General Gaming Article

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• Comcast to Obtain Time Warner Cable for $45.2 Billion
• Microsoft's Tami Reller Touts Over 200 Million Windows 8 Licenses Sold
• Score an Ouya Android Console and $25 Game Credit for $85
• Intel Rumored to Delay Broadwell Until Q4 2014
• Lenovo Shipped Nearly 5 Devices Per Second in Q4, Posts Record Revenue
• Survey Says You're Doing More Sexting These Days
• AMD Announces Radeon R7 265 Graphics Card, Hits Retail in Late February for $149
• Newegg Daily Deals: LG Black 14X Blu-ray Burner, ViewSonic 27-inch LCD Monitor, and More!

Comcast to Obtain Time Warner Cable for $45.2 Billion Posted: 13 Feb 2014 04:01 PM PST Mass media company continues to grow Comcast has announced plans to acquire Time Warner Cable in a stock-for-stock transaction that would total $45.2 billion. The transaction would involve Comcast exchanging 23 percent of its stock, valued at $55.12, for 284.9 million shares of Time Warner Cable stock, valued at $158.82.  The merger would open up new areas for Comcast since neither company overlaps each other and giving it access to areas such as New York City, Texas, Southern California, and North and South Carolina. In addition, Comcast would have access to around 11 million new subscribers from Time Warner Cable. However, the company plans to divest three million of those subscribers to allay competitive concerns. If such a thing occurs, Comcast's total number of subscribed users would amount to around 30 million once the acquisition takes place.  According to Comcast, the merger is expected to close by the end of 2014 pending approval between both companies' shareholders and regulatory review. However, the merger could be stopped by either the Department of Justice or the Federal Communications Commission, given that Comcast would have around 30 percent of paid TV subscribers in the US.  Should the DoJ or FCC stop Comcast's acquisition of Time Warner Cable? And is Comcast becoming too big?

