| The Game Archaeologist: Four efforts to preserve dead MMOs Posted: 04 Jan 2014 09:00 AM PST Filed under: Galleries, Video, EverQuest, MMO Industry, Warhammer Online, The Game Archaeologist, Miscellaneous As I type this, we are now living in a post- Warhammer Online world. You can probably tell by all of the rampant looting, devastating earthquakes, and heart-rending sobs coming from your neighbors' homes. For me, it's a strange thought that this game simply isn't there at all any more -- and there's no way to go back and play it, ever. Or is there? When it comes to MMO sunsets, there are varying degrees of death. Sometimes a closure isn't as final and complete as we might assume, and between the passion of developers and those of fans, we're able to revisit these games long after their expiration date. For a writer who is keenly interested in preserving MMO history, these efforts are of great interest. So today we're going to look at four ways that people are trying their hardest to preserve dead MMOs -- and even let you play them once more. And I'm going to write about this without using the forbidden "E" word, too! Continue reading The Game Archaeologist: Four efforts to preserve dead MMOs  The Game Archaeologist: Four efforts to preserve dead MMOs originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 04 Jan 2014 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| WRUP: Bree does not know numbers edition Posted: 04 Jan 2014 07:00 AM PST Filed under: Massively Meta, Miscellaneous After years of service, Bree's central numeric unit appears to have finally broke down as of Friday. At first it was incidental things, like mentioning Torchlight III or 28 Studios or Final Fantasy XVI. Then it got worse when she said it was 28:34 in the morning and that it's currently the 65th of November. With a smell of smoke, the unit finally failed working altogether, and she started replacing numbers with the names of vegetables. On the plus side, I'm getting a raise to potato for my salary. Since it's the weekend, it's time for our latest edition of WRUP, in which the Massively staff shares its plans for the weekend and you get to share your plans down in the comments. For Bree's sake, please try to avoid using numbers in your comments, as it's hard enough to moderate the comment thread without introducing that can of worms. Continue reading WRUP: Bree does not know numbers edition WRUP: Bree does not know numbers edition originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 04 Jan 2014 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Daily Grind: Are MMOs your main social interaction? Posted: 04 Jan 2014 05:00 AM PST Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous Maybe you work at home. Maybe you're not very social in person. Maybe you've got friends across the country or around the world and there's no way you can really gather in person on a regular basis. Maybe you're living somewhere far from the rest of your social circle. Maybe you're just more comfortable when you look like an elf. Whatever the case, for some people, logging into games like EverQuest II is the big social event of the evening. That's not to say that this is the main social outlet for everyone logging in. For every player whose social circle centers around goings-on in Guild Wars 2 there are a dozen who mostly play the game to do their own things. But what about you? Are MMOs your main social interaction over the course of an average day? Or are they just a small portion of your interpersonal dealings?  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: Are MMOs your main social interaction? originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 04 Jan 2014 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Stream Team: Stalking prey in the WildStar beta Posted: 03 Jan 2014 06:00 PM PST Filed under: Betas, Sci-Fi, Video, Livestream, WildStar, The Stream Team, Subscription, MMORPG During last week's WildStar stream, Richie's Draken Stalker was awakened from cryostasis to serve the mighty Dominion. After receiving his training, the horned Tyranis was sent to the Crimson Isles to help disrupt the Exiles' plans to settle on Planet Nexus. Join Massively's Richie live at 9:00 p.m. as he skulks around the shadows in the WildStar beta. Game: WildStar Host: Richie "Bog Otter" Procopio Date: Friday, January 3, 2014 Time: 9:00 p.m. EST Enjoy our Steam Team video below. Continue reading The Stream Team: Stalking prey in the WildStar beta The Stream Team: Stalking prey in the WildStar beta originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 03 Jan 2014 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Betawatch: December 28, 2013 - January 3, 2014 Posted: 03 Jan 2014 05:00 PM PST Filed under: Betas, MMO Industry, News Items, Betawatch, Miscellaneous Mabinogi II: Arena might have sounded too good to be true. A sequel to Mabinogi that features an active arena with spectators allowed to watch teams clear through challenges? It turns out it was, in fact, far too good to be true, as development has been discontinued. Neat idea, though. Meanwhile, as a whole, the beta front continues to be largely quiet as we all slowly arise from our holiday-induced coma. Black Desert shared a