MMO Updates

---

• Age of Conan's anniversary celebration starts today
• Shards backers can play as soon as Kickstarter campaign completes
• Here's Diablo 3's Reaper of Souls on the PS4
• Guild Wars 2's Festival of the Four Winds launches today
• The Daily Grind: What's the ideal level cap for an MMO?
• Not So Massively: The Division's delay, Atari's MOBA Minimum, and HEX's lawsuit
• Here are a bunch of interesting Darkfall stats
• Guild Wars 2 teases Crown Pavilion bosses
• World of Warcraft releases new class primer videos
• Destiny claims to be reinventing the first-person shooter
• Neverwinter announces its fourth module, Tyranny of Dragons
• EVE Online infographic details what makes the game unique
• WildStar will be intermittently playable from now until the headstart
• The Stream Team: Just another magic Monday in Black Gold Online's beta
• Guns of Icarus postmortem on post-publisher challenges

Age of Conan's anniversary celebration starts today Posted: 20 May 2014 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Age of Conan, Events (In-Game), Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, PvP, News Items, Free-to-Play, Anniversaries Age of Conan turns six today, and doesn't that make you feel old? As we reported last week, Funcom is gifting players with a new PvP-themed Festival of Bloodshed that lead content designer Matthew Bennett calls "arguably our largest PvP patch in the game's history." But wait, there's more! The Shadows of the Past anniversary event sees players uncovering a plot against King Conan and traveling back to Tortage. The event, as well as a cash shop treasure chest giveaway, starts today and runs through June 3rd. The Festival of Bloodshed starts on May 21st, lasts for one week, and will recur on a monthly basis. Age of Conan's anniversary celebration starts today originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 20 May 2014 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Anniversary event

Shards backers can play as soon as Kickstarter campaign completes Posted: 20 May 2014 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Business Models, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Sandbox, Crowdfunding Citadel is kicking off week two of its Shards Online Kickstarter with new incentives for backing the multiverse sandbox. Shards is different from other crowdfunded MMOs in that there is a "fully playable build available now," the company explains. As such, backers will get in the game "as soon as the campaign completes," and they'll receive three months of subscription time on top of their current pledge level, too. Citadel will also be hosting events for backers, the first of which will be livestreamed Saturday, May 24th at 4:00 p.m. EDT. Finally, the firm has announced a referral program that includes both in-game rewards and pledge-level increases for each new backer that you recruit. You can get all the details in the press release after the cut. [Source: Citadel press release] Continue reading Shards backers can play as soon as Kickstarter campaign completes Shards backers can play as soon as Kickstarter campaign completes originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 20 May 2014 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Here's Diablo 3's Reaper of Souls on the PS4 Posted: 20 May 2014 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Expansions, MMO Industry, News Items, Diablo III, Buy-to-Play Blizzard has released a brief look at Diablo III's Reaper of Souls expansion on the PlayStation 4. The Ultimate Evil Edition is headed your way on August 19th, and you can see it in action via the video after the break. Continue reading Here's Diablo 3's Reaper of Souls on the PS4 Here's Diablo 3's Reaper of Souls on the PS4 originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 20 May 2014 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: YouTube Via: Joystiq