Microsoft's Tami Reller Touts Over 200 Million Windows 8 Licenses Sold Posted: 13 Feb 2014 11:56 AM PST Redmond finally provides an update on Windows 8 sales We haven't heard a whole lot from Microsoft in regards to Windows 8 sales, so it was a nice surprise when Redmond's Executive Vice President of Marketing spilled the beans on exactly how many license have been sold to date. According to comments Reller made at a Goldman Sachs technology conference, Microsoft has sold more than 200 million Windows 8 licenses since launching to the public in October 2012 (and to OEMs in August 2012). "We've surpassed 200 million licenses now on Windows 8, which is pretty stunning," Reller said, according to The Verge. In a way, that is stunning, considering all the criticism Microsoft took for forcing desktop users to accept a touch-friendly interface that's best suited for touchscreen devices like tablets and hybrids. At the same time, Microsoft sold over 240 million Windows 7 licenses a year after it debuted, so Windows 8 isn't doing as well as its predecessor. The slower sales can't all be blamed on the overhauled UI. Some of the blame has to be put on the PC market as a whole, which finds itself in a slump as users flock to tablets and smartphones in place of secondary systems. Still, Microsoft isn't blind to the concerns of traditional desktop users. "We're being very thoughtful about what's going well, what's not going well, and how do we change that," Reller said. Windows 8.1 represented the first major step in addressing customers' concerns. It brought back the Start button (not the Start menu) and introduced a number of other user-friendly changes. Microsoft is also planning a robust update to Windows 8.1 in spring. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Score an Ouya Android Console and $25 Game Credit for $85 Posted: 13 Feb 2014 11:14 AM PST Lowest price yet for Ouya Following a successful Kickstarter campaign, Ouya's developers have been trying to drum up interest in its Android-based micro console by offering different color options and, most recently, a model with twice the amount of storage. Color and storage options are nice, but if it's all about the price, here's a heads up that you can purchase an Ouya console for $85 from StackSocial's website. A wireless controller and AA batteries come standard with the console, though in this case you'll also receive a $25 digital coupon for purchasing games. That's not a bad deal considering Ouya normally sells for $99, and that's sans the $25 games credit. The Ouya console that's up for grabs at StackSocial comes with 8GB of storage, HDMI output, 802.11n Wi-Fi, and an Ethernet port. There are over 650 Android games for Ouya, all of which are free to try. Be advised that all sales are final -- there are no refunds. If you're still interested, head over to StackSocial's website. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Intel Rumored to Delay Broadwell Until Q4 2014 Posted: 13 Feb 2014 10:42 AM PST A Broadwell delay isn't what the PC industry needs It was last October when Intel CEO Brian Krzanich said a "defect density issue" was negatively affecting yields, prompting the Santa Clara chip maker to delay its 14nm Broadwell launch by a quarter. Production was to begin in the first quarter of 2014, though there's a rumor going around that Intel might postpone Broadwell's big debut to the fourth quarter of this year. Is that really the case? The rumor originates from Digitimes and its "sources from the upstream supply chain." Sometimes Digitimes is spot on with its inside information, and other times it's dead wrong. In this case, it's difficult to figure out because Intel stopped short of outright denying there's another delay. "We continue to make progress with the industry's first 14nm manufacturing process and our second generation 3-D transistors. Broadwell, the first product on 14nm, is up-and-running as we demonstrated at the Intel Developer Forum in Q3 2013. We're now planning to begin production this quarter with shipments to customers later this year," Intel told ExtremeTech when asked about the rumored delay. On the surface, it sounds like everything is proceeding as planned, though Intel certainly left the door open to a delay by not outright saying everything is still on schedule and that the rumors are false. At the same time, this is one of the reasons why companies like Intel don't comment on rumors or speculation. According to Digitimes and its supply stream sources, it's not so much technical difficulties this time around, but "slow digestion of Haswell processor inventories" that's to blame. If that's true, this could be yet another blow to the PC market as a whole. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Lenovo Shipped Nearly 5 Devices Per Second in Q4, Posts Record Revenue Posted: 13 Feb 2014 09:41 AM PST World's No. 1 PC player continues to kill it It's been a few quarters since Lenovo shoved Hewlett-Packard aside to become the leading PC maker in the world (in terms of shipments), and whatever the Chinese OEM is doing, it seems to be working. Lenovo on Thursday announced record results for its third fiscal quarter ended December 31, 2013, noting that it generated $10.8 billion in revenue. That's a 15 percent year-over-year increase and also marks the first time Lenovo's topped the $10 billion mark. To put things in perspective, Lenovo said it shipped a record 32.6 million devices during the quarter, which is nearly 5 devices every second. Not all of those were mobile devices. In fact, Lenovo's desktop PC shipments grew -- yes, GREW! -- 9.1 percent year-over-year. By Lenovo's count, its share of the desktop PC market grew by 2 share points to 18 percent. In addition, Lenovo said its laptop sales contributed the most to its revenue, generating 50 percent of the money it made. That said, combined shipments of smartphones and tablets came to 17.3 million, surpassing the 15.3 million PCs Lenovo sold during the quarter. Lenovo's tablet shipments reached a record high 3.4 million units, up over 300 percent compared to the same quarter a year prior. The OEM credited its Yoga Tablet for the spike in shipments. "Lenovo had outstanding performance last quarter, delivering both record revenue and record profit. Leveraging strong execution of our strategy, innovative products and growth in our PC Plus business, we continue delivering on our commitment to improve our profitability and we are confident we will maintain this momentum in our existing businesses," said Yang Yuanqing (PDF), Chairman and CEO of Lenovo. "Further, the Motorola and IBM server acquisitions that we just announced are a perfect fit with our PC Plus strategy. While our top priority now is full participation in the regulatory approvals process, I am confident that from day 1 after closing, these businesses will quickly begin contributing to our performance and develop into pillars for long-term, sustainable growth." Lenovo spent big last quarter on the Motorola and IBM server acquisitions, but it also posted a net profit of $1.36 billion, up 15 percent year-over-year. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Survey Says You're Doing More Sexting These Days Posted: 13 Feb 2014 08:47 AM PST "I want to be on you" - Ron Burgundy Could you imagine if Ron Burgundy owned a cell phone? Actually, it's probably best if you don't visualize what he'd do with one, such things have a tendency to burn a permanent spot in your brain requiring years of therapy to remove. Though you may not want to picture Ron Burgandy firing off sext messages, there's a good chance you or someone you know actively engages in sexting. According to a report released by Pew Research, sexting -- sending sexually suggestive nude or nearly nude photos and videos via cell phone -- is on the rise and is practiced by couples and singles alike. Specifically, 9 percent of adult cell phone owners have sent a sext of themselves to someone else, up from 6 percent who fessed up in 2012. One in five cell phone owners say they've received a sext from someone they know, up from 15 percent in 2012, and 3 percent of cell phone owners admit to having forwarded a sext to someone else. "Married and partnered adults are just as likely as those not in a relationship to say they have sent sexts; single adults are more likely to report receiving and forwarding such images or videos," Pew Research says. The topic of sexting is just one subset of the entire report, which itself focuses on how couples interact with technology. For example, 25 percent of cell phone owners who are married or in a partnership felt their spouse or partner was distracted by their cell phone when they were together. At the same time, 9 percent said they resolved an argument with their partner online or by text message when they were having difficulty resolving the problem in person. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

