| Norrathian Notebook: What EQN Landmark's business plan says about you Posted: 06 Mar 2014 09:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Business Models, New Titles, Opinion, Free-to-Play, EverQuest Next, Player-Generated Content, Norrathian Notebook As surely expected by all involved, EverQuest Next Landmark's proposed business plan ruffled a few feathers. After all, it's a given that you can't please everyone. And also just as expected, some folks are crying foul; you can't have SOE say boo without someone screaming doom and gloom. But has the studio laid a big goose egg with this monetization plan? I say nope. It may appear a little scrambled in an aspect or two, but the majority of it seems to sit pretty well with players. In a nutshell, the strategy as currently outlined focuses on selling cosmetic items like outfits and pets, shortcuts (like potions, paying upkeep, and renting market space at the hubs), additional claim flags, claim music/sound packs, and raw materials. We know what the actual plan itself says because it was posted front and center on EQN Landmark's alpha forums, which are viewable by the public. But instead of dissecting what the plan is, today I'll focus is on what it says. It's more than just the sum of its words; the plan says something about SOE. And did you know the plan also says something about you? Continue reading Norrathian Notebook: What EQN Landmark's business plan says about you  Norrathian Notebook: What EQN Landmark's business plan says about you originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 06 Mar 2014 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| City of Titans elects new board and president, is 'deep in pre-production' Posted: 06 Mar 2014 08:00 AM PST Filed under: Super-hero, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Crowdfunding The City of Titans team posted an update to its Kickstarter page yesterday. You might recall that The Phoenix Project aims to create a spiritual sequel to City of Heroes, and to that end Missing Worlds Media managed to more than double its initial $320,000 fundraising goal. The latest status update reveals that the devs are deep into pre-production. "It is not the most exciting time -- it doesn't result in much to show. What it does do is save time and help to bring a better product at the end," according to new Missing Worlds president Nate " Doctor Tyche" Downes. Also of note is the election of a five-member board, which you can read about via the links below. [Thanks Nonsensicles!] City of Titans elects new board and president, is 'deep in pre-production' originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 06 Mar 2014 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Star Citizen vid shows off the Hornet's 100 different damage states Posted: 06 Mar 2014 07:00 AM PST Filed under: Sci-Fi, Video, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Dev Diaries, Sandbox, Crowdfunding, Star Citizen, Buy-to-Play If you've yet to watch this week's episode of Wingman's Hangar (or any episode of Wingman's Hangar, for that matter), number 59 features plenty of interesting nuggets for Star Citizen fans. Nearly half of the show's 32-minute running time is devoted to the space sim's ship damage states, and Cloud Imperium shares plenty of behind-the-scenes footage on the creation process as well as a roundtable discussion featuring the principal designers. Lead ship modeller Chris Smith says that the Hornet alone has 100 different states. "We wanted a lot of fidelity, kind of movie-like breakup on these ships with lots of little pieces," he explains. Click past the cut for the full episode! Continue reading Star Citizen vid shows off the Hornet's 100 different damage states Star Citizen vid shows off the Hornet's 100 different damage states originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 06 Mar 2014 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Massively Exclusive: RIFT reveals the Oracle soul Posted: 06 Mar 2014 06:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Screenshots, Classes, Game Mechanics, Lore, Previews, News Items, Free-to-Play, RIFT Tomorrow, Trion Worlds is set to reveal another of RIFT's planned new souls, the Oracle, but Massively has an exclusive preview and lore piece for you today. Arriving in RIFT's 2.7 upcoming patch, the Oracle is a Cleric soul that allows the equipper to buff and debuff large groups using water and death magic. Oracles arrive from a dark future where their mastery-level support skills have forestalled the annihilation of Telara. Gifted with powers of Water and Death, these versatile casters can lift entire raids to triumph with a repertoire of powerful boons, shields, heals, buffs, and curses. As a group member, they're indispensable. As an enemy, they're impossible to ignore. We've got another screenie and the official background story for the Oracle tucked after the cut. Read on! Continue reading Massively Exclusive: RIFT reveals the Oracle soul Massively Exclusive: RIFT reveals the Oracle