MMO Updates

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• Hyperspace Beacon: Fixing SWTOR's community representation problem
• World of Warcraft previews the Tanaan Jungle
• WildStar previews the zones of the Strain drop
• Guild Wars 2's Gates of Maguuma open July 1st
• The Daily Grind: Have you ever volunteered for an MMO?
• Lion's Arch Lament dissected for Guild Wars 2 fans
• Not So Massively: GTAO's update, Hearthstone's tourney, and LoL's Summoner's RIFT revamp
• The Stream Team: Talking Landmark summer plans with Georgeson and Michaels
• Das Tal secures additional funding, releases summary vid
• Pathfinder Online takes crowdforging seriously
• TERA's Chinese publisher has a deal for VR headsets
• Guild Wars 2 to host its first player tourney at Gamescom
• The Division dev talks districts, mobile, and more
• Here's a purty World of Speed gallery

Hyperspace Beacon: Fixing SWTOR's community representation problem Posted: 24 Jun 2014 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Classes, Culture, Opinion, Free-to-Play, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Hyperspace Beacon, Subscription, MMORPG You might be aware that I was once a community representative for Star Wars Galaxies. The player governing body was called the Senate. I don't remember who started it, but I do remember the formal revamp during the time Kelly "Valara" Knox served as Community Manager. It was during that period that I represented the roleplay community in the SWG Senate. Because of my time serving as an MMO community representative and my vested interest in the Star Wars: The Old Republic community, I can say that the representative system employed by BioWare is ineffective. But I don't solely blame the BioWare community team for its shortcomings. Indulge me as I discuss how it could be better and how we could better utilize the current system. Continue reading Hyperspace Beacon: Fixing SWTOR's community representation problem Hyperspace Beacon: Fixing SWTOR's community representation problem originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 24 Jun 2014 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

World of Warcraft previews the Tanaan Jungle Posted: 24 Jun 2014 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Expansions, Previews, News Items, Subscription The first two zone previews for World of Warcraft's next expansion focused on the areas that will lie at the heart of each faction, but Warlords of Draenor doesn't start in either of those areas. No, players will begin by setting foot (or hoof) into the Tanaan Jungle, a lush land filled with warriors of the Iron Horde as well as no shortage of vicious beasts. Yes, it's dangerous even without the orcs, that's kind of a running theme here. Players using characters boosted to level 90 will be learning their classes for the first time in the jungle, meeting orc luminaries such as Grom Hellscream and Khadgar Bladefist. (They're with the Iron Horde; they won't be happy to see you.) Players are also teased that they might need to make a deal with the warlock Gul'dan to get out in one piece, which is an activity that has never worked out well for anyone. Check out the full preview and all the lore it implies on the official site. World of Warcraft previews the Tanaan Jungle originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 24 Jun 2014 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Tanaan Jungle preview