AMD Announces Radeon R7 265 Graphics Card, Hits Retail in Late February for $149 Posted: 13 Feb 2014 05:40 AM PST Radeon R7 265 pairs 2GB of GDDR5 memory with a 256-bit bus AMD is relentless in its assault on the graphics card market, especially the budget and mid-range tiers as represented by the Radeon R7 Series. Today AMD added to the heap by announcing the Radeon R7 265, the highest-end model in the R7 Series and a seemingly tantalizing option at $149 MSRP. As things are starting to get a little crowded in this segment, AMD is dropping the price of the Radeon R7 260X to $119. Before we go on, let's take a quick glance at the Radeon R7 Series. From top to bottom, here's what it looks like: Radeon R7 265 Radeon R7 260X Radeon R7 260 Radeon R7 250X Radeon R7 250 Radeon R7 240 Two of those cards are new launches -- the Radeon R7 250X, which AMD officially introduced on Monday, and today's debut of the 265. The Radeon R7 265 flexes 1,024 stream processors, an engine clock of up to 925MHz, and 2GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus running at up to 5.6Gbps. It serves up 1.89 TFLOPS of compute performance, a bit higher than the Radeon HD 7850 that it's rumored to be based on. Compared to the R7 260X, AMD says the 265 is about 25 percent faster. AMD's newest graphics card requires just a single 6-pin PCI-E connector and draws 150W (typical) of power. It supports CrossFire, DirectX 11.2, OpenGL 4.3, Eyefinity, and Mantle. The Radeon R7 265 will be available in late February. AMD says several board partners have silicon ready to go, including Sapphire, PowerColor, XFX, Asus, Gigabyte, MSI, HIS, and Club 3D. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Newegg Daily Deals: LG Black 14X Blu-ray Burner, ViewSonic 27-inch LCD Monitor, and More! Posted: 13 Feb 2014 05:39 AM PST Top Deal: Sometime in the future, Blu-ray will join the likes of HD-DVD, LaserDisc, Betamax, VHS, and other defunct formats, but that time hasn't come yet. For now, Blu-ray is still very much relevant, and is also the topic of today's top deal, which is for an LG Black 14X BD-R BDXL Blu-ray Burner for $55 with free shipping (normally $68; additional $5 mail-in-rebate). LG's burner supports BDXL (128GB) discs, along with offering 3D Blu-ray playback and M-Disc support. Other Deals: WD AV-GP 4TB IntelliPower 3.5-inch Internal Hard Drive for $175 with free shipping (normally $190 - use coupon code: [EMCPHPC26]) Western Digital Black 500GB 7200 RPM 3.5-inch Internal Hard Drive for $65 with free shipping (normally $71 - use coupon code: [EMCPHPC24]) Rosewill THOR V2 Gaming ATX Full Tower Computer Case for $100 with free shipping (normally $130 - use coupon code: [EMCPHPC34]) ViewSonic VA2703-LED Black 27-inch 3.4ms LCD Monitor for $200 with shipping for $2 (normally $230 - use coupon code: [EMCPHPC52])

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MMO Updates

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• Defiance previews the next DLC pack, Gunslinger Trials
• Perfect Ten: MMO features that were hyped but never delivered
• The Guild Counsel: How to find a good pre-launch guild
• EQN Landmark livestream highlights new building mats, hints at co-op harvesting
• Brad McQuaid looks for 'angel investors' for Pantheon
• The Daily Grind: Do layoff announcements affect your MMO gameplay?
• The Stream Team: New Bloom continues in Dota 2
• The Art of Wushu: Getting yourself a bounty
• MMO Family: Winter fun and cool cash in Roblox
• Pantheon Kickstarter updated with info on two stretch goal races
• The Stream Team: Checking out creativity in EQN Landmark
• Free for All: Can roleplay rise above the sexy stuff?
• SOE teases Landmark development plan, polls build contests
• Former Free Realms lead outlines the dangers of metric-based design
• Mark Jacobs promises stretch goals won't delay Camelot Unchained
• Anthropologist delves into World of Warcraft as a parallel to religion in China
• Turbine suffers another round of layoffs
• RIFT Update 2.6 goes live
• Infinite Crisis brings Star Sapphire into the fold
• Age of Wushu updates with World of Contenders
• Rhode Island House passes 38 Studios settlement bill
• Leaderboard: What sort of MMO would you make? Part deux
• FlapMMO brings non-combat gameplay to new heights
• World of Tanks launches worldwide on the Xbox 360

