MMO Updates

MMO Updates

Flameseeker Chronicles: The strange case of Guild Wars 2's reward system

Posted: 03 Jun 2014 10:00 AM PDT

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Is it cold out there in space, Bowie?
Every now and then I'll hear someone say that Guild Wars 2 has no rewards. They'll say it's extraordinarily grindy, that there's nothing to work toward, and that ArenaNet is intentionally making things harder than they should be so that we'll all give up and buy gems. This is confusing and frustrating to me for two reasons: The first is that all of those things are demonstrably untrue. The second is that I can nevertheless see where those people are coming from to some extent, and it's been difficult to put my finger on why.

GW2 showers players with loot and rewards. In an hour's normal play, I can fill my bags with items and come out of it with a tidy sum of cash; nearly everything in the game is designed to reward players for doing stuff, no matter what that stuff is. Some of it, like Edge of the Mists, is almost ludicrously generous. Even with the changes to the way Queen's Pavilion fights work this time around, it's possible to grab huge numbers of Champion loot bags if you land on an organized megaserver. So why does GW2 feel so stingy?

Continue reading Flameseeker Chronicles: The strange case of Guild Wars 2's reward system

MassivelyFlameseeker Chronicles: The strange case of Guild Wars 2's reward system originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 03 Jun 2014 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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    Vindictus running its Golden Time event

    Posted: 03 Jun 2014 09:00 AM PDT

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    Looks more silver to me.
    It's the perfect time to play Vindictus if you've been on the fence. Not because of some huge update, but because the game is knee-deep in its month-long Golden Time event. During the event, each week brings a new set of boosts and promotions for players, just a little something extra to enjoy. This week is all about making the weary business of adventuring just a bit less weary, starting with a 50% discount to all repair costs.

    Players can also resurrect for free between 8 p.m. EDT and 10 p.m. EDT every day this week, and special items will be distributed to players who are logged in at 10 p.m. EDT on Saturday and Sunday. What does the next week bring? You'll just have to find out, but it should provide a nice encouragement to anyone playing the game. See? It's the perfect time for play.

    [Thanks to Soren for the tip!]

    MassivelyVindictus running its Golden Time event originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 03 Jun 2014 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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    WildStar launches with new trailer, patch, and free realm transfers

    Posted: 03 Jun 2014 08:00 AM PDT

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    WildStar
    It's the official launch day for WildStar, and Carbine's got a lot for you to digest this morning!

    We'll start off by pointing you to Executive Producer Jeremy Gaffney's speech to the community. "If we're going to play with the big boys, we have to earn the right to be one of the few MMOs that can not just draw gamers in, but can earn those gamers' loyalty over time," Gaffney vowed.

    There's a new patch for launch day that includes more optimization and the ability to roll both factions on a PvP server. Carbine's also allowing players to transfer to and from certain realms for free in order to alleviate population issues.

    Finally, the team posted a new launch trailer, which we've got for you after the jump!

    Continue reading WildStar launches with new trailer, patch, and free realm transfers

    MassivelyWildStar launches with new trailer, patch, and free realm transfers originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 03 Jun 2014 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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    Anarchy Online prepares 'huge' fall patch

    Posted: 03 Jun 2014 07:00 AM PDT

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    AO
    Funcom's Joel Bylos posted a producer's letter today for Anarchy Online, promising a major patch for the game later this year.

    Among other features, Patch 18.7 will include changes to the Martial Artist and the Trader classes and will begin to automate seasonal events. "In the 18.7 branch, we have placed out all seasonal spawns in the game world and we will start testing on the closed beta in the upcoming weeks to ensure the automated system works as intended," Bylos reported.

    The "huge" patch will be put on the test server this summer with a release date sometime before Halloween.

    MassivelyAnarchy Online prepares 'huge' fall patch originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 03 Jun 2014 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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    The Daily Grind: Do you mask your gender when playing MMOs?

    Posted: 03 Jun 2014 06:00 AM PDT

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    City of Heroes
    Last month, Polygon published an article about the invisible privileges some gamers enjoy without realizing it. The author, Jonathan McIntosh, included among those privileges the idea that men "probably never think about hiding [their] real-life gender online through [their] gamer-name, [their] avatar choice, or by muting voice-chat, out of fear of harassment resulting from [their] being male." Granted, he was specifically talking about gender; plenty of men online have every reason to hide aspects of their identities to avoid being harassed on the basis of their nationality or ethnicity or religion or handicap or sexual orientation or age, for example. But gender itself is generally pretty safe for straight male gamers compared to female gamers.

    We've asked before whether you roll characters that match the gender you identify with in the real world, but today, we're expanding that question: Do you go out of your way to hide your gender when you're playing MMOs? Do you avoid voice-chat, lie about your name, or alter your avatar choice, as McIntosh suggests, to avoid the potential for harassment? Or are MMO players just more socially well-adjusted than the typical gamer such that this is less a problem for us?

    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!

    MassivelyThe Daily Grind: Do you mask your gender when playing MMOs? originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 03 Jun 2014 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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      Not So Massively: World of Warships first video, Civ Online reviews, and slick trailers

      Posted: 02 Jun 2014 06:00 PM PDT

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      Not So Massively
      Welcome back to Not 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.

