MMO Updates

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• Ask Massively: Misconceptions about game criticism, free-to-play, and lazy scrubs
• Snail Games reveals King of Wushu MOBA based on Age of Wushu
• Marvel Heroes' Brevik thanks community, touts anniversary infographic
• ArcheAge bans 16k spam accounts in alpha
• The Daily Grind: Is PLEX/APEX/C.R.E.D.D. risky for developers?
• Ultima Online patch delayed because of Mythic shutdown
• Nexon opens beta for mobile MMO Legion of Heroes
• Pathfinder Online formally opens alpha to backers
• Xsyon's terrain reversion adds decay, resets land
• Swordsman slashes its way into open beta on July 3rd
• PlanetSide 2's Hossin update is live but not entirely done
• The Think Tank: Happy birthday, Star Wars Galaxies
• Final Fantasy XIV offers a hunting preview
• The Stream Team: Scoping out Star Citizen
• Guild Wars 2 is half price before Season 2
• Shroud of the Avatar's Release 7 adds water lots and more
• Destiny's Xbox beta starts in 'late July'

Ask Massively: Misconceptions about game criticism, free-to-play, and lazy scrubs Posted: 27 Jun 2014 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Business Models, Culture, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, Free-to-Play, Ask Massively, Miscellaneous In previous editions of Ask Massively, we've covered misconceptions about new, old, and sunsetted MMOs as well as misconceptions about jerk players, Kickstarters, and untrustworthy studios. Let's tackle a few more this week: who gets to dish out criticism, what F2P portends for a game, and which MMO generation really has the most lazy scrubs (answer: all of them). Continue reading Ask Massively: Misconceptions about game criticism, free-to-play, and lazy scrubs Ask Massively: Misconceptions about game criticism, free-to-play, and lazy scrubs originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 27 Jun 2014 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Snail Games reveals King of Wushu MOBA based on Age of Wushu Posted: 27 Jun 2014 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Previews, MOBA, Age of Wushu Snail Games has unveiled the website for its upcoming martial arts MOBA King of Wushu. As you could probably guess, King of Wushu is based on Snail's Age of Wushu MMO, and is said to feature both RPG and TPS elements. This new teaser site already includes forums and a point system for interested players. According to gaming site 2P.com, King of Wushu is likely to be shown at ChinaJoy 2014 in Shanghai later this year. Snail Games reveals King of Wushu MOBA based on Age of Wushu originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 27 Jun 2014 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: 2P.com

Marvel Heroes' Brevik thanks community, touts anniversary infographic Posted: 27 Jun 2014 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Super-hero, MMO Industry, News Items, Free-to-Play, Marvel Heroes, Anniversaries Marvel Heroes creator David Brevik has published a thank-you post to gamers who have made the superheroic online ARPG a success over its first year. He lauds the game's community for its unflagging support, and he also lists quite a number of improvements made over the past 12 months as well as a list of very recent and upcoming tweaks. Oh yeah, and there's one of those spiffy infographics, too! Click past the cut to have a look. Continue reading Marvel Heroes' Brevik thanks community, touts anniversary infographic Marvel Heroes' Brevik thanks community, touts anniversary infographic originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 27 Jun 2014 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Anniversary post

ArcheAge bans 16k spam accounts in alpha Posted: 27 Jun 2014 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, MMO Industry, New Titles, ArcheAge Ahh, spammers. They are the mosquitos of the MMO world if mosquitos could email and send global chat messages. Trion is no stranger to spam-squashing and as Community Manager Evan "Scapes" Berman demonstrated in a recent post, the studio is bringing out the big guns against ArcheAge's spammers who have been plaguing the alpha test. According to the post, over 16,000 spammer and gold farmer accounts have been removed from alpha already, and Patch 1.2 (arriving next week) will have even more tools to fight the "general asshats." Scapes encourages players to keep reporting those illegal accounts and contact support if you discover that your account has been compromised. ArcheAge bans 16k spam accounts in alpha originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 27 Jun 2014 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Forum post