Defiance previews the next DLC pack, Gunslinger Trials Posted: 13 Feb 2014 09:30 AM PST Filed under: Sci-Fi, Previews, News Items, Consoles, MMOFPS, Defiance, Buy-to-Play Some of the early story threads from Defiance's launch haven't been addressed. The nature of the Biodyne Project and control of the Earth Republic are both questions with no answer, but that's all changing in March with the release of the game's next DLC pack, Gunslinger Trials. Players will explore three new quest lines involving members of Von Bach Industries, leading to events that see both the revival of Biodyne and a look at the power gaining strength behind the scenes of the Earth Republic. The DLC content isn't limited to story developments, though. Players will also be taking on new four-person challenges in which a group of hunters struggle to reach the end of a course, killing and progressing as quickly as possible. And raw damage isn't all that matters; teamwork and coordination will play a major role in clearing the end. Gunslinger Trials is planned for release in March, so get your trigger fingers ready if this sounds like your sort of fun. Defiance previews the next DLC pack, Gunslinger Trials originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 13 Feb 2014 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Introducing Gunslinger Trials

Perfect Ten: MMO features that were hyped but never delivered Posted: 13 Feb 2014 09:00 AM PST Filed under: World of Warcraft, Age of Conan, City of Heroes, EVE Online, Guild Wars, Warhammer Online, Opinion, Ultima Online, Vanguard, Humor, Champions Online, Perfect Ten, Miscellaneous Developers like to talk a big game. It's expected, it's encouraged by all parties, and it's part of the fun. When a game or big expansion is coming up, the spokespeople for studios like to hop on stage, grab that mic, and start proselytizing for all they're worth. And while some promises come to fruition, others are various shades of white lies, and still others never come to be at all. These are the features that studios would much rather you forget were mentioned in the first place, although this is the internet and the internet never forgets. Well, players who latch on to everything devs say as absolute truth never forget. Sometimes things happen along the way in development. Studios run out of time to get in all of the features and have to prioritize which make the cut and which do not. Features end up not testing as well as hoped and the studio quietly drops them because the PR hit for the features not going in is much less than the disaster that they might cause. And some developers like to flap their gums and spout brainstorm ideas that send the actual programmers and designers back at the company into spasms of agony when they try to figure out how to make them work. Today let's go through 10 features that were talked up but never delivered in MMOs! Continue reading Perfect Ten: MMO features that were hyped but never delivered Perfect Ten: MMO features that were hyped but never delivered originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 13 Feb 2014 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Guild Counsel: How to find a good pre-launch guild Posted: 13 Feb 2014 08:00 AM PST Filed under: Guilds, Opinion, The Guild Counsel, Miscellaneous There's a wave of new MMOs on the horizon, and with each one comes a surge of enthusiastic fans ready for launch day. Some are so excited that they want to hit the ground running by joining a guild before the game goes live. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of pre-launch guilds for each upcoming game, and joining one early can help get the most out of a game from day one. But it's hard to find the right guild when you can't really see it in action. How do you know whether the guild you join will end up being the best fit for you? Let's look at how to link up with the best pre-launch guild in this week's Guild Counsel. Continue reading The Guild Counsel: How to find a good pre-launch guild The Guild Counsel: How to find a good pre-launch guild originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 13 Feb 2014 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

EQN Landmark livestream highlights new building mats, hints at co-op harvesting Posted: 13 Feb 2014 07:00 AM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Video, Game Mechanics, New Titles, News Items, Free-to-Play, EverQuest Next, Livestream, Housing, Player-Generated Content In a fortuitous bit of timing, last night's EverQuest Next Landmark livestream highlighted some of the very changes that players saw right after the latest alpha patch went live. Besides a notable list of bug fixes, the patch introduced a separate loot chat tab, eight new prop recipes, and 12 new building materials, including various sandstones, stucco, plaster, and even sand. On top of that, players who have fallen victim to the clever traps of others will be glad to know that the evac to safety feature is now fully operational. During the stream, Producer Terry Michaels also mentioned upcoming features currently in development, such as cooperative harvesting, attached claims, caves, permissions, and groups. The show then wrapped up with the announcement that these official streams, newly christened Landmark Live, will be a weekly occurrence from here on out. Watch the full livestream below, and read up on the latest alpha additions in the patch notes. Continue reading EQN Landmark livestream highlights new building mats, hints at co-op harvesting EQN Landmark livestream highlights new building mats, hints at co-op harvesting originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 13 Feb 2014 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Brad McQuaid looks for 'angel investors' for Pantheon Posted: 13 Feb 2014 06:00 AM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, MMO Industry, Crowdfunding, Subscription, Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen With less than half the funds raised for Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen and only eight days to go in his Kickstarter campaign, Visionary Realms CEO Brad McQuaid appears to be looking for alternate sources of funding for the game. "If anyone knows an angel investor or other type of investor who might be interested in investing in [Visionary Realms], please let me know," McQuaid tweeted on Wednesday. Even with this plea, McQuaid said that he and his team would not abandon the project even if the Kickstarter goal isn't met: "NOT giving up on [Kickstarter]! People are super excited about Pantheon, as are we. This game is going to be developed one way or another! Whether we meet [the Kickstarter goal] or not, we will have all of the [Kickstarter] info on our site and the ability to pledge there. Pantheon has amazing momentum behind it right now, and we're going to keep it that way!" Brad McQuaid looks for 'angel investors' for Pantheon originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 13 Feb 2014 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Brad McQuaid @ Twitter