soul originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 06 Mar 2014 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Daily Grind: How many crowdfunding projects have you backed? Posted: 06 Mar 2014 05:00 AM PST Filed under: Business Models, MMO Industry, The Daily Grind, Crowdfunding  Earlier this week news surfaced about Kickstarter's amazing $1 billion crowdfunding total. Buried in some of the number porn was the fact that game industry projects led the way with over $215 million in total pledges. Everyone's probably familiar with Star Citizen's Kickstarter success, and if you're an industry watcher you likely know about Path of Exile, Double Fine, and a few other high-profile projects. What about the little guys, though? There's plenty of room in that $215 million for dozens of different MMO fundraisers, and we're curious to know your backing habits. For today's Daily Grind, we've got a two-part question. How many Kickstarter projects have you backed, and which ones were MMOs?  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: How many crowdfunding projects have you backed? originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 06 Mar 2014 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Pathfinder Online opens new storefront, posts first video dev blog Posted: 05 Mar 2014 07:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Game Mechanics, News Items, Dev Diaries, Sandbox, Crowdfunding, Subscription, Pathfinder Online The Goblinworks team has this evening posted several bits of news about its forthcoming sandbox, Pathfinder Online. The studio has revamped its website and opened a new store it's calling the Goblin Squad Store, a "portal for merchandise that is currently only available to Goblin Squad members." The store appears to be a way for would-be backers to toss some (or more) cash at the developers even though the Kickstarter has ended. In return, gamers can select from a lengthy list of add-ons both physical and digital, including tabletop miniatures, forum titles, gametime, and even a swanky messenger bag. If you're keen more on learning about the game than on funding it, the team's new video blog might be of more interest. The first of planned biweekly episodes went live tonight and features Goblinworks' Lee Hammock and Stephen Cheney explaining how slots and divine powers work in the game. We've embedded the vid behind the cut. Continue reading Pathfinder Online opens new storefront, posts first video dev blog Pathfinder Online opens new storefront, posts first video dev blog originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 05 Mar 2014 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Get your Hearthstone Golden Gelbin card before beta ends Posted: 05 Mar 2014 06:00 PM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Hearthstone Hearthstone fans, it's worth noting that the game's beta is on its last leg. WoW Insider reports on Blizzard's announcement post, which, while it doesn't provide a definitive end point, does say that you've got a limited amount of time to claim your Golden Gelbin Mekkatorque beta reward card. Once Hearthstone releases, you'll still be able to craft a non-gold version of Gelbin, but you'll need to get the gilded card sooner rather than later. Get your Hearthstone Golden Gelbin card before beta ends originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 05 Mar 2014 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Make My MMO: Crowdfunding February 23 - March 1, 2014 Posted: 05 Mar 2014 05:00 PM PST Filed under: MMO Industry, News Items, Crowdfunding, Make My MMO This week's Make My MMO adds Trials of Ascension's Light the Forge campaign, which is Chaos Forge's company-specific (i.e., non-Kickstarter) bid to raise $40,000. The fantasy sandbox canceled its initial Kickstarter campaign because it "failed in showing its true potential," according to a news posting on the ToA website. If the Light the Forge drive is successful, the devs will use the $40,000 to finish the game's demo and return to Kickstarter in the hopes of attracting additional funding. Head past the cut for a breakdown of other crowdfunded MMO projects for the week ending March 1st, 2014. Continue reading Make My MMO: Crowdfunding February 23 - March 1, 2014 Make My MMO: Crowdfunding February 23 - March 1, 2014 originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 05 Mar 2014 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| SMITE dredges Scylla from the depths Posted: 05 Mar 2014 04:30 PM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Game Mechanics, News Items, Free-to-Play, MOBA It's always the seemingly innocent ones. At a glance, SMITE's Scylla looks just like a pleasant little girl. It's only when you get into battle with her that she starts summoning her wolf-headed tentacles and you realize how inhuman she really is. Of course, you could also take Scylla for a spin yourself and learn to utilize her unassuming appearance and her varied snaring tactics to avoid being on the receiving