MMO Updates

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• Working As Intended: What Guild Wars 2 got wrong
• CCP looking for EVE Alliance Tourney XII commentators
• Massively's hands-on with EVE Valkyrie on the Oculus Rift DK2
• Vendetta getting 'major graphical and engine changes,' Steam release
• The Daily Grind: Should MMOs require minimum guild sizes?
• World of Tanks launches update 1.2 for the Xbox 360
• The Think Tank: Non-combat roles in MMORPGs
• Azeroth Choppers episode four dives into... arenas
• The Stream Team: Heading to the beach in Landmark
• Celebrate the end of WWII by killing your enemies in War Thunder
• Chicken hockey returns to Lord of the Rings Online
• Swordsman trailer introduces poison cultists and kung fu masters
• Rust, H1Z1, and the emerging 'survival MMO' genre
• CCP permabans EVE monument vandals
• The Stomping Land's dinosaur survival MMO is coming to Steam this month
• Star Wars: The Old Republic Insider previews future updates
• Marvel Heroes hosting Bounty Hunter Week
• Heroes & Generals patch is the biggest content update since open beta

Working As Intended: What Guild Wars 2 got wrong Posted: 09 May 2014 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Business Models, Economy, Expansions, Game Mechanics, Endgame, Crafting, Housing, Working As Intended Back in March, I spent an entire Working As Intended column discussing the game mechanics that Guild Wars 2 got right. But that's just one side of the story. In order to be completely fair to the game and to myself, I want to grump about the things it got wrong. Don't take this as utter condemnation for the MMO; we're most critical of the things we love precisely because we love and know them so well and want them to be so much more. And in spite of all the things I love about Guild Wars 2, it's far too often living in the shadow of its older sibling. Continue reading Working As Intended: What Guild Wars 2 got wrong Working As Intended: What Guild Wars 2 got wrong originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 09 May 2014 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

CCP looking for EVE Alliance Tourney XII commentators Posted: 09 May 2014 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, EVE Online, Events (Real-World), Events (In-Game), MMO Industry, PvP, News Items, Sandbox Are you a knowledgeable, personable EVE Online PvPer with some free time in August and September? If so, CCP wants to fly you to Iceland and set you up as a commentator for EVE Alliance Tournament XII. The company is covering airfare and hotel, so all you'll need is a little spending money. Well, OK, you'll also need a passport, a sense of humor, and the gift of gab. Details and the full list of requirements are available at the EVE website. Don't delay, as you'll need to contact CCP before May 19th! CCP looking for EVE Alliance Tourney XII commentators originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 09 May 2014 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Announcement

Massively's hands-on with EVE Valkyrie on the Oculus Rift DK2 Posted: 09 May 2014 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, EVE Online, Culture, Events (Real-World), Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, Previews, PvP, News Items, Opinion, Hands-On, Casual, First Impressions, Events (Massively's Coverage), MOBA, Star Citizen, Elite: Dangerous At last year's EVE Fanfest, the press and attendees got a rare glimpse into something other than CCP's major IPs -- a virtual reality tech demo produced by a handful of developers during their down time. Originally codenamed EVR, this VR dogfighter on the original Oculus Rift development kit drew a surprising amount of attention and went on to win several awards at E3. It's now been a year since that project first sprouted legs, and last week at EVE Fanfest 2014 it sprouted wings as well. Now named EVE Valkyrie, what started as a side-project has become one of CCP's key intellectual properties and the poster-child for virtual reality gaming. The game's success now ultimately relies on the adoption of VR tech and the appeal of its gameplay, both of which are still open questions at this point. I got some hands-on time with the latest build of Valkyrie during Fanfest to see how the game and the technology that powers it have come along in the past year, and I was pleasantly surprised. Read on to find out how Valkyrie has changed in the past year and for a first look at the new Oculus Rift Development Kit 2. Continue reading Massively's hands-on with EVE Valkyrie on the Oculus Rift DK2 Massively's hands-on with EVE Valkyrie on the Oculus Rift DK2 originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 09 May 2014 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Vendetta getting 'major graphical and engine changes,' Steam release Posted: 09 May 2014 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, News Items, Sandbox, Subscription Vendetta Online's latest newsletter has announced major graphical and engine changes, along with Oculus Rift HD support and a forthcoming Steam release. Lead developer John Bergman explains that Guild Software is "working on a whole new client-server architecture to make it possible for us to generate massively dense sectors of unlimited scale." The new sectors will showcase various graphical upgrades including advanced lighting, shadow, volume effects, and more. These and other upgrades are part of what Bergman is temporarily calling Vendetta 2.0, which "will represent the goals that I set out to build back when we started on this crazy space MMORPG development journey over sixteen years ago." Vendetta is a subscription-based sandbox MMO that allows players on Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, Ouya, and Oculus Rift to play on the same server. It first launched in 2002. Vendetta getting 'major graphical and engine changes,' Steam release originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 09 May 2014 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Newsletter