The Daily Grind: Do layoff announcements affect your MMO gameplay? Posted: 13 Feb 2014 05:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Dungeons and Dragons Online, Lord of the Rings Online, Business Models, MMO Industry, Opinion, Free-to-Play, The Daily Grind Yesterday's Turbine layoff announcement wasn't particularly surprising, given the fact that the firm has tied its MMO fortunes to a couple of third-party IPs and has been giving away access to its games for the past few years. Regardless of whether or not we believe Warner Bros. "normal strategic alignment" statement, layoffs are layoffs and they reflect negatively on an ongoing game service to some extent. What that extent is varies from player to player, of course, and that's where today's Daily Grind comes in. Do MMO studio layoff announcements cause you to rethink the amount of time or money you spend on a given game, or is it just business as usual? 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: Do layoff announcements affect your MMO gameplay? originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 13 Feb 2014 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Stream Team: New Bloom continues in Dota 2 Posted: 12 Feb 2014 05:30 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Patches, PvP, Free-to-Play, Massively Meta, Hands-On, Livestream, MOBA, The Stream Team Dota 2's New Bloom update is still in full swing, with players from across the globe trying to make the most of two new heroes and dozens of meta changes. Tonight, Massively's Mike Foster again leaps into the fray, seeking to destroy the enemy's ancient before they can destroy his. He'll be showing off the New Bloom map variant; though changes on the map are aesthetic, they sometimes seem to affect the way in which players attack the game's objectives. Tune in at 8:30 p.m. EST for all the action. Game: Dota 2 Host: Mike Foster Date: Wednesday, February 12th, 2014 Time: 8:30 p.m. EST Enjoy our Stream Team video below. Continue reading The Stream Team: New Bloom continues in Dota 2 The Stream Team: New Bloom continues in Dota 2 originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 12 Feb 2014 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Art of Wushu: Getting yourself a bounty Posted: 12 Feb 2014 05:00 PM PST Filed under: Historical, PvP, Opinion, Free-to-Play, Age of Wushu, The Art of Wushu, MMORPG We all know what side of the law I fight on in Age of Wushu: the bad guy side. However, there's a marked difference between being a professional criminal and an indiscriminate mass murderer. Being a criminal means that you need to be more discreet in which targets you kill. If I don't have a bounty, a kill that doesn't get me a bounty is pointless. Infamy is a resource, and if I ramp it up too much, I could be looking at jail time without even getting a bounty. Nothing is more frustrating than having to idle for hours in some out of the way place because my infamy shot up over 2000, but it's pretty easy to get there. Being selective in whom I kill helps prevent those kinds of mistakes. Continue reading The Art of Wushu: Getting yourself a bounty The Art of Wushu: Getting yourself a bounty originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 12 Feb 2014 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

MMO Family: Winter fun and cool cash in Roblox Posted: 12 Feb 2014 04:00 PM PST Filed under: Kids, MMO Family, Family, Miscellaneous, Sandbox EverQuest Next Landmark might be generating a lot of buzz over the impressive creations that players are putting together, but Roblox has been doing it for years, and many of those creating are still in grade school. Indeed, Roblox has continued to improve the structure of the game and give players great tools to become amateur developers. Recently, the developers showed off those tools with a series of winter games. But the real excitement is found in their Developer Exchange system, which now allows arm-chair developers to earn up to $2,000 a month from the games they create. Let's take a look at what Roblox has been up to this winter in this week's MMO Family. Continue reading MMO Family: Winter fun and cool cash in Roblox MMO Family: Winter fun and cool cash in Roblox originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 12 Feb 2014 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Pantheon Kickstarter updated with info on two stretch goal races Posted: 12 Feb 2014 03:30 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, MMO Industry, News Items, PvE, Crowdfunding, Subscription, MMORPG, Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen Brad McQuaid and Visionary Realms have updated the Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen Kickstarter project. The latest post dives deeper into the lore behind the T'Jinn and the Vrilaska, both races that will be included with the game should it reach a stretch goal of $2.5 million. For reference, Pantheon is currently sitting at $382,298 raised of its $800,000 funding goal with nine days remaining. For what it's worth, the T'Jinn are magic beings composed of arcane particles who were previously bound into servitude by mages but earned freedom thanks to the efforts of a goddess. The Vrilaska are reptilian humanoids of great agility and strength who were among the first to arrive in Terminus. The Kickstarter campaign for Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen ends February 22nd, 2014. [Thanks to Josh for the tip] Pantheon Kickstarter updated with info on two stretch goal races originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 12 Feb 2014 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: The Vrilaska, The T'Jinn