The Daily Grind: Is PLEX/APEX/C.R.E.D.D. risky for developers? Posted: 27 Jun 2014 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-Fi, EVE Online, Business Models, Economy, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, Opinion, The Daily Grind, ArcheAge, Sandbox, WildStar Trion announced ArcheAge's APEX system recently, and while I'm sure it has its own wrinkles, my first instinct was to compare it to EVE Online's PLEX. It's a fascinating idea, allowing players with knowledge of an in-game economy to leverage said knowledge into enough currency to buy tradeable items that can be redeemed for subscription time. It's always struck me as a bit risky, though. We can only guess at the number of EVE fans who play the game for free thanks to PLEX, but I imagine it's a pretty significant slice of the game's old money crowd. And while newer games like ArcheAge and even WildStar are aping the system in some fashion, it's too early to tell what sort of effect APEX and C.R.E.D.D. will have on developers' bottom lines. What do you think, Massively readers? Do these sorts of systems seem risky to you if you put yourself in a dev's shoes, or do you think the number of players taking advantage of these systems is relatively small? 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: Is PLEX/APEX/C.R.E.D.D. risky for developers? originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 27 Jun 2014 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Ultima Online patch delayed because of Mythic shutdown Posted: 26 Jun 2014 07:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Game Mechanics, Patches, News Items, Ultima Online, Sandbox, Subscription, MMORPG While last month the Broadsword Online team reassured players of its games that they would not be affected by the shutdown of Mythic Entertainment, Ultima Online Producer Bonnie "Mesanna" Armstrong has admitted today that update 86, originally slated for July, has been delayed until at least mid-August. "The shutdown of the Mythic Studio [...] has caused us to move the rest of our build machines from that office to the office in Herndon before we were expecting," she wrote in her producer's letter today. "So that has caused a delay in our publish time." But there's also some good news for players of the veteran MMO. Here's some of what Armstrong says the team is currently working on: a new trade quest to acquaint players with the world, new Clean-up-Britannia rewards, a new interface for the enhanced client (helped along by a well-known player modder), a revamp of the Advisor program (what used to be called the Counselor program), revisions to the global loot system, anniversary rewards for the game's 18th birthday in September, and a return-to-UO promotion for former players in August. Armstrong also notes that the UO team is looking to hire an engineer and site designer. Ultima Online patch delayed because of Mythic shutdown originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 26 Jun 2014 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Producer's letter

Nexon opens beta for mobile MMO Legion of Heroes Posted: 26 Jun 2014 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, New Titles, Mobile Nexon M, the mobile branch of Nexon Co. Ltd, has announced the release of its mobile MMO Legion of Heroes into beta testing. The beta test is currently available for Android users and will open for iOS mobile devices in the future. Already released in Korea, the fantasy mobile MMO focuses on community, allowing teams of players to unify against an ancient evil. This stage of beta ends at 1 p.m. EDT on June 30th, so be sure to head over to the official site to sign up soon if you're looking for a new mobile MMO. [Source: Nexon press release] Nexon opens beta for mobile MMO Legion of Heroes originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 26 Jun 2014 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Pathfinder Online formally opens alpha to backers Posted: 26 Jun 2014 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Bugs, Business Models, News Items, Crowdfunding, Pathfinder Online "Ladies and Gentlemen and Miscellaneous Humanoids of all Types," wrote Ryan Dancey on the Goblinworks website today, "It is my great pleasure to announce that we are beginning the formal Alpha Test of Pathfinder Online." According to Dancey, invitations are now en route to Kickstarter backers and everyone who purchased alpha access through the official game store, so check your email if you ponied up. You can also check out the release notes to clue you in on what's in the alpha and what isn't quite. For those not participating in the test, the studio plans to livestream the current build tomorrow -- that is, Friday, June 27th, at 6 p.m. EDT -- on its Twitch channel. Pathfinder Online formally opens alpha to backers originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 26 Jun 2014 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Pathfinder blog

Xsyon's terrain reversion adds decay, resets land Posted: 26 Jun 2014 04:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, Patches, News Items, PvE, Xsyon, Post-Apocalyptic, Sandbox Notorious Games has released a terrain reversion update for its post-apocalyptic Xsyon sandbox. Xsyon allows players to sculpt terrain and "over the years, many unsightly mounds and ruins of abandoned sites have built up across the land." The reversion patch "gradually restores this neglected land to its original state," Notorious explains via press release. The update also allows tree stumps and logs to decay over time. Notorious says that the decay will be a constant process in order to provide "expansive areas of pristine terrain" for new players and existing players who want to branch out and build in new or bigger locations. [Source: Notorious Games press release] Xsyon's terrain reversion adds decay, resets land originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 26 Jun 2014 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Swordsman slashes its way into open beta on July 3rd Posted: 26 Jun 2014 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Historical, Trailers, Video, Business Models, Game Mechanics, News Items, Free-to-Play, Swordsman Perfect World Entertainment has just announced that its martial arts-flavored Swordsman MMO will enter open beta on July 3rd, bringing to an end the closed beta that began on June 17th. Special $60 hero packs were announced yesterday. To coincide with the announcement, Swordsman Product Manager Gabrielle Heiland has narrated a new dev walkthrough video highlighting the game's story, guilds, PvP, and combat mechanics and visuals. Enjoy the vid below! Continue reading Swordsman slashes its way into open beta on July 3rd Swordsman slashes its way into open beta on July 3rd originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 26 Jun 2014 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

PlanetSide 2's Hossin update is live but not entirely done Posted: 26 Jun 2014 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-Fi, Bugs, Game Mechanics, Patches, PvP, News Items, MMOFPS, PlanetSide 2, Sandbox PlanetSide 2 players are today logging into the Hossin patch, a major update with a new continent with more than 80 new bases in a new biome. The update includes the first phase of the new continent locking mechanic for territory control and perks for guilds -- sorry, outfits -- including new recruiting, decal, and capturing systems. Creative Director Matt Higby warns, however, that "Hossin is not finished": If we wanted to "finish" Hossin without sacrificing the quality level we've established, it would probably be 3 months before it was ready to go live - we don't want to wait that long, and we don't think you want to either. [...] Right now about 50% of the bases on Hossin are "done" to the point that we're completely satisfied with the quality of the level design and visuals, about 25% of the bases are first pass [...] and another 25% are [placeholders]. We expect these bases to function correctly, provide all the necessary utilities to make the game work - they're just not 100% up to our standards of level design quality quite yet. Higby calls this the "Early Expedition" approach and says the teams will continue work on the "beta" continent over the next few months. [Thanks, theKavorka.] PlanetSide 2's Hossin update is live but not entirely done originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 26 Jun 2014 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Patch notes, RadarX post, Higby post