The Daily Grind: Should MMOs require minimum guild sizes? Posted: 09 May 2014 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Game Mechanics, Guilds, MMO Industry, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous A listener recently wrote in to Massively's podcast to express his frustration with recruiting in MMOs since so many players avoid chat and guild advertisements. The community situation in many games can make it difficult for smaller guilds that refuse to spam to build up enough players to access basic guild functions, like guild banks. I myself have been testing out a game with player-run villages that requires guilds to have 25 active guild members settled there lest it lose its instanced town, which is a lot of people for a tiny, indie game, and a number that almost requires players to artificially inflate their rosters. But the problem is that games impose arbitrary player minimums for guild charters and banks and ranks and so forth to begin with. For every Guild Wars 2 that lets you have a lonely solo guild if you want it, there's a World of Warcraft that requires you to summon 10 warm bodies first -- even if you then immediately boot the other nine, making the requirement a pointless and tedious exercise. What do you think: Should MMOs require minimum guild sizes? 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: Should MMOs require minimum guild sizes? originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 09 May 2014 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

World of Tanks launches update 1.2 for the Xbox 360 Posted: 08 May 2014 07:00 PM PDT Filed under: Trailers, Video, Patches, News Items, War, Free-to-Play, Consoles, World of Tanks If you like to get your World of Tanks fix on your console, we've got good news. The latest patch for the game's Xbox 360 edition has launched, and it brings with it new premium Soviet tanks along with all-new weather effects. Now you can experience the joy of firing your tank's main gun in the middle of a rainstorm as well as on a nice sunny day. Seven maps are in the rotation for weather variants at launch, with more planned for the future. Not enough for you? Well, the update also adds two new maps, Fisherman's Bay and Abbey, which should give you all sorts of new terrain to deal with. The American tank tree has also been expanded with seven new vehicles, one each for tiers IV through X. You can start enjoying the update today, and you can check out the patch release trailer just past the break. [Source: Wargaming.net press release] Continue reading World of Tanks launches update 1.2 for the Xbox 360 World of Tanks launches update 1.2 for the Xbox 360 originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 08 May 2014 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Update 1.2 Arrives

The Think Tank: Non-combat roles in MMORPGs Posted: 08 May 2014 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Classes, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, Opinion, Massively Meta, Miscellaneous, The Think Tank Two recent topics have collided to create this week's Think Tank topic: Massively's Justin wrote about pacifist characters in MMOs, and Camelot Unchained reminded me that while there's no PvE, it'll be possible to play as a pure crafter to contribute to PvP. These shouldn't strike us as novel concepts. The genre has seen several MMOs (A Tale in the Desert, Glitch) that shed combat entirely, and many sandboxes (Star Wars Galaxies and Ultima Online, to name just a few), allowed players to roll pure crafters who raised neither blaster nor kryss to attack a foe. Yet many modern gamers still think of pacifist play as an anomaly, having been bred to believe combat is the end-all, be-all of an MMORPG experience. I polled the Massively team members for their thoughts on pacifist play and non-combat roles in MMOs. Have or would they play such characters and games? Continue reading The Think Tank: Non-combat roles in MMORPGs The Think Tank: Non-combat roles in MMORPGs originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 08 May 2014 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Azeroth Choppers episode four dives into... arenas Posted: 08 May 2014 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Video, Contests, Culture, PvP, News Items, Humor, Promotions, Miscellaneous Just over eight minutes of motorcycle talk and worrying over deadlines and setbacks await you in today's edition of Azeroth Choppers, the World of Warcraft reality show in which two teams square off to build faction-themed motorcycles, or probably will, at some point. Bonus points for the Stormwind music floating behind the massive machine shop and for making the gearheads enter an in-game WoW arena to murder each other, which is totally how you get motorcycles designed and made. The video's after the cut. Continue reading Azeroth Choppers episode four dives into... arenas Azeroth Choppers episode four dives into... arenas originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 08 May 2014 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Battle.net Via: WoW Insider