The Stream Team: Checking out creativity in EQN Landmark Posted: 12 Feb 2014 03:00 PM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Trailers, Free-to-Play, EverQuest Next, Livestream, Sandbox, Housing, The Stream Team, Player-Generated Content The player creativity shown in EverQuest Next Landmark is absolutely amazing, and Massively's MJ doesn't want you to miss out on any of it! So with no impending voxel wipes to spoil her plans, she's going to take you on a tour through some of the various houses, statues, and other assorted constructions dreamed up by fellow fans. Join us live at 6:00 p.m. for a look at what's being built in alpha. Game: EverQuest Next Landmark Host: MJ Guthrie Date: Wednesday, February 12th, 2014 Time: 6:00 p.m. EST Enjoy our Stream Team video below. Continue reading The Stream Team: Checking out creativity in EQN Landmark The Stream Team: Checking out creativity in EQN Landmark originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 12 Feb 2014 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Free for All: Can roleplay rise above the sexy stuff? Posted: 12 Feb 2014 02:30 PM PST Filed under: Business Models, Culture, Game Mechanics, Opinion, Roleplaying, Free for All, Miscellaneous, Sandbox, MOBA Recently I logged some time in Velvet Sundown, a new pseudo-MMO that places players into small, instanced roleplay groups of 11 characters aboard a ship in order to solve a mystery or to otherwise "win" a roleplay session. It sounds strange, but it really is a very interesting idea. Each character has a different angle on the game, and depending on how that character interacts with the others, he or she also has many different ways of achieving goals. The game also offer a decent text-to-speech tool that gives more life to the characters. I logged in and was assigned to play the character Malik, who was something of a wise man. My apparent goal was to find a spy, hire a thief to steal secrets, and look for other players who were from the same background. I was also assigned the task of blessing people in the hopes of gaining new disciples. Excited, I logged in and approached a group of players. Almost as soon as I did, I was disappointed. Within minutes several players were talking non-stop about women's underwear. At first I thought it was part of the story, but then I realized it was simply another great roleplay opportunity taken down by a few jerks. Continue reading Free for All: Can roleplay rise above the sexy stuff? Free for All: Can roleplay rise above the sexy stuff? originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 12 Feb 2014 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

SOE teases Landmark development plan, polls build contests Posted: 12 Feb 2014 02:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Polls, Game Mechanics, New Titles, News Items, PvE, Free-to-Play, EverQuest Next, Dev Diaries, Player-Generated Content, MMORPG Sony Online Entertainment director of development Dave Georgeson has posted a new update over on the official EverQuest Next Landmark forum outlining the team's plans for moving forward and asking players for opinions on possible upcoming build contests. In the post, Georgeson notes that SOE's first order of business with Landmark is focusing on communications, rating systems, and ways for players to better cooperate with one another. Teams will also be working on systems like combat, AI, and water. Additionally, Georgeson revealed that SOE is going to start running Landmark building contests. The first contest revolves around designing a landmark for island hubs, but future contests are left up to a poll in the post. Choices include homages to buildings in previous EverQuest games, new architecture for Norrath, and genre-specific contests that center on modern, sci-fi, or fantasy designs. You can vote for your preference on Georgeson's forum post. SOE teases Landmark development plan, polls build contests originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 12 Feb 2014 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Landmark Build Out Contests

Former Free Realms lead outlines the dangers of metric-based design Posted: 12 Feb 2014 01:45 PM PST Filed under: Business Models, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, News Items, Free-to-Play, Free Realms GamesIndustry.biz has published an interesting think-piece featuring SOE's Laralyn McWilliams. McWilliams, former creative lead on Free Realms, says that free-to-play firms relying heavily on metrics to define their development roadmap may come up short. "There's no measuring spoon for love. You can't quantify it," McWilliams explained to a Casual Connect Europe audience. "Retention is not the same as happiness." She went to detail how metrics can contribute to an illusion of control and confidence on the part of developers when in reality, "the point is that it's a mix of logic and emotion that goes into our decisions as game designers. That's why we can never design by metrics." Former Free Realms lead outlines the dangers of metric-based design originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 12 Feb 2014 16:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: GamesIndustry.biz