WildStar previews the zones of the Strain drop Posted: 24 Jun 2014 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Galleries, Screenshots, Patches, News Items, WildStar, Subscription, Buy-to-Play The first major update for WildStar is due out in early July, and it's bringing plenty of content along with it including two zones for players to explore. Blighthaven and the Northern Wastes are being unveiled in more detail today, both of which contain plenty of opportunities for adventurers to take on all sorts of new challenges. Blighthaven is a landscape dominated by the Strain's mutated minions along with uncontrolled Eldan machinery, featuring such comfortable-sounding regions as the Cankertube Swamps, the Globellum, the Sanctuary of the Keepers, and the Genesis Chamber. It's prime territory for new content to explore what happened to the Eldan as well as understand the virulent opponent that is the Strain. The Northern Wastes, meanwhile, brings players back to the Northern Wilds after the events in the early game, with both Dominion and Exiles struggling to claim the territory... until a new threat emerges from the Eldan bio-labs in the area. New events, challenges, missions, and path content awaits players in the zone. It's all adding up to plenty of content for a first update; you can check out the official reveal page for a few extra details. [Source: Carbine Studios press release] WildStar previews the zones of the Strain drop originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 24 Jun 2014 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Guild Wars 2's Gates of Maguuma open July 1st Posted: 24 Jun 2014 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Events (In-Game), Lore, Patches, Previews, News Items, Guild Wars 2, Buy-to-Play Guild Wars 2 fans have been not-so-patiently awaiting news about the inbound second season of story content, which arrives beginning next week on July 1st with the Gates of Maguuma update. ArenaNet has today released a teaser video to prime players for what the new plotline will entail. Says the studio, In this teaser, you'll see that the Zephyrites have been met with trouble and there are rumors of a disturbance in the tangled western reaches of Brisban Wildlands. When players log in on July 1, they will work together with their fellow GW2 counterparts as well as Marjory, Kasmeer, Rox, Braham and Taimi to discover what is going on. In addition, when you log in to experience the start of Living World Season 2, you can unlock the story content permanently in your Journal to play in the future. The teaser video is included below. Continue reading Guild Wars 2's Gates of Maguuma open July 1st Guild Wars 2's Gates of Maguuma open July 1st originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 24 Jun 2014 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Daily Grind: Have you ever volunteered for an MMO? Posted: 24 Jun 2014 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest, Business Models, Culture, Events (In-Game), MMO Industry, Opinion, Ultima Online, The Daily Grind, Roleplaying, Miscellaneous, Player-Generated Content A few weeks ago in my Working As Intended column, I brought up the role gamemasters and officially appointed player helpers had in fostering communities, directing roleplaying, and aiding newbies and event organizers in early MMOs. We're not talking about just floating a HELPER tag over your head (though most modern MMOs lack even that); old-school games literally ran programs that traded game time (or just a hearty thanks!) to players who would log into special accounts or robed characters and lend a hand, officiate a wedding, or help a clueless nooblet find the bank. While I was focusing primarily on Ultima Online in that article, just a few days later, SOE tweeted a post about the EverQuest franchise's alive-and-kicking volunteer Guide program. Participating player Guides are now expected to run dynamic events and quests rather than interact in chat, but the concept is the same, even in 2014, however strange it must seem to newcomers to the genre. Today I'm wondering how many of our readers have ever volunteered in a semi-official or official capacity within their MMO of choice. How did it treat you, and do you want to see programs like these become more widespread? 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: Have you ever volunteered for an MMO? originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 24 Jun 2014 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Lion's Arch Lament dissected for Guild Wars 2 fans Posted: 23 Jun 2014 07:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Culture, Lore, News Items, Guild Wars 2, Music, Buy-to-Play The destruction of Lion's Arch formed the centerpiece of Guild Wars 2's first Living Story finale, an event with a big emotional impact for players who had grown accustomed to the city's presence. How do you summarize such a huge event? With music, of course. A new development blog on the official site details the creation of "Lion's Arch Lament," music that commemorates the destruction while at the same time walking through the history of the city in just a few moments. The piece starts off with an homage to the music most strongly associated with Lion's Arch in the original Guild Wars, then ties in Scarlet's Theme and the city music from Guild Wars 2 to herald its return and destruction. If you're familiar with the game's music, you should give the post a read and listen to the song; it's likely to stir at least a few emotions about the city and its loss. Lion's Arch Lament dissected for Guild Wars 2 fans originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 23 Jun 2014 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Lion's Arch Lament

Not So Massively: GTAO's update, Hearthstone's tourney, and LoL's Summoner's RIFT revamp Posted: 23 Jun 2014 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-Fi, Video, Business Models, Game Mechanics, New Titles, Patches, PvP, News Items, Mobile, Consoles, MMOFPS, Community Q&A, Post-Apocalyptic, Not So Massively, Sandbox, MOBA, League of Legends, Diablo III, Firefall, Destiny, Star Citizen, Elite: Dangerous, Infinite Crisis, Path of Exile, Hearthstone, The Division 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. Diablo III's new patch will add leaderboard seasons. The auction hall officially closes this week. The Dreamhack Hearthstone tournament was shaded by cheating allegations. Grand Theft Auto Online's I'm Not a Hipster hipster update went live, but heists have been delayed. Heroes of the Storm expanded its alpha to more countries. Elite: Dangerous released a dev blog and info on its next premium beta. Firefall continued its march to relaunch. Path of Exile removed snapshotting. Chris Roberts talked up Star Citizen's work-in-progress flight model. Robert Morris University has formed an official League of Legends athletic team. State of Decay is releasing a skin pack for Minecraft. Beasts of Prey began early access on Steam. It's a dinosaur-themed survival sandbox. Destiny's alpha testers have played 6,461,871 games. MechWarrior Online launched the Clan Invasion Supergirl joined the cast of Infinite Crisis; the video is below. Finally, League of Legends is revamping its Summoner's Rift map. The developer preview video is also embedded below. Continue reading Not So Massively: GTAO's update, Hearthstone's tourney, and LoL's Summoner's RIFT revamp Not So Massively: GTAO's update, Hearthstone's tourney, and LoL's Summoner's RIFT revamp originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 23 Jun 2014 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Stream Team: Talking Landmark summer plans with Georgeson and Michaels Posted: 23 Jun 2014 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Video, Free-to-Play, Livestream, The Stream Team, Landmark Do you want to get the inside scoop on what's happening in Landmark this summer? Then you want to go right to the source! Massively's MJ teams up in-game and in-chat with Creative Director Dave Georgeson and Producer Terry Michaels to talk all about the sandbox's summer plans. If you have any questions about combat, crafting, or anything else, this is a great time to bring them and pick the brains of those who are in the know. Join us live at 7:00 p.m. for the dev-tastic hour of Landmark treasure hunting. We'll also have more codes to give away! Game: Landmark Host: MJ Guthrie Date: Monday, June 23rd, 2014 Time: 7:00 p.m. EDT Enjoy our Stream Team video below. Continue reading The Stream Team: Talking Landmark summer plans with Georgeson and Michaels The Stream Team: Talking Landmark summer plans with Georgeson and Michaels originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 23 Jun 2014 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Das Tal secures additional funding, releases summary vid Posted: 23 Jun 2014 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Business Models, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, PvP, News Items Fairytale Distillery has announced that its Das Tal PvP sandbox MMO has received a $130,000 funding infusion that will speed up development. "A basic playable build will be available for public testing in July," the firm says via press release, and new alpha testers will be added to the current pool. If you want to be part of the game's testing process, you can sign up on the newly redesigned website. Finally, the dev team has a released a new video that summarizes what Das Tal has on offer. View it in full, along with the press release, after the cut. [Source: Fairytale Distillery press release] Continue reading Das Tal secures additional funding, releases summary vid Das Tal secures additional funding, releases summary vid originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 23 Jun 2014 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Pathfinder Online takes crowdforging seriously Posted: 23 Jun 2014 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Business Models, Game Mechanics, News Items, Miscellaneous, Sandbox, Crowdfunding, Player-Generated Content, Pathfinder Online Goblinworks, whose sandbox MMO Pathfinder Online entered alpha earlier this month, is turning to hopeful players for crowdforging purposes by way of the IdeaScale platform. You've probably seen the concept used for software and mobile development already: Players post mechanics and gameplay suggestions and ideas, and other contributors vote them up to show the developers where to focus time and effort. The Goblinworks team has highlighted a number of ideas via Twitter, including player books, gender neutrality, clothing dye, beast taming, and terrain as impediment. You can check out and contribute to the entire list of suggestions on the official site. Pathfinder Online takes crowdforging seriously originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 23 Jun 2014 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Twitter