few more details about its upcoming second beta test, though most western readers are not going to be able to take part. We have our full list of games in beta just past the break, as we have every week. Feel free to take a look to see if anything there grabs your interest with a bit more zeal, and let us know down in the comments if something slipped into another testing phase or added a cash shop. Continue reading Betawatch: December 28, 2013 - January 3, 2014 Betawatch: December 28, 2013 - January 3, 2014 originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 03 Jan 2014 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Stream Team: Stacking friends in Dota 2 Posted: 03 Jan 2014 04:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Video, PvP, Free-to-Play, Massively Meta, Hands-On, Livestream, MOBA, The Stream Team When it comes to MOBAs, teamwork is everything. Adventuring into the solo queue in a game like Dota 2 is an invitation for pain and suffering; stacking a couple of friends in a party results in a much more successful (and fun) experience. Tune in tonight as Massively's Mike Foster recruits a few of his Dota 2 friends and takes a more team-based approach to Valve's immensely popular title. The action starts at 7:00 p.m. EST. Game: Dota 2 Host: Mike Foster Date: Friday, January 3rd, 2014 Time: 7:00 p.m. EST Enjoy our Steam Team video below. Continue reading The Stream Team: Stacking friends in Dota 2 The Stream Team: Stacking friends in Dota 2 originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 03 Jan 2014 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Looking for Guild: Mixed bag Posted: 03 Jan 2014 03:00 PM PST |
| MMObility: Mobile and browser face off in School of Dragons Posted: 03 Jan 2014 02:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Screenshots, Bugs, Game Mechanics, Previews, Opinion, Free-to-Play, Browser, Mobile, Casual, Kids, Family, MMObility I was excited to learn about a mobile version of School of Dragons, a browser-based, kid-friendly MMO based on the fantastic movie How to Train Your Dragon. I pictured soaring through the skies and interacting with characters from the movie, all while sitting down with my favorite tablet. Unfortunately, I am not able to play on my favorite tablet yet (my Android), but I was able to download it on my wife's iPad Air. I didn't have much experience with the browser-based version, so I read up on Karen's MMO Family article, made an account, and logged in. I was impressed by the game's visuals even though they are fairly primitive, as they do a good job of giving a sense of scale and accurately recreate many of the movie's characters. The game is very active, even during odd times of the day, and the chat is filled with players discussing the finer points of being a viking. Unfortunately, the game lacks in polish. Is it be good enough to satisfy younger, less picky fans? Possibly, but after playing the browser-based version, I hoped that the mobile version would somehow feel smoother and more natural. Continue reading MMObility: Mobile and browser face off in School of Dragons MMObility: Mobile and browser face off in School of Dragons originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 03 Jan 2014 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| RuneScape ushers in 13th anniversary with player-led development Posted: 03 Jan 2014 01:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Previews, RuneScape, Free-to-Play, Anniversaries Saying that he was proud of Jagex's efforts in 2013 but admitting that the team fell short of accomplishing all of its goals, RuneScape Lead Developer Mod Mark promised that 2014 would give more power to the players. "This year, we want the focus on the things that make us special," he said in an annoucement video, "and to find new ways to use our best asset of all and the thing that we're most proud of: you, the community." As such, Mod Mark said that the community will be the guiding force behind the game's 2014 development with weekly in-game content polls addressing quests, suggestions, and high-level development. The first poll in January will be on whether the invention system or the Elf city should get priority development. Unfortunately a poll option to fire an orbital cannon at said Elf city once construction is completed will not exist. RuneScape turns 13 years old tomorrow, but you can get the advance scoop for the year's activities in the video after the break. Continue reading RuneScape ushers in 13th anniversary with player-led development RuneScape ushers in 13th anniversary with player-led development originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 03 Jan 2014 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Perpetuum plans for improved new player experience Posted: 03 Jan 2014 12:00 PM PST Filed under: Sci-Fi, Game Mechanics, Patches, Previews, News Items, Perpetuum, Sandbox One of the great sorrows of any sandbox game is that a player is dropped in with the option to do anything... and very little concept of how to do those things or what should be done first. Perpetuum is making plans specifically to address that by giving players a crash course in everything that can be done, courtesy of a new virtual