The Stream Team: Heading to the beach in Landmark Posted: 08 May 2014 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Video, Free-to-Play, Livestream, Sandbox, The Stream Team, Player-Generated Content, Landmark You've heard about it, but now you can finally see it! The first iteration of water has rolled into Landmark, and Massively's MJ can't wait to jump in. OK, so technically she can't jump in, but she can show off her awesome powers by walking on water! And even if you can't harvest water yet, you can still dig near the shore and make your own little puddle. A trip to the beach is long overdue, so join us live at 6:00 p.m. to make a few sandcastles complete with moats (and maybe get a Lunar Anklet or beta code too!). Game: Landmark Host: MJ Guthrie Date: Thursday, May 8th, 2014 Time: 6:00 p.m. EDT Enjoy our Stream Team video below. Continue reading The Stream Team: Heading to the beach in Landmark The Stream Team: Heading to the beach in Landmark originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 08 May 2014 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Celebrate the end of WWII by killing your enemies in War Thunder Posted: 08 May 2014 03:30 PM PDT Filed under: Historical, Events (In-Game), Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, PvP, News Items, War, Free-to-Play Gaijin wants you to celebrate the "peaceful time" at the ending of World War II by blowing the crap out of enemy planes and tanks in War Thunder. May 7th marked the official end of WWII in Europe, while May 8th is remembered as Victory Day. To celebrate, Gaijin is holding its own Victory Day on May 10th and will be handing out extra Golden Eagles currency for match victories. Starting today, you can earn a victory banner decal and access to the Ground Forces beta test by notching 60 kills and six match victories over the next four days. Five random aircraft will also see their purchase prices heavily discounted and "all the famous aircraft of WWII" will boast 30 percent repair cost discounts. [Source: Gaijin press release] Celebrate the end of WWII by killing your enemies in War Thunder originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 08 May 2014 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Chicken hockey returns to Lord of the Rings Online Posted: 08 May 2014 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Events (In-Game), Free-to-Play, Humor Even Hobbits need to pick on something smaller than they are, which is why the little folk (and the big 'uns too) are glad that they now can smack chickens across a field with a stick in Lord of the Rings Online. Hobnanigans, also known as "chicken ball" and "chicken hockey," is returning to LotRO for a limited time event. Teams can take to a special field in Bree-land to attempt to knock chickens through the opposing side's goal. The two teams at play are the Flying Feathers and the Steel Beaks. The current Hobnanigans event will take place from May 9th through 11th. The mini-game previously appeared in LotRO only once back in 2007. Chicken hockey returns to Lord of the Rings Online originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 08 May 2014 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Hobnanigans

Swordsman trailer introduces poison cultists and kung fu masters Posted: 08 May 2014 02:30 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Classes, Free-to-Play Tell me, do you prefer poison or ice with your martial arts? Either way, Perfect World has you covered with the upcoming Swordsman. The publisher posted a trailer today highlighting the next three classes in the game. There's the Shaolin, a kung fu master; the Five Venoms, a cultist who idolizes poison in all its forms; and the Zephyr School, a fighter that uses ice control and air defense for the win. You can check out the trailer after the jump to see if any of these are a perfect match for you! [Source: Perfect World press release] Continue reading Swordsman trailer introduces poison cultists and kung fu masters Swordsman trailer introduces poison cultists and kung fu masters originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 08 May 2014 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Rust, H1Z1, and the emerging 'survival MMO' genre Posted: 08 May 2014 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Opinion, Virtual Worlds, First Impressions, Post-Apocalyptic, Sandbox, H1Z1 I'm naked and alone again, but that's OK. After having to level up in other games a million times, deal with boring tutorials, repeatedly turn in quests that add no value to my play time, and then watch as my guild slowly bleeds members to the next MMO asking us to repeat the whole ordeal, "naked and alone" is actually nice. Well, maybe just the naked part. And that, my friends, is the horror-survival/post-apocalypse genre. I love MMOs, but recent themeparks and building games have left me wanting something a bit more dangerous but still not a pointless murderfest. For the most part, these games are less about levels and quests and more about finding items to make sure you don't die. Hunger meters, diseases, and limited supplies in a world filled with enemies who loot you certainly feels like a good throwback to classic RPGs mixed with the multiplayer I've been craving since Asheron's Call first hooked me on MMORPGs. But community-wise, these games have seemed more like lobby shooters than MMOs, which for a long time made me hesitate to try them. If you've been finding yourself in the same situation, hopefully my little plunge into this bloody genre will give you some ideas of what to expect. Continue reading Rust, H1Z1, and the emerging 'survival MMO' genre Rust, H1Z1, and the emerging 'survival MMO' genre originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 08 May 2014 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

