MMO Updates |
- Final Fantasy XIV previews Frontline
- Assemble to try the LEGO Minifigures Online open beta
- WildStar's first update is Strain
- E3 2014: The Division recaps its demo
- Flameseeker Chronicles: Guild Wars 2 features that time forgot
- Frontier COO talks Elite, dev team size, and more
- Roberts on Star Citizen's work-in-progress flight model
- E3 2014: ANet recaps Guild Wars 2's Season One
- The Daily Grind: What MMO documentaries would you like to see?
- TUG team releases behind-the-scenes video for Playtest Fridays
- Not So Massively: Destiny, Star Citizen, and Elite at E3
- MechWarrior Online video blog answers game balance questions
- Destiny's PlayStation players will receive exclusive co-op content and maps
- Knight's Fable launching on Wednesday
- Derek Smart justifies Line of Defense's early access fee, new playable female characters
- The Stream Team: Soaring through the story in Marvel Heroes and sharing costume codes
- Star Trek Online Season 9.5 revamps crafting big-time
- Elder Scrolls Online on solo veteran content, dungeon scaling
| Final Fantasy XIV previews Frontline Posted: 17 Jun 2014 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Game Mechanics, Patches, Previews, PvP, News Items, Consoles, Final Fantasy XIV, Subscription  Participating in the battle comes down to moving between control points on the map and acquiring them for your company, earning points for your side as you maintain control. Points can also be earned via slaughtering other players and taking out monsters that appear on the battlefield. Those who take part will earn PvP experience, Wolf Marks, and tomestones, meaning that Frontline offers a reliable one-stop shop for all sorts of bonuses.
|
| Assemble to try the LEGO Minifigures Online open beta Posted: 17 Jun 2014 12:30 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, News Items, Free-to-Play, Mobile, Kids, Family, Miscellaneous  Currently, the beta test is available only for Windows computers in English, with other localizations and a tablet client slated for release during the test process. Open beta will also see the refinement of game mechanics and the free-to-play business model, so nothing that's in the game right now is set in stone. If you've been feeling the loss of brick-based gameplay, now might be the time to jump in and start playing for yourself. [Source: Funcom press release]
|
| WildStar's first update is Strain Posted: 17 Jun 2014 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Patches, Previews, WildStar, Subscription  WildStar will be revealing more details about the ultradrop over the next week and has posted a schedule for those reveals. A video will be coming tomorrow, followed by a spotlight on the new locations of Blighthaven and Northern Wastes on June 24th. Two days later on the 26th will be a focus on housing and customization, and finally a dev speak concerning the patch will come on the 30th. Massively will have your first look at Strain from E3 coming tomorrow, so stay tuned!
|
| E3 2014: The Division recaps its demo Posted: 17 Jun 2014 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Real-Life, Events (Real-World), Previews, News Items, Consoles, MMOFPS, Post-Apocalyptic, Miscellaneous  As described by the blog post, the game utilizes a complex AI for enemies -- sniping a bandit but not his friends results in the others running back for reinforcements, leading to a pitched firefight and a chance to use special unlocked abilities. The demo also showed off using the support app to take control of a drone, allowing you to see around walls and provide important data to allies even without being directly in the game. Check out the full recap for a thorough breakdown of where the game is right now in terms of game mechanics.  Massively's on the ground in Los Angeles during the week of June 10-12, bringing you all the best news from E3 2014. We're covering everything from WildStar and Landmark to Skyforge and H1Z1, so stay tuned!