Guild Wars 2's Festival of the Four Winds launches today Posted: 20 May 2014 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Galleries, Screenshots, Events (In-Game), Game Mechanics, Interviews, Launches, Lore, Patches, Previews, News Items, Guild Wars 2, Buy-to-Play As promised, today ArenaNet will update Guild Wars 2's western servers with the Festival of the Four Winds, a Chinese-themed patch that will return the Zephyrite festival to the game and mark the game's launch in China. Says the studio, The Zephyrites have returned to Labyrinthine Cliffs in their large-sailed flying ships to support Lion's Arch in its time of need. Although Lion's Arch suffered a devastating blow as a result of Scarlet's nefarious plans, Captain Ellen Kiel of the Captain's Council is grateful to see the Zephyrites return with their generous offer of materials and moral support. And to help reinvigorate trade and provide some joy to its citizens, the Zephyrite Master of Peace and Queen Jennah of Kryta are hosting a festival to honor Lion's Arch. Visit Labyrinthine Cliffs and experience the rush of Aspect movement skills, take part in the Sanctum Sprint, or enjoy one of the brand-new events; then take a hot-air balloon to Divinity's Reach and enjoy the reopened Crown Pavilion, including a new version of the Queen's Gauntlet, the Boss Blitz. Join Braham, Rox, Marjory, Kasmeer, Taimi, and Scruffy as they enjoy the festivities and usher in the return of Lion's Arch services! We spoke to ArenaNet Game Design Lead Mike Zadorojny and Associate Game Director Steven Waller about the update and how players will gradually aid in the rebuilding of the Tyrian capital. Continue reading Guild Wars 2's Festival of the Four Winds launches today Guild Wars 2's Festival of the Four Winds launches today originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 20 May 2014 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Daily Grind: What's the ideal level cap for an MMO? Posted: 20 May 2014 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, Endgame, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous Massively commenters recently debated whether a game without levels is the same as a game without a leveling cap thanks to Black Desert's proposed character advancement system, an increasingly common lateral advancement system that allows players to build their characters more sideways than up. But outside of such sandboxes, most themepark games stake their mechanics on levels, for good or bad. And that got me thinking about the ideal level cap for an MMO. Even if two games require roughly the same amount of time to cap, a bigger number can seem so much more intimidating. Asheron's Call's 150 levels and Anarchy Online's 205 always seemed unreachable to me, and wasn't it cute back when World of Warcraft expected but 60 levels out of you? What do you think -- what's the ideal level cap for an MMO with levels? 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's the ideal level cap for an MMO? originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 20 May 2014 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Not So Massively: The Division's delay, Atari's MOBA Minimum, and HEX's lawsuit Posted: 19 May 2014 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-Fi, Trailers, Video, New Titles, PvP, News Items, Free-to-Play, Mobile, Trading Card Games, Consoles, MMOFPS, MMORTS, Miscellaneous, Not So Massively, Sandbox, MOBA, Diablo III, Crowdfunding, Destiny, Star Citizen, Elite: Dangerous, Path of Exile, HEX, Hearthstone Welcome back to No So Massively, where every Monday we round up the highlights from the past week in the world of MOBAs, roguelikes, MMOTCGs, and other games that aren't quite MMOs. Wizards of the Coast is suing the makers of MMOTCG HEX. The Division has been delayed until 2015. Exactly no one is surprised. Atari resurrected MOBA Minimum. The trailer's just after the cut. Diablo III is celebrating its second birthday this week. Blizzard is swinging the banhammer on AFKers in Hearthstone. League of Legends' Championship series is now up and running. Elite: Dangerous' alpha 4 has arrived; David Braben discussed his game's competition. FEAR Online announced a May 26th beta. SMITE's Ah Muzen Cab and Geb both received new skins. The videos are below! Continue reading Not So Massively: The Division's delay, Atari's MOBA Minimum, and HEX's lawsuit Not So Massively: The Division's delay, Atari's MOBA Minimum, and HEX's lawsuit originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 19 May 2014 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Here are a bunch of interesting Darkfall stats Posted: 19 May 2014 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Darkfall, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, PvP, News Items, PvE, Sandbox, Subscription Have you ever wondered who Darkfall's top gankers are and how many gankees they've ganked? How about Agonian market activity? Would you like to know how many items have been traded or whether there's more demand for iron ore, cotton, or timber? These and other burning Darkfall questions are answered in a series of infographics recently released by Aventurine. There's even one for PvE featuring lifetime mob kills on both the NA and EU servers. [Thanks Jane!] Here are a bunch of interesting Darkfall stats originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 19 May 2014 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Unholy statistics Via: Darkfall Now

Guild Wars 2 teases Crown Pavilion bosses Posted: 19 May 2014 04:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Screenshots, Patches, News Items, Guild Wars 2, Humor, Buy-to-Play The Guild Wars 2 team has just posted a new primer for the baddies entering the game with tomorrow's patch. "Learn more about the bosses from the Crown Pavilion before you meet them on the battlefield tomorrow," reads the tweet. We think you'll grok the theme; the NPCs include Sparcus Firesplash, whose fighting style involves "flame and fire lying and flying around," and Pyroxis, who prefers "lava and flames, front and left." And then there's good old Boom-Boom Baines (seriously; we are not making this up) with her "fiery and clever" personality. Enjoy the full image with all six bosses via Guild Wars 2's Twitter. Guild Wars 2 teases Crown Pavilion bosses originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 19 May 2014 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Twitter

World of Warcraft releases new class primer videos Posted: 19 May 2014 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Video, Endgame, News Items, Guides, Subscription So you've bought your World of Warcraft expansion and you boosted a character to the level cap. That's good. You also have no idea how to play that class at level 90, which is bad. A new series of videos from Blizzard is designed to address that problem, however, offering a quick two-minute guide to how to play each of the classes at level 90 as a selected DPS spec and walking you through the basic play patterns. Yes, all of these guides are for DPS; you'll find no detailed tanking walkthroughs here. And each guide just picks a particular spec, so if you were hoping for insight into playing an Enhancement Shaman, you're out of luck. But if you've boosted a character and totally can't figure out what you're supposed to be doing now, it's a good crash course on playing well enough to fake it in LFR. World of Warcraft releases new class primer videos originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 19 May 2014 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Class primer videos