TERA's Chinese publisher has a deal for VR headsets Posted: 23 Jun 2014 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Culture, MMO Industry, News Items, Free-to-Play, TERA Good news for the VR enthusiasts today, or at least the VR enthusiasts who live in China and have a deep-seated desire to hack at some monsters in TERA. The game's Chinese publisher, Kunlun, revealed an agreement being made between the company and Sony to bring the game to the latter's virtual reality headset. The idea is that the headset will allow players to step into the game with what amounts to a full IMAX experience, only with significantly more giant monsters. Nothing has been said on whether or not this option will be available for players in North America. The Chinese version of the game is planning on its first large-scale open test in August, and there will be unique content for the region, but hopefully that won't include the ability to play the game with a headset strapped over your eyes. TERA's Chinese publisher has a deal for VR headsets originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 23 Jun 2014 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: MMO Culture

Guild Wars 2 to host its first player tourney at Gamescom Posted: 23 Jun 2014 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Events (Real-World), PvP, Guild Wars 2, Buy-to-Play Top Guild Wars 2 players will have the opportunity to duke it out in the game's first International All-Stars Tournament during Gamescom 2014, which runs from August 13th through the 17th. ArenaNet will fly players from Europe, China, and North America to the convention in order to compete against one another. Even if you aren't participating in the tourney itself, you'll be able to visit the Twitch.TV booth to play some GW2, chat with the developers, and partake in other activities. Want to get in on the tournament or any of the other community events during Gamescom? Keep an eye out: We'll bring you more information as soon as the details are released. Guild Wars 2 to host its first player tourney at Gamescom originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 23 Jun 2014 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Gamescom tourney announcement

The Division dev talks districts, mobile, and more Posted: 23 Jun 2014 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Video, Events (Real-World), Game Mechanics, Interviews, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items Co-Optimus has posted an interesting video Q&A with Division IP developer Martin Hultberg of Ubisoft. Hultberg talks a bit about the game's backstory as well as how players will interact with the game world. There are certain level restrictions, for example, as well as equipment requirements for entering a given area (gas masks to deal with contagion levels, etc.). Hultberg also mentions that players who buy The Division get a tablet version as well, so if you can't make it home to your console (and eventually, your PC, right Ubi? RIGHT?), you can be a fifth wheel of sorts and "support the four other players" via your tablet. The interview clip has a lot of gameplay footage spliced throughout, so head past the cut and have a look for yourself. Continue reading The Division dev talks districts, mobile, and more The Division dev talks districts, mobile, and more originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 23 Jun 2014 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Co-Optimus

Here's a purty World of Speed gallery Posted: 23 Jun 2014 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Real-Life, Galleries, Screenshots, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Free-to-Play Need some auto-related eye candy to shake those Monday blahs? We've got just the thing, courtesy of a new World of Speed screenshot gallery. We could write some more words, but really all you need to know is that there's a link below. See it? No, no, the green text. Just a little lower... there you go. Enjoy! Here's a purty World of Speed gallery originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 23 Jun 2014 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

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