|
| Flameseeker Chronicles: Guild Wars 2 features that time forgot Posted: 17 Jun 2014 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Opinion, Guild Wars 2, Flameseeker Chronicles, Buy-to-Play  We're still two weeks out from the start of the living world's second season, and ArenaNet has so far been especially cryptic where the future is concerned. We've speculated all there is to speculate for now, and summer heat makes me cranky, so before we blast off to any new horizons, let's take a look back at a few of the unfinished, unimplemented, and underutilized elements of GW2 that could really use some catching up. Continue reading Flameseeker Chronicles: Guild Wars 2 features that time forgot
|
| Frontier COO talks Elite, dev team size, and more Posted: 17 Jun 2014 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Business Models, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Sandbox, Crowdfunding, Elite: Dangerous, Buy-to-Play  In reality, the company employs some 240 developers and is in the middle of a recruiting drive that will add nearly 50 more. COO David Walsh talks about that and more in a new interview at GamesIndustry.biz that touches on Frontier's success in the midst of a rocky period for the British games industry. Frontier devs aren't just working on Elite, either, as the studio is also responsible for titles like Kinectimals, Zoo Tycoon, and Roller Coaster Tycoon 3. "Everyone in the company is plug-and-play between the different projects. They're all using the same tech," Walsh explains. "The engine we use for Elite: Dangerous is the same as the engine we use for LostWinds on smartphones. There are different technology modules that you plug in there, obviously, but it's the same fundamentals."
|
| Roberts on Star Citizen's work-in-progress flight model Posted: 17 Jun 2014 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Video, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Sandbox, Crowdfunding, Star Citizen, Buy-to-Play  Cloud Imperium has heard the feedback, and Chris Roberts has responded with a huge post that clarifies his goals for the game's Intelligent Flight Control System (IFCS) as well as the flight model going forward. If you're a flight sim fan, you'll likely find it fascinating reading. If not, the primary takeaway is that Roberts and CIG are confident in the direction of the model despite community concerns. As Roberts says, "a portion of our community clearly feels the current flight model is 'wrong.'" "We actually allow for a lot more variation and nuance in flight and combat than a simplified Wing Commander/X-Wing-style flight model," Roberts counters. "Like learning to drive a car really well... it requires some learning. You have to anticipate where you want to be and plan for it." He goes on to explain how most space games use an atmospheric flight baseline with predefined pitch, roll, and yaw rates as well as capped speeds and linear acceleration applied to a simplified mass point. "Star Citizen doesn't do that," he writes. "We model what would be needed on an actual spaceship, including correct application of thrust at the places where the thrusters are attached to the hull of the ship -- in our model moment of inertia, mass changes and counter thrust are very necessary. Star Citizen's physical simulation of spaceflight is based on what would actually happen in space." Continue reading Roberts on Star Citizen's work-in-progress flight model
|
| E3 2014: ANet recaps Guild Wars 2's Season One Posted: 17 Jun 2014 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Interviews, Patches, Guild Wars 2, Events (Massively's Coverage), Buy-to-Play  With Season Two of Guild Wars 2's living story starting up on July 1st, players are eager for more information. So far, only snippets and clues have teased fans. To try and glean more details, I sat down with Associate Game Director Steven Waller and Studio Design Director Chris Whiteside at E3 2014. Before moving on to what lies in store, however, the devs wanted to look back at the impact of the first season. Oh, and they offered a new trailer that adds a bit more fuel to the teasing fire! Continue reading E3 2014: ANet recaps Guild Wars 2's Season One
|
| The Daily Grind: What MMO documentaries would you like to see? Posted: 17 Jun 2014 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, EVE Online, Culture, MMO Industry, News Items, The Daily Grind, Sandbox, Crowdfunding  But The Daily Grind is all about you, so how about it, Massively readers? What MMO documentaries would you like to see?  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!