Mark Jacobs promises stretch goals won't delay Camelot Unchained Posted: 12 Feb 2014 01:30 PM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Dev Diaries, Crowdfunding, Camelot Unchained, Subscription Camelot Unchained's Mark Jacobs penned an insightful piece today about how the possible dangers of stretch goals in crowdfunding. "Stretch goals are, in theory, generally a good thing for both players and developers," he wrote. "Unfortunately, while on the surface it looks all nice and serene, underneath the calm waters there is danger and that is the ever-looming problem of <insert theme from Jaws here> DELAYS." To avoid any future conflict with funders, Jacobs went on to list several principles that his studio will adhere to for stretch goals. He said that future stretch goals must add something very useful to the game, not be thrown in just to raise funding, not require adding too many new people to the team, and be added only if they don't conflict with other goals. Jacobs also indicated that he's perfectly fine with halting further stretch goals or waiting to put them in until the time is right and the team has already finished what it needs to do. Finally, Mark Jacobs made a sacred vow to fans: "I PROMISE, ON BEHALF OF CSE, NEVER TO ADD, OR ALLOW TO BE ADDED, STRETCH GOALS THAT ENDANGER THE ESTIMATED LAUNCH OF CAMELOT UNCHAINED IN DECEMBER 2015. Okay, now it's official." Mark Jacobs promises stretch goals won't delay Camelot Unchained originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 12 Feb 2014 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Foundational principle #15

Anthropologist delves into World of Warcraft as a parallel to religion in China Posted: 12 Feb 2014 01:00 PM PST Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Culture, MMO Industry, News Items, MMORPG Ryan Hornbeck is a cognitive anthropologist who has recently completed an enormous dissertation on the subject of moral cognition and spiritual experiences in World of Warcraft in China. And according to Hornbeck, World of Warcraft's popularity combined with its communal structure and the way it creates opportunities unavailable to some in Chinese society makes the game similar in many ways to traditional religion and the experiences religion provides. Hornbeck explains that opportunities for moral expression are "largely restricted to the affordances of the education system" but World of Warcraft offers an opportunity to "experience strong upwellings of moral sentiment." Additionally, he offers numerous quotes from Chinese WoW players that express how the game has transcended gameplay and turned into something entirely different -- something with deep personal value. Here's one such quote: In the end, the most important thing I want to say is what we are playing is not merely a game. In this world we find a feeling of existence we cannot find in the real world. This does not mean we are escaping, nor that we can only play games. People who say this are not real players. Do not think playing games is a waste of time, because the game made up for something we lost. The full post is well worth a read. Anthropologist delves into World of Warcraft as a parallel to religion in China originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 12 Feb 2014 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Kill Screen Via: GameBreaker

Turbine suffers another round of layoffs Posted: 12 Feb 2014 12:40 PM PST Filed under: Asheron's Call, Dungeons and Dragons Online, Lord of the Rings Online, MMO Industry, News Items, Miscellaneous, Infinite Crisis Gamasutra and Twitter are reporting that an unspecified number of Turbine employees have been fired today in a new round of layoffs. A Warner Bros. representative responded with an official statement: "As part of our normal business process, we're routinely looking at the strategic alignment of our company. Unfortunately, in order for us to invest in growth areas at Turbine, we have to eliminate some positions. These are always tough decisions, which we don't approach lightly, but it's crucial that Turbine is structured in a way that reflects the current and coming marketplace." Massively has reached out to Turbine for additional comments. Turbine suffers another round of layoffs originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 12 Feb 2014 15:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Gamasutra

RIFT Update 2.6 goes live Posted: 12 Feb 2014 12:30 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Patches, Free-to-Play, RIFT, Crafting RIFT players, get home from work and school and get patching: Update 2.6 is now live in the game! The update contains a hefty assortment of features, the most notable of which is the new Dream Weaver crafting profession. With 2.6 also comes unstable artifact sets, over two dozen new dimensions, pet skins, a bounty system, and the first part of the new Air Saga storyline. The patch coincides with the start of the love-themed Festival of Mariel-Taun. RIFT Update 2.6 goes live originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 12 Feb 2014 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: RIFT 2.6 is live

Infinite Crisis brings Star Sapphire into the fold Posted: 12 Feb 2014 12:00 PM PST Filed under: Betas, Super-hero, Video, Classes, Free-to-Play, MOBA, Infinite Crisis Just in time for Valentine's Day, Turbine has announced that the "champion of love," Star Sapphire, is coming to Infinite Crisis. Star Sapphire wields her namesake's ring, able to channel love and keep the Predator entity in check. In the game, she's a ranged damage dealer who's best kept out of immediate harm's way. She can choose to unleash the Predator to do damage or to keep it attached for a speed boost. Star Sapphire will be added to the game on February 26th. You don't have to wait until then to check out her moves, however, as we've got her champion spotlight video after the break! [Source: Turbine press release] Continue reading Infinite Crisis brings Star Sapphire into the fold Infinite Crisis brings Star Sapphire into the fold originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 12 Feb 2014 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Age of Wushu updates with World of Contenders Posted: 12 Feb 2014 11:30 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Historical, Game Mechanics, Patches, PvP, News Items, Free-to-Play, Age of Wushu You could have been a contender. Wait, that's not right -- you could currently be a contender. You could be contending right now. After all, Age of Wushu's latest update is specifically titled "World of Contenders," odds are good that you could be one heck of a contender. So get in there and contend! Yes, the latest major update for the game is live, and it offers a lot of ways for players to contend with one another, most notably the Dragon and Tiger Tournament featuring a series of one-on-one duels in large arenas. You can also take part in the weekly battles between schools added with the School Rivalry system. Not really up for contention? There's still plenty to access with the addition of the fourth Internal skill and a new set of skills exclusive to married couples. Get patched up and get ready to contend just as much as you'd like, as it seems Snail Games is indeed looking out for you. Age of Wushu updates with World of Contenders originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 12 Feb 2014 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: World of Contenders is now live!

