| Rise and Shiny revisit: Stronghold Kingdoms Posted: 23 Feb 2014 09:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Historical, Video, Game Mechanics, Previews, Opinion, War, Free-to-Play, Hands-On, Casual, MMORTS, Humor, Rise and Shiny, Livestream, Sandbox Stronghold Kingdoms is probably one of my top favorite MMORTS titles out there. There are many reasons it holds a special place in my slightly crumpled gamer heart, and I will be sure to get to those, but there are also many gameplay elements that could use some improvement. It's a pretty typical MMORTS in most ways; players build up a town, trade goods, fight each other, and swear loyalty to others. In fact, the genre is quite bloated with games that perform in largely the same way, many of them being delivered to us within the browser. For many players, these defining characteristics are exactly why they are attracted to the genre. In the same way, shooter fans appreciate many of the same basic mechanics from game to game, and trading card players need specific systems in place in order to feel satisfaction. So the existence of these repeated designs is not a problem for me. It's especially not a problem in Stronghold Kingdoms. Continue reading Rise and Shiny revisit: Stronghold Kingdoms  Rise and Shiny revisit: Stronghold Kingdoms originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 23 Feb 2014 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| One Shots: Spelltastic! Posted: 23 Feb 2014 07:00 AM PST Filed under: World of Warcraft, Screenshots, Culture, Guild Wars 2, One Shots, RIFT, EverQuest Next, Miscellaneous You guys are so awesome, did you know that? You totally are. I'm still getting cool screenshots of spell effects from a challenge I issued a while back -- and I'm loving them. Our featured picture this week is from reader John, who hails from the Angels of Destiny in Guild Wars 2. Because there's never a bad time to take a selfie, not even in the middle of life-and-death combat, he captured this cool shot. "This is my Sylvari Elementalist, Ayo Carina, preparing to strike down a minotaur with her conjured Fiery Greatsword while attuned to Fire," John wrote. "Not content with slinging spells from the rear ranks, Ayo loves to get up close and personal!" Someone's going to need bactine, that's all I know. Let's check it out in living color along with the rest of this week's entries! Continue reading One Shots: Spelltastic! One Shots: Spelltastic! originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 23 Feb 2014 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Daily Grind: Would you buy a VR headset for MMOs? Posted: 23 Feb 2014 05:00 AM PST Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous Not that I have $500 or so to drop on an Oculus Rift when it comes out, but I must say that there's a part of me that would love to have one if more MMOs sign up to support it. Already we're seeing titles from Elder Scrolls Online to EVE Valkyrie lending support to this virtual reality headset, which makes me wonder whether this is just a fad or if it's the next big thing for gaming. After all, we've been down the VR headset road before, particularly in the '90s. I mean, that picture up there? That's Angela Lansbury from Murder She Wrote in 1993. I might also bring up the topic of Virtual Boy if it didn't depress me so much. Man, I really wanted VR to be real back then... but maybe its time is yet to come. Would you buy a VR headset for MMOs? If so, what would the cost need to be and what level of service would it need to supply to get you to go for it?  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: Would you buy a VR headset for MMOs? originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 23 Feb 2014 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Diablo III upgrading Paragon endgame system Posted: 22 Feb 2014 06:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Expansions, Previews, Endgame, Dev Diaries, Diablo III, Buy-to-Play Level-capped players will have a "Paragon 2.0" system to look forward to when Diablo III: Reaper of Souls releases. Blizzard outlined three major changes yesterday that will affect the endgame progression system. First, there will be no level cap for Paragon levels. Second, Paragon levels will be shared account-wide, with all normal characters sharing levels and all heroic characters doing the same between them. Third, players will get new Paragon points to spend in four categories: core, offense, defense, and utility. When the expansion goes live, players will receive their new Paragon levels based on the sum of the accumulated Paragon experience on each account. Hardcore heroes who died at 60 will also contribute to this XP pool. Players without the expansion will transition to Paragon XP at level 60, while players with Reaper of Souls will do so after hitting level 70. Diablo III upgrading Paragon endgame system originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 22 Feb 2014 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Make My MMO: Crowdfunding February 9 - 22, 2014 Posted: 22 Feb 2014 05:00 PM PST Filed under: MMO Industry, Massively Meta, Miscellaneous, Crowdfunding, Make My MMO In the world of MMOs, no news is not necessarily good news -- especially when it comes to crowdfunding. Silence often denotes a lack of progress on a game, and that can certainly make investors nervous. Thankfully, many games provide players with updates that we, in turn, provide for you here. If no news is bad, then news is good, right? Unfortunately, this doesn't hold true. In the case of Star Rider and Hot Rod Hustle, the news is that neither met its funding goals. So we say farewell to these two games from Make My MMO. And Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen's campaign was chock-full of news, but in the end, its Kickstarter didn't succeed either; Pantheon, however, is continuing the fundraising effort on its official site. At least some news is good! War of Omens also leaves this round up, but for different reasons: Players can hop in and play the game! Likewise, HEX: Shards of Fate and StarCraft Universe move on now that both have moved into testing. To hear other good news, keep reading. Continue reading Make My MMO: Crowdfunding February 9 - 22, 2014 Make My MMO: Crowdfunding February 9 - 22, 2014 originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 22 Feb 2014 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| GoblinWorks releases Pathfinder Q4 backer update video Posted: 22 Feb 2014 03:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, PvP, News Items, Sandbox, Subscription, Pathfinder Online GoblinWorks has released a new gameplay video for its