The Think Tank: Happy birthday, Star Wars Galaxies Posted: 26 Jun 2014 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Culture, Events (Real-World), MMO Industry, Opinion, Star Wars Galaxies, Massively Meta, Miscellaneous, Sandbox, Anniversaries, The Think Tank Today marks the 11th anniversary of the launch of Star Wars Galaxies, an MMO whose untimely sunset at the end of 2011 continues to make sandbox fans sigh mournfully. This week, in honor of the anniversary, I asked the Massively writers whether they think we'll ever see another new Star Wars MMORPG (other than those we still have, of course), let alone another epic Star Wars sandbox. It's time to speculate! Continue reading The Think Tank: Happy birthday, Star Wars Galaxies The Think Tank: Happy birthday, Star Wars Galaxies originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 26 Jun 2014 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Final Fantasy XIV offers a hunting preview Posted: 26 Jun 2014 01:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Patches, Previews, News Items, Consoles, Final Fantasy XIV, Subscription Are you ready to go hunting? Final Fantasy XIV is ready to let you. No, you won't get a standard-issue bright orange vest and deer blind, but you will be able to take on a variety of different marks, earn special currency, and possibly eventually pick up a nice orange vest. It could be one of the rewards; you don't know. Players will be tasked with killing a certain number of monsters at varying levels of challenge at both regular and elite difficulties. Regular marks will differ from player to player, but elite marks will be the same for all players and are refreshed once per week. Slaying elite marks provides allied seals and tomestones, with allied seals used to purchase armor, weapons, minions, alexandrite, and sands/oils of time. The preview also contains a hint of a new moogle delivery quest, which should give players of a more pacifist bent something to do even without hunting down creatures across Eorzea. Final Fantasy XIV offers a hunting preview originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 26 Jun 2014 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Delivery Moogle Quest and Hunt Preview

The Stream Team: Scoping out Star Citizen Posted: 26 Jun 2014 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Video, New Titles, Livestream, The Stream Team, Star Citizen Have you wanted to sneak a peek inside Star Citizen? The game is not even to an alpha stage yet, but Massively's MJ will be diving in to show off the hanger and dogfighting modules that have been released to backers. Join us live at 3:00 p.m. for a look into the game that holds the crowdfunding crown. Game: Star Citizen Host: MJ Guthrie Date: Thursday, June 26th, 2014 Time: 3:00 p.m. EDT Enjoy our Stream Team video below. Continue reading The Stream Team: Scoping out Star Citizen The Stream Team: Scoping out Star Citizen originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 26 Jun 2014 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Guild Wars 2 is half price before Season 2 Posted: 26 Jun 2014 12:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, News Items, Guild Wars 2, Promotions, Buy-to-Play There's not long to go until Guild Wars 2 starts up its second season of story updates, which you can hear about at length by asking almost any Guild Wars 2 fan. Want to jump in on the ground floor? You can do so at a discount until June 29th. The game is being sold at a 50% discount; that's $25 for the regular edition and $35 for the deluxe edition. Already an owner of the game? Well, then, there's not much for you, except for these two ominous sounds that have appeared on the game's website to forecast what comes next, which is something. But let's face it, if you're a fan you're already looking forward to the next season, you don't need the extra encouragement. Guild Wars 2 is half price before Season 2 originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 26 Jun 2014 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: GW2 on sale for 50% off until June 29th, Audio: Omens and Portents

Shroud of the Avatar's Release 7 adds water lots and more Posted: 26 Jun 2014 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Business Models, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Sandbox, Housing, Crowdfunding, Shroud of the Avatar, Buy-to-Play Shroud of the Avatar's Release 7 access began this morning. It runs through Sunday, June 29th at 11:00 p.m. EDT. Producer Starr Long has posted a lengthy update that details some of the changes you can expect if you're a backer of the fantasy sandbox. Chief among these are new water lots and water-based buildings, a 3-D overworld map system, player-to-player secure trading, animal reskins and improved animations, and more. Full details as well as a list of known issues and instructions is available at the official SotA website. Shroud of the Avatar's Release 7 adds water lots and more originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 26 Jun 2014 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Release 7

Destiny's Xbox beta starts in 'late July' Posted: 26 Jun 2014 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-Fi, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Destiny PlayStation Destiny fans have been counting the days until the sci-fantasy shooter's July 17th beta kickoff, while Xbox One and 360 users have heretefore been left wondering when they'll get to play. Now, Bungie says that Microsoft's platform will see the game in 'late July,' and that interested testers will need a beta code obtainable via pre-order as well as an Xbox Live Gold subscription. Destiny's Xbox beta starts in 'late July' originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 26 Jun 2014 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Video Gamer Via: Joystiq

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