Rhode Island House passes 38 Studios settlement bill Posted: 12 Feb 2014 11:00 AM PST Filed under: MMO Industry, Legal, Miscellaneous If you're playing along in the home version of 38 Studios Saga, we're deep in the trenches of Legislation Alley with the end of the game coming into sight. You're now allowed to move another piece forward as the Rhode Island House of Representatives voted to pass a bill to settle the 38 Studios quagmire. The House vote was the twin of the Senate bill that passed last month. The bill shields the ex-38 Studios defendants from being sued further, aiding a final settlement in the legal matter of the defaulted $75 million loan and the studio's subsequent collapse. Now the bill will be handed over to Governor Lincoln Chafee to sign. The lawmakers also discussed whether or not Rhode Island taxpayers should continue to pay off the $90 million that the state is responsible for. One representative said that the state should be solely repaid from funds recouped following this round of litigation. Rhode Island House passes 38 Studios settlement bill originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 12 Feb 2014 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: NBC 10 Via: Polygon

Leaderboard: What sort of MMO would you make? Part deux Posted: 12 Feb 2014 10:30 AM PST Filed under: Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, Opinion, Massively Meta, Sandbox, Leaderboard A couple of weeks ago we put on our designer caps and played a little game called Grossly Oversimplified MMO Development. I still haven't come up with a better title, but whatever, we're going to move ahead to phase two anyway. In round one, Leaderboard readers were asked to choose a primary focus for our MMO project. The simulation/virtual world choice won the day with 29.8% of the vote, followed by the PvE/combat progression choice and the PvE/crafting progression choice -- both with 19.5% of the vote. Now that we have a gameplay focus, we should probably pick a genre, don't you think? Vote after the cut! Ever wish that you could put to rest a long-standing MMO debate once and for all? Then welcome to the battle royal of Massively's Leaderboard, where two sides enter the pit o' judgment -- and only one leaves. Vote to make your opinion known, and see whether your choice tops the Leaderboard! Continue reading Leaderboard: What sort of MMO would you make? Part deux Leaderboard: What sort of MMO would you make? Part deux originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 12 Feb 2014 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

FlapMMO brings non-combat gameplay to new heights Posted: 12 Feb 2014 10:00 AM PST Filed under: Culture, Game Mechanics, News Items, Free-to-Play, Browser, Humor, Sandbox For years, players have sought MMOs that truly offered a combat-free experience. FlapMMO, a massively multiplayer version of the sadly defunct Flappy Bird (not officially sanctioned), is that rare gem that delivers precisely that. In fact, it delivers everything you could ask for in the genre -- no combat, no levels, and a wide-open world to simply explore. It even offers exclusively horizontal progression (since that's the way the screen scrolls, you can't go backward). If all this sounds too good to be true, you should consider also the fact that the game is entirely free-to-play without so much as a cash shop. Chat functions are currently limited, as is character customization, but there's no word from the developer on whether or not this is part of the design or something that will be addressed in the first expansion. You might want to consider giving this wide-open combat-free exploration simulator a try if you've got some free time on your hands. FlapMMO brings non-combat gameplay to new heights originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 12 Feb 2014 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

World of Tanks launches worldwide on the Xbox 360 Posted: 12 Feb 2014 09:30 AM PST Filed under: Galleries, Screenshots, Launches, News Items, War, Free-to-Play, Consoles, MMOFPS, World of Tanks Are you ready to blow up tanks on your Xbox 360? Probably; there have been roughly two million games released for the console based almost entirely around blowing up tanks. But are you ready to do so in World of Tanks? Because the game has launched on the console worldwide, complete with special Founder's Packs. The packs contain tanks, currency, ammo, and crews, but will be available for purchase only until February 28th. Before you run downstairs to fire up your console, keep in mind that you won't be able to play the game for free; an Xbox Live Gold subscription is required for continued play. All Xbox Live accounts do get a free trial of the game for seven days, however, so you can decide if it's worth subscribing to the service. You can also take a look at the gallery below to get a glance at what the game will look like on the TV. [Source: Wargaming.net press release] World of Tanks launches worldwide on the Xbox 360 originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 12 Feb 2014 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

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