forthcoming Pathfinder Online fantasy sandbox. Dubbed as the fourth quarter backer update, the clip shows developers adventuring in the game's River Kingdom. Pathfinder's Q4 milestone was met in January, writes CEO Ryan Dancey, and the two major focus areas were the combat system (including the UI, animations, and multiple role features) and "the conversion of the world terrain from the fully manual small scale process to a more large scale terrain development method using the Grome tool pipeline." Dancey also hints at forthcoming UI and combat reveals plus some nifty skeletons and goblin dogs. Further details are available via the GoblinWorks blog links below. Don't forget the video after the cut! [Thanks Chrysillis!] Continue reading GoblinWorks releases Pathfinder Q4 backer update video GoblinWorks releases Pathfinder Q4 backer update video originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 22 Feb 2014 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Pantheon's Kickstarter comes up short, development to continue Posted: 22 Feb 2014 01:30 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Business Models, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Crowdfunding, Subscription, Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen has concluded its Kickstarter campaign without reaching its $800,000 funding goal. Lead developer Brad McQuaid isn't deterred, though, as you'll find out if you've got the time to read a lengthy launch letter he posted earlier today. What's it launching? Well, a new Pantheon website, for starters. McQuaid also tells fans that development on the fantasy title will continue as Visionary Realms seeks traditional investors and sets up its own direct crowdfunding apparatus on the new site. McQuaid insists there's a market for Pantheon, writing that we "strongly believe there's a real demand for an MMO that builds solidly on the principles of the past, reaching back to EverQuest and even the MUDs before it." He also offers his take on why Pantheon's Kickstarter fell short of the mark. Pantheon's Kickstarter comes up short, development to continue originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 22 Feb 2014 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Norrathian Notebook: EQN Landmark sets new standard for player creativity Posted: 22 Feb 2014 01:00 PM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, New Titles, Free-to-Play, EverQuest Next, Player-Generated Content, Norrathian Notebook Yes, it's alpha. And yes, there are bugs. Heck, there are still many systems that aren't even in-game yet. But despite all that, EverQuest Next Landmark has already raised the bar when it comes to player creativity. In fact, the creativity is flowing freely during this alpha even before water does! You may recall that I mused last December how EQNL might just redefine player-generated content, comments based my own short personal experience and perusing developer concoctions. However, now that alpha is going strong, I can say with surety what I only postulated before: Landmark has set a new standard for supporting and showcasing creativity. And players have really stepped up to the challenge. Just exactly how much creativity are we talking about? Have you seen some of the stuff folks are coming up with? It's not just about houses (though I've certainly seen some amazing abodes); players are taking the tools and raw materials and sculpting impressive statues, designing mazes, and more. During my own wanderings and my two Massively TV tours, I've come across creations that leave me wavering between speechless and gush-central. And that's barely scratching the surface of what's out there! Add in the posted pics on Twitter and the official forums and that still doesn't cover it all. My mind boggles to think what will happen when everyone can lay hands on these tools at launch. Continue reading Norrathian Notebook: EQN Landmark sets new standard for player creativity Norrathian Notebook: EQN Landmark sets new standard for player creativity originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 22 Feb 2014 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Mog Log: Final Fantasy XIV's future patches Posted: 22 Feb 2014 11:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Patches, Opinion, Consoles, Final Fantasy XIV, The Mog Log, Subscription A week after I mention that Final Fantasy XIV's next patch seems a little light, 2.16 comes around and lets us know that gardening is incoming with the next patch. What does gardening involve? Who knows? We haven't been told. I would tend to guess that it involves FC housing, which means that it's a non-entity for the majority of the playerbase, since the house prices are still insane for anything other than a small plot and small remains tiny. I mentioned some things that the game is going to need to aim for over the course of the year, and all of those remain on the table. In many ways, the game is going wonderfully -- we're hearing rumblings about the next expansion, the first patch did its job quite well, the second is on its way, and based on the current content schedule we can expect a couple more before the end of the year. While we don't yet have a roadmap, we can start putting together some basic guesses about the next few patches for Final Fantasy XIV -- and what they won't address. Continue reading The Mog Log: Final Fantasy XIV's future patches The Mog Log: Final Fantasy XIV's future patches originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 22 Feb 2014 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Stream Team: Saturday afternoon Dotas Posted: 22 Feb 2014 10:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Video, PvP, Free-to-Play, Massively Meta, Hands-On, Livestream, MOBA, The Stream Team There's no better way to recover from a crazy (or lazy) Friday than by jumping in for a little MOBA action. Today's brunch menu includes last-hitting creeps, stunning enemy players, building powerful items, and of course, buying lots of wards. Join Massively's Mike Foster in Dota 2's three-lane arena as he clicks his way to victory and avoids becoming a first-blood victim. The action starts at 1:00 p.m. EST. Game: Dota 2 Host: Mike Foster Date: Saturday, February 22nd, 2014 Time: 1:00 p.m. EST Enjoy our Stream Team video below. Continue reading The Stream Team: Saturday afternoon Dotas The Stream Team: Saturday afternoon Dotas originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 22 Feb 2014 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Microsoft adding Android support and free Skype calls for businesses
HP's thinnest tablet ever brings a plethora of updates
Larger display, but less battery life 