end of a wolf-headed tentacle beatdown. Scylla's passive ability improves her magical power for each max rank ability as well as an additional effect on max rank abilities. Her skills allow her to snare targets, spawn sentry locations and teleport to them, and transform into a lethally powerful form with massive attack power for one attack. You can jump past the break to see Scylla's abilities in action and watch some of her most useful options in group play. Continue reading SMITE dredges Scylla from the depths SMITE dredges Scylla from the depths originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 05 Mar 2014 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| World of Tanks video shows off destructible physics, World of Warplanes update coming March 6 Posted: 05 Mar 2014 04:00 PM PST Filed under: Historical, Video, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, Patches, PvP, News Items, War, Free-to-Play, World of Tanks Wargaming has released an eight-minute look at its physics upgrades for multiplayer battler World of Tanks. If that doesn't pique your interest, how does a Sigmund Freud reference grab you? The video's got one of those, and it leads into a destructibles discussion that's centered around the latest upgrades. Tank pilots can now punch through houses and watch them fall apart in real-time, and brick walls will even crack along the brickwork joints. In other Wargaming news, World of Warplanes' 1.2 update is now live in Russia, with a western release scheduled for March 6th. Changes include an overhauled post-battle screen with detailed combat stats, built-in recording capabilities, and a new matchmaker system that should allow rookies to improve without competing against veteran pilots. The WoWP press release and the WoT video are viewable after the break! Continue reading World of Tanks video shows off destructible physics, World of Warplanes update coming March 6 World of Tanks video shows off destructible physics, World of Warplanes update coming March 6 originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 05 Mar 2014 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| New SWTOR space combat vid highlights the Scout Fighter and Strike Fighter Posted: 05 Mar 2014 03:30 PM PST Filed under: Sci-Fi, Trailers, Video, Classes, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, PvP, News Items, Free-to-Play, Star Wars: The Old Republic Still deciding on your preferred ship type for Star Wars: The Old Republic's Galactic Starfighter expansion? Or maybe you're still deciding whether or not to check out said expansion in the first place. Either way, you should take a look at BioWare's latest gameplay trailer, which features the Scout and Strike Fighters alongside plenty of space-based destruction and mayhem. Both craft types feature "advanced speed" as well as "devastating firepower" designed to give pilots the ability to control the battle at the front lines. Click past the cut to see for yourself! Continue reading New SWTOR space combat vid highlights the Scout Fighter and Strike Fighter New SWTOR space combat vid highlights the Scout Fighter and Strike Fighter originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 05 Mar 2014 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Valiance Online preps for combat testing Posted: 05 Mar 2014 03:00 PM PST Filed under: Betas, Super-hero, Game Mechanics, Dev Diaries Superheroes of the world, stop moving around so much! This is the cry of Valiance Online's creators, who said that they are rooting players during combat to achieve "a familiar feeling" in the game. This is just the tip of a new postberg in which the devs talk about plans for upcoming combat testing. Valiance Online will be doing a stripped-down pass of the game in the near future that will allow players to level from 1 to 50 in one of 10 different archetypes. However, the devs warn players to expect unbalanced powers, gimped powersets, and a complete lack of secondary powersets during the test. "Our first pass will be all about inclusion, and not so much about balance, so don't be surprised if you find the majority of the powers to be a bit unsatisfactory in regards to balance. The balancing pass is planned for later patches," the devs said. Valiance Online is one of the self-proclaimed spiritual successors to City of Heroes. Valiance Online preps for combat testing originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 05 Mar 2014 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| DUST 514 jacks up its arsenal but nerfs damage output Posted: 05 Mar 2014 02:30 PM PST Filed under: Sci-Fi, Patches, Previews, Free-to-Play, MMOFPS, DUST 514, Dev Diaries DUST 514's small-arms arsenal is getting a few new options with Uprising 1.8. The patch will add three new guns and reduce damage to allow for longer fights. The new guns include the Caldari Bolt Pistol, a high-DPS, small-clip handgun; the Caldari Magsec SMG, a semi-automatic with higher damage than other SMGs; and the Gallente Ion Pistol, a plasma-shooting