      Continue reading Not So Massively: World of Warships first video, Civ Online reviews, and slick trailers

      MassivelyNot So Massively: World of Warships first video, Civ Online reviews, and slick trailers originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 02 Jun 2014 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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        Check out Wurm Online's new trailer

        Posted: 02 Jun 2014 05:00 PM PDT

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        Wurm
        If you can get over the fact that the narrator sounds a little like he collects torsos for a hobby, Wurm Online's newest trailer has a good overview of what makes this sandbox special. It shows (in fast-motion) the subjugation of a plot of land and the creation of a fortified home before quickly mentioning features like combat and PvP.

        Is this the one true sandbox MMO of sandbox MMOs? Give the trailer a watch after the break and let us know what you think.

        Continue reading Check out Wurm Online's new trailer

        MassivelyCheck out Wurm Online's new trailer originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 02 Jun 2014 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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        Gloria Victis team summarizes new patch, May updates

        Posted: 02 Jun 2014 04:00 PM PDT

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        Gloria Victis
        Gloria Victis updated its website over the weekend with a bit about what the dev team accomplished in the month of May. First and foremost is that the fantasy sandbox now features a basic crafting system. The game's map size also increased by about 30 percent. Additionally, the team "implemented many fixes of already existing systems," including an improved texture load process to combat low framerates.

        You can read all about the latest patch at the Gloria Victis website.

        [Thanks Mae!]

        MassivelyGloria Victis team summarizes new patch, May updates originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 02 Jun 2014 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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        Funcom planning to launch TSW's Tokyo this Wednesday

        Posted: 02 Jun 2014 03:00 PM PDT

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        Grab your passports! The Secret World fans will finally get to step into Tokyo this week. Creative Director Joel Bylos has told Massively that barring any hiccups, plans are to release Issue #9 The Black Signal on Wednesday, June 4th, 2014.

        Even with hiccups, the expansion is expected this week.

        Tokyo, the first new zone to be introduced to TSW, is so large that it will be spread out over three issues, breaking the city into two parts (Issues #9 and #10) and the Orochi Headquarters building (Issue #11). There are plenty of new mobs, new NPCs, new cut scenes, and new missions throughout the zone. Want to hear more? Keep your eyes peeled for Massively's full hands-on experience in Tokyo.

        MassivelyFuncom planning to launch TSW's Tokyo this Wednesday originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 02 Jun 2014 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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          The Stream Team: Celebrating Marvel Heroes' anniversary with a dev and gifts

          Posted: 02 Jun 2014 02:00 PM PDT

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          Marvel Heroes is celebrating its anniversary this week, and Massively's MJ is inviting you to the party. Also attending is Ryan Collins (AKA Ryolnir), a font of knowledge for all things Marvel Heroes and the game's community manager. And what's a party without gifts? We'll have special codes available! Got questions about the upcoming Marvel Heroes 2015 or the Mac beta? Come get answers as well as gifts. Join us live at 4:00 p.m. EDT to enjoy some superhero action and maybe walk away with a special something just for coming.

          Game: Marvel Heroes
          Host: MJ Guthrie
          Date: Monday, June 2nd, 2014
          Time: 3:00 p.m. EDT

          Enjoy our Stream Team video below.

          Continue reading The Stream Team: Celebrating Marvel Heroes' anniversary with a dev and gifts

          MassivelyThe Stream Team: Celebrating Marvel Heroes' anniversary with a dev and gifts originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 02 Jun 2014 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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            Perfect World Entertainment posts strong Q1 2014 earnings

            Posted: 02 Jun 2014 01:00 PM PDT

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            PWE
            Perfect World Entertainment posted its earnings report for Q1 2014, showing strong financials that include an increase from the same period in 2013. In Q1 2014, the publisher made $143.3M in revenue, $105.5M in gross profit, and had an operating profit of $28.5M.

            Perfect World CEO Robert Xiao said he was pleased with the results, commenting that, "Our total revenues came in line with the high end of our expectations, which was slightly softer than the strong fourth quarter of 2013. In the first quarter of 2014, we decelerated promotional activities for our client-based MMORPGs and remained focused on content development of our portfolio and pipeline."

            Xiao focused on the expansion of the company's mobile lineup as a cause for hope for the future as well as the Chinese Dota 2 beta test and Neverwinter launch later this year.

            MassivelyPerfect World Entertainment posts strong Q1 2014 earnings originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 02 Jun 2014 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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            Life of Rome aims to put roleplaying front and center

            Posted: 02 Jun 2014 12:00 PM PDT

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            Life of Rome
            Life of Rome is described as a third- and first-person MMO set in a persistent Rome where players choose between playing as a Roman or a Barbarian with a heavy emphasis on roleplay and a community-driven political system.

            While major RP-based storylines will be run by the developers at UK-based Breakout Studios, players can affect the game through long-term political, economic, or military goals. The game uses the Unity engine with Photon Networking and is currently in early alpha stages with no release date announced.

            [Thanks to Rob for the tip!]

            MassivelyLife of Rome aims to put roleplaying front and center originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 02 Jun 2014 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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