|
| TUG team releases behind-the-scenes video for Playtest Fridays Posted: 16 Jun 2014 07:00 PM PDT Filed under: Video, MMO Industry, Humor, Sandbox  A brand-new video was released by the TUG developer today showing off a bit of light-hearted behind-the-scenes fun during the sandbox MMO's development. The indie dev team dedicates every Friday to playtesting the game to squash bugs and focus on player feedback. The video shows a glimpse inside the studio during meetings, play sessions, and more. So if you're into secret whiteboard scratchings and hidden codes on colored sticky notes, check out the video after the cut in slow-mo. [Source: Kickstarter] Continue reading TUG team releases behind-the-scenes video for Playtest Fridays
|
| Not So Massively: Destiny, Star Citizen, and Elite at E3 Posted: 16 Jun 2014 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Historical, Trailers, Video, Events (Real-World), Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, Previews, News Items, War, Free-to-Play, Marvel Heroes, Mac, MMOFPS, World of Tanks, Miscellaneous, Not So Massively, World of Warships, MOBA, Diablo III, Destiny, Star Citizen, Elite: Dangerous, Virtual Reality 
Continue reading Not So Massively: Destiny, Star Citizen, and Elite at E3
|
| MechWarrior Online video blog answers game balance questions Posted: 16 Jun 2014 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Video, Free-to-Play, Dev Diaries, MechWarrior Online, MOBA  You can check out the full video after the break to see if your pressing concerns got addressed! Continue reading MechWarrior Online video blog answers game balance questions
|
| Destiny's PlayStation players will receive exclusive co-op content and maps Posted: 16 Jun 2014 04:30 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-Fi, Business Models, MMO Industry, PvP, News Items, PvE, MMOFPS, Dungeons, Destiny 
|
| Knight's Fable launching on Wednesday Posted: 16 Jun 2014 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Launches, New Titles, Free-to-Play, Browser  Well, I guess that's it. You're the one. This means that you need to load up on Hot Pockets and Mountain Dew because you're going to need the fuel to save the world come Wednesday, June 18th. That's when Knight's Fable releases and the world gets that one hero it's always craved. This new browser MMO comes courtesy of iMiGAME. It features trainable pets, a battle party system, a PvP arena located in Hell (seriously), and four classes. Knight's Fable also says that it uses "fast-paced turn-based combat," so take that as you will. [Source: iMiGAME press release]
|
| Derek Smart justifies Line of Defense's early access fee, new playable female characters Posted: 16 Jun 2014 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Business Models, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, News Items, MMOFPS  "The $99 EA price tag - which has a LOT of perks - ensures that only serious people who can provide meaningful feedback through their commitment, need apply. And for that they get a lot more than they would if they waited for the final game release. We're simply not interested in letting freeloaders gain early access to the game, not provide meaningful - if any - feedback, while we foot the bill for the backend services, servers, bandwidth etc. We're a SMALL independent game dev making a MASSIVE game in a genre dominated and monopolized by SOE and their popular @planetside2 series. [...] And unlike those other guys, we don't take your money, then plonk you in useless assets (how do you like that hanger now?), a largely unfinished product or a product that may not even see the light of day."Smart also alerts potential players to the fact that the studio has altered its original plans to omit female characters from the game: "My decision to now fund and add two bad-ass female characters comes from the fact that, well, we as an industry need to start making a concerted effort to cater to our female players because good faith can only get you so far."
|
| The Stream Team: Soaring through the story in Marvel Heroes and sharing costume codes Posted: 16 Jun 2014 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Super-hero, Video, Free-to-Play, Comics, Marvel Heroes, Livestream, The Stream Team  Game: Marvel Heroes Host: MJ Guthrie Date: Monday, June 16th, 2014 Time: 4:00 p.m. EDT Enjoy our Stream Team video below.
|
| Star Trek Online Season 9.5 revamps crafting big-time Posted: 16 Jun 2014 01:30 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Star Trek Online, Free-to-Play, Dev Diaries, Crafting  OK, he's got more words than that, but you probably can guess where he's going with it. D'Angelo posted a short dev diary today stating that the team will be focusing on a crafting overhaul for the next big update: "In this release, the STO dev team has completely reworked every element of crafting in the game... Our goal is to have a crafting system that our players enjoy and are excited to use." D'Angelo said that players will have new ways to earn crafting mats, multiple schools of crafting, and a fresh UI to explore. Duty officers will also be utilized in the revised crafting system.
|
| Elder Scrolls Online on solo veteran content, dungeon scaling Posted: 16 Jun 2014 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Game Mechanics, Patches, News Items, Community Q&A, Dungeons, The Elder Scrolls Online, Subscription 
|
| 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 | |