Destiny claims to be reinventing the first-person shooter Posted: 19 May 2014 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-Fi, Trailers, Video, Consoles, MMOFPS, Destiny Bungie is throwing down the gauntlet with a new Destiny video, saying that the team has truly reinvented the first-person shooter with this upcoming title. The two-minute video gives a quick overview of what Destiny is and what makes it special. The devs talk about the familiar Earth setting, the "tight" controls, the unique abilities for classes, and the chance encounters that will make up your exciting adventures. Give the video a watch after the break -- for eye candy, if nothing else -- and let us know what you think. Is this an audacious claim for Bungie to make, or should we trust that the Halo studio knows that of which it speaks? Continue reading Destiny claims to be reinventing the first-person shooter Destiny claims to be reinventing the first-person shooter originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 19 May 2014 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: YouTube

Neverwinter announces its fourth module, Tyranny of Dragons Posted: 19 May 2014 02:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Expansions, Patches, News Items, Free-to-Play, Neverwinter Stupid dragons. They think they're so special, with their wings and their breath weapons and their intelligence and their hides like armor. Sure, maybe all of that is pretty special when you think about it, but that's not the point. While we can't be sure just yet, though, it's a fairly sure thing that the next Neverwinter module will indeed allow you to put some dragons in their place; after all, the next module is dubbed Tyranny of Dragons. Seems like it would involve some draconic influence there. Tyranny of Dragons is due for release on August 14th, 2014. Unfortunately, we have no further details at this time outside of the fact that it will include dragons and will tie into the overarching story of the same name moving through the Dungeons & Dragons product line. Regardless, you'll want to get your best dragon-slaying shoes on for late summer because it's high time you showed those dragons what you think of them. (They're not so big.) [Source: Perfect World Entertainment press release] Neverwinter announces its fourth module, Tyranny of Dragons originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 19 May 2014 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

EVE Online infographic details what makes the game unique Posted: 19 May 2014 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, EVE Online, Sandbox A new infographic created by A Winning Personality blogger Merike Taal showcases EVE Online with a huge focus on what sets it apart from all other MMOs. "If you've never heard of EVE Online," the infographic states, "here's why you should start paying attention." With details on everything from the trifecta of alliance power to stats on the space MMO's largest battles, this infographic seems mostly to target those who are either unaware of or unconvinced of EVE's allure. You can check out the complete graphic after the cut. Continue reading EVE Online infographic details what makes the game unique EVE Online infographic details what makes the game unique originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 19 May 2014 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: EVE Online Infographic post

WildStar will be intermittently playable from now until the headstart Posted: 19 May 2014 01:30 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-Fi, Events (Real-World), News Items, Community Q&A, WildStar, Subscription Carbine Studios has just published an FAQ covering WildStar's status from now until the beginning of the headstart period on May 30th. Dubbed "Ops Week," this period will see the team "testing various launch systems, practicing [its] disaster recovery processes, making sure [its] fail overs fail over correctly, and putting some extra testing on [the] final Release Candidate." But you don't care about their problems; you just want to know whether you can log in. Yep! Carbine intends to make the servers available for play. Although uptime windows won't be announced ahead of time and some may be brief, players should anticipate server availability during business hours on the west coast. Open beta characters will be accessible for as long as the team can manage it before the inevitable wipes. WildStar will be intermittently playable from now until the headstart originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 19 May 2014 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Ops week FAQ

The Stream Team: Just another magic Monday in Black Gold Online's beta Posted: 19 May 2014 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Video, Livestream, The Stream Team, Steampunk, Black Gold Monday is a good time to feel some of that Black Gold Online magic! Or try to use it, anyway. Last week, Massively's MJ checked out the technology side of the upcoming title focused on faction-based warfare, so this time she's heading to the fantastical lands to try her hand at magic. Come check out how the other half lives on Montel! Join us live at 3:00 p.m. and see if anything can in the magic realm can top getting a motorcycle. Game: Black Gold Online Host: MJ Guthrie Date: Monday, May 19th, 2014 Time: 3:00 a.m./p.m. EDT Enjoy our Stream Team video below. Continue reading The Stream Team: Just another magic Monday in Black Gold Online's beta The Stream Team: Just another magic Monday in Black Gold Online's beta originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 19 May 2014 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Guns of Icarus postmortem on post-publisher challenges Posted: 19 May 2014 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, News Items, Dev Diaries, Steampunk, Buy-to-Play If you're a Guns of Icarus fan, an indie fan, or just a gamer interested in the creative process, you should take a few minutes to read the ongoing dev diary from Muse CEO Howard Tsao and co-authors Eric Chung and Tim Doolen at Gamasutra. Part two was published this morning, and it tackles the dev team's development struggles in the aftermath of part one's publisher debacle. "Designs on paper are rarely any good until they're tested in some form," Tsao says. "Ultimately, everything begins with low fidelity (cards, dice, paper, and role play) prototypes but sometimes jumping straight into digital prototypes is required. At the time, it was important to move fast and find results quickly and in this it case meant one person going from ideation, designing interaction flow, to digital prototype. A combination of flexible responsibility, knowledge, and Unity's low barrier to entry made it possible." Guns of Icarus postmortem on post-publisher challenges originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 19 May 2014 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Part two

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