CCP permabans EVE monument vandals Posted: 08 May 2014 01:30 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, EVE Online, MMO Industry, Legal, DUST 514, Sandbox Citing a "zero tolerance approach to dealing with harassment and victimization in the EVE Universe," CCP announced today that it has permanently banned the three vandals who defaced the new EVE monument in Reykjavik, Iceland. A fourth individual received a six-month ban. "The fact that the monument was vandalized is an insult to the entire community, not just to the individual who's name was directly targeted by the vandalism," the studio posted. The ban includes not only CCP's games but attendance at Fanfest as well. CCP declined to release the in-game names of the individuals and said that any future development related to the incident will be kept confidential. CCP permabans EVE monument vandals originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 08 May 2014 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: EVE Online forums

The Stomping Land's dinosaur survival MMO is coming to Steam this month Posted: 08 May 2014 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Launches, New Titles, Sandbox, Crowdfunding The Stomping Land, a survival MMO with a generous heaping of dinosaurs, is set to arrive on Steam Early Access on May 23rd for backers and May 30th for everyone else. The cost will be $24.99 for non-backers. The MMO was successfully funded through Kickstarter last year and is being developed by Alex Fundora. The Stomping Land challenges players to survive as a human in harsh environments that include rather ravenous dinos. Hunger and thirst are issues that must be dealt with, and these are made all the more challenging by a lack of internal inventory (everything must be carried in hand or stored on the map). The game encourages players to form tribes for survival and allows them to capture, tame, and even ride dinosaurs. The Early Access version will launch with one island, and you can check out the trailer for the release after the break. Continue reading The Stomping Land's dinosaur survival MMO is coming to Steam this month The Stomping Land's dinosaur survival MMO is coming to Steam this month originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 08 May 2014 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: VG247, MMO Cast

Star Wars: The Old Republic Insider previews future updates Posted: 08 May 2014 12:30 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Video, Previews, News Items, Free-to-Play, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Housing, Subscription Do you want to know what the future of Star Wars: The Old Republic looks like? The latest installment of Star Wars: The Old Republic Insider hosted by community manager Eric Musco is all about that, covering the upcoming Galactic Strongholds expansion as well as what players can expect in terms of PvP and community events. If you've been avidly following every bit of news about the game, you've quite possibly seen some of what the game has to offer, but if you've been a bit out of the loop it's a great chance to check out the new features of strongholds and the refinements made to PvP. Check out the full video just past the break. Continue reading Star Wars: The Old Republic Insider previews future updates Star Wars: The Old Republic Insider previews future updates originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 08 May 2014 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: YouTube

Marvel Heroes hosting Bounty Hunter Week Posted: 08 May 2014 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Super-hero, Events (In-Game), Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, News Items, Free-to-Play, Marvel Heroes If you're having gift box withdrawals following the conclusion of last week's Marvel Heroes event extravaganza, you'll be happy to know that the devs are kicking off something called Bounty Hunter Week starting May 9th. The festivities involve obtaining A.R.M.O.R. research drives and then turning them in to a special vendor in exchange for new uniques, artifacts, Ghost Boxes, and costume cores. Login gifts are back, too, as everyone showing up on May 10th will get a Bounty Hunter box while everyone who plays on May 11th will get a Mother's Day gift. Marvel Heroes hosting Bounty Hunter Week originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 08 May 2014 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Announcement

Heroes & Generals patch is the biggest content update since open beta Posted: 08 May 2014 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Historical, Trailers, Video, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, Patches, PvP, News Items, War, Free-to-Play Heroes & Generals' latest update is live, and the 'Patton' patch marks the largest set of content additions since the World War II title went into open beta. There are nine new tanks as well as personal vehicle loadouts which provide players with unique sets of upgradeable rides. Reto-Moto has also added entry-level submachine guns and tweaked the game's introductory experience to ease players into its persistent strategic shooter. You can view the full press release as well as a new video after the break. [Source: Reto-Moto press release] Continue reading Heroes & Generals patch is the biggest content update since open beta Heroes & Generals patch is the biggest content update since open beta originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 08 May 2014 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

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