascend-a-friend program Posted: 15 May 2014 02:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Patches, Free-to-Play, RIFT, Promotions, Dungeons RIFT's Update 2.7 wasn't released in one giant package; Trion Worlds held some of it back to deliver piece-meal to the community. As such, today we've been treated to the second pair of new tier 3 raids with the Binding of Laethys. Trion also announced that it's improved its ascend-a-friend program with even more goodies than before. Players will earn referral coins when their recruit makes a purchase in the game, while recruits can teleport to their mentor, earn a 25% XP bonus when grouped up with their friend, and pick up several freebie items. These items are a 16-slot bag, a weapon-glowing rune, a cloak, and a title. RIFT opens up new raids and improves ascend-a-friend program originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 15 May 2014 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Ascend-a-Friend improvements, New raids

Origins of Malu will offer F2P with limited lives and permadeath Posted: 15 May 2014 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Business Models, Free-to-Play, Origins of Malu Origins of Malu has a few interesting ideas regarding its business model that Burning Dog laid out today in a post. The studio prefaced the plan by assuring fans that the title will have "no pay-to-win, no matter what." The game will offer a hybrid business model, with both subscription and free-to-play options. Sub fees will be "low" and come with bonuses and store currency. If you opt for the free-to-play angle, you'll only have a certain number of lives per day. Spend all of your lives, and you'll either need to stop playing for the day, buy more, or play with the risk of facing permadeath. Free-to-play won't be restricted otherwise, but may contain ads on the loading screen. Burning Dog said that some of the items that it will sell in its cash shop are housing items, vanity gear, lives, and pets. Origins of Malu will offer F2P with limited lives and permadeath originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 15 May 2014 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Business model

Age of Conan kicks off the Festival of Bloodshed for its anniversary Posted: 15 May 2014 01:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Age of Conan, Events (In-Game), PvP, News Items, Free-to-Play What's the best way to celebrate six years for Age of Conan? Obviously, by encouraging the players to kill each other! In the game, we mean. Put down that hammer. The Festival of Bloodshed is a new event that will be running for one week every month, offering players a chance to take part in all-new PvP modes and events while earning fantastic prizes. On PvP servers, the zone flagged for the Festival will rotate from place to place, while on the game's dedicated PvE server the festival will take place in the Border Kingdoms to ensure all PvP remains consensual. While in these regions, players can take part in the new Fields of Slaughter events (teams holding a designated region against all comers) as well as the Arena of Death. This comes along with new PvP daily quests, improved PvP gear, bonus experience for alternate advancement, and other rewards. So to celebrate six years of the game, read up on how you can reach out and touch someone. With a pointy bit of metal. [Thanks to Anders for the tip!] Age of Conan kicks off the Festival of Bloodshed for its anniversary originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 15 May 2014 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Festival of Bloodshed

The Division delayed to 2015 Posted: 15 May 2014 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Real-Life, MMO Industry, New Titles, PvP, News Items Remember that rumor where an Ubisoft employee used the word "laughable" to describe the 2014 launch window for The Division? As it turns out, it was pretty much spot on. "As you have noticed, The Division is not included into our full-year guidance," Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot said during today's financial call. "It will now be released in calendar 2015. We will provide more information on this highly anticipated new brand at E3." The Division delayed to 2015 originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 15 May 2014 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Joystiq

The Stream Team: Whiling away the work hours in WildStar Posted: 15 May 2014 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Video, Livestream, WildStar, The Stream Team Stuck at work and unable to play some WildStar? Frustrated by not being able to reserve the name you desired and want to see multiple pixeled mobs pay for the injustice? Let Massively's MJ oblige you on both counts! You can play vicariously through her adventures and watch as she blasts her way across the landscape. She promises plenty of death and destruction to satisfy all appetites for vengeance. Join us live at 2:00 pm for what could be her last beta adventures. Game: WildStar Host: MJ Guthrie Date: Thursday, May 15th, 2014 Time: 2:00 p.m. EDT Enjoy our Stream Team video below. Continue reading The Stream Team: Whiling away the work hours in WildStar The Stream Team: Whiling away the work hours in WildStar originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 15 May 2014 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Special H1Z1 livestream event going on right now Posted: 15 May 2014 11:45 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Horror, Free-to-Play, Livestream, H1Z1 SOE is planning a special livestream event covering H1Z1 starting at 2:00 p.m. EST today. President John Smedley tweeted, "It's a surprise. It's entirely live. Its either going to be epic awesome or epic fail. Either way it will be worth tuning into. Either way, it's not going to bore you." You can watch it on H1Z1's Twitch channel or after the jump. Continue reading Special H1Z1 livestream event going on right now Special H1Z1 livestream event going on right now originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 15 May 2014 13:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Twitter, H1Z1 Twitch

WildStar compensating players with bonus loot Posted: 15 May 2014 11:30 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-Fi, Video, News Items, WildStar, Subscription, Buy-to-Play The saga of WildStar's name reservation system appears to have come to a close. According to a forum post today from community manager Tony Rey, the system should be working properly now with no further issues. And while Carbine Studios can't turn back time, the studio is at least trying to offer up an olive branch to players and fans affected by the system's instabilities. Players who have pre-ordered will automatically be granted five Boom Boxes, little bonus packs of items being awarded for logging into beta that contain mounts, mount customizations, costumes, and so forth. (There's a short video past the break showing these off.) These boxes will also be awarded to any players who pre-order before 8 p.m. EDT on Friday. There's also a full technical breakdown of the issues encountered on the way for those curious about what went wrong from a technical standpoint. So you might not have gotten your first name choice reserved, but you do get an apology. Continue reading WildStar compensating players with bonus loot WildStar compensating players with bonus loot originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 15 May 2014 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: An Apology from the Devs

Valve adding Stanley Parable announcer pack to Dota 2 store Posted: 15 May 2014 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: MMO Industry, News Items, Free-to-Play, Promotions, MOBA Valve wants you to know that it's adding a Stanley Parable Announcer Pack to its Dota 2 cash shop this afternoon. The content inserts a narrator with a "particular blend of sardonic meta-commentary" into the MOBA, "rendering the game not only understandable but even downright accessible to the common layperson." The pack costs $10, though it will be 10 percent off this weekend. [Source: Valve press release] Valve adding Stanley Parable announcer pack to Dota 2 store originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 15 May 2014 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: The pack

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