training island sealed away from the rest of the game world. Rather than permit players to select factions at character creation, the new experience will drop players into a simulation that allows nothing from the main game in or out. While in this tutorial area, players will have access to everything possible at maximum levels while being instructed in how to take part in several game systems. Using one of the four exit teleporters allows players to select a faction and start playing the core game, retaining no advancements but getting a real-time sense for how the game works. Testing is slated to begin this month for players who want to experience the game through a slightly gentler ramp-up. Perpetuum plans for improved new player experience originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 03 Jan 2014 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| SEC subpoenas the Rhode Island Commerce Corporation over 38 Studios lawsuit Posted: 03 Jan 2014 11:30 AM PST |
| Trion sheds some light on RIFT's PvP dimension development Posted: 03 Jan 2014 11:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Game Mechanics, PvP, News Items, Free-to-Play, RIFT, Housing, Player-Generated Content, MMORPG PvP dimensions have been a much-requested feature for RIFT ever since the dimensions feature debuted with the game's Storm Legion expansion in November of 2012. Yesterday brought some good, if vague, news for players waiting on PvP dimensions: They're still in development, but no ETA is available. Trion Worlds's Pithos (of the RIFT development team) explained via the game's official forums that the release date depends on "how many features [the team] want[s] to launch with, and how often other tasks take priority." He also explained that the team has a very basic version working that includes start points, graveyards, and respawning. Make of that what you will. Trion sheds some light on RIFT's PvP dimension development originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 03 Jan 2014 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Tamriel Infinium: The Elder Scrolls Online predictions for 2014 Posted: 03 Jan 2014 10:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Economy, Lore, New Titles, PvP, PvE, Opinion, Crafting, The Elder Scrolls Online, Subscription, MMORPG, Tamriel Infinium Normally, in an article like this I would attempt to predict when a given game will actually launch, but ZeniMax has already told us that The Elder Scrolls Online will release on April 4th, 2014. I guess the next question is whether I believe that it will actually launch on that date. I do because it's far too perfect from a marketing standpoint, and if history tells us anything, ZeniMax is not afraid to launch a buggy title. However, the June release date for the console version of the game might be a bit more flexible. It's possible that it will take two to three months to convert the game from the PC/Mac version to the console version, but I think it's more likely that the PC/Mac launch will serve as a testing ground for the console release. If the PC/Mac launch works out well, then we will certainly see an early June launch for consoles, but if there are issues, don't be surprised when that release date shifts to July. Still, I do think that July would be a hard stop; anything later would likely cost ZeniMax far too much money. I enjoy making predictions. I'm not always right, but that doesn't mean it's not fun giving it a shot. Just remember, my predictions are my personal opinions reflective of information released by ZeniMax regarding ESO. I do not have super-sight nor a dev in my pocket, so your guess could be as good as mine. In fact, after I make my predictions, I'd like to read yours in the comments. Continue reading Tamriel Infinium: The Elder Scrolls Online predictions for 2014 Tamriel Infinium: The Elder Scrolls Online predictions for 2014 originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 03 Jan 2014 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Blizzard says beware of dangerous Trojan Posted: 03 Jan 2014 09:30 AM PST Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, MMO Industry, News Items, Subscription If you play World of Warcraft, you might want to check for a dangerous new Trojan that is leading to compromised accounts. Blizzard warned customers that this Trojan, apparently brought on by a fake Curse client, can steal both the account information and the authenticator password, making even players who use the authenticator vulnerable. Customer service gave instructions on what to look for so players can see whether or not their machine has been infected. Although no current virus scanners can detect and remove the Trojan, Technical Support posted that a sample of the malware has been sent to anti-malware scanners and offered instructions for removing the malware by hand. Blizzard says beware of dangerous Trojan originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 03 Jan 2014 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Vine makes the move from mobile-only to offer web access as well 
Publishing arm has been quietly working with developers 
The Family Sharing Plan is looking enticing
App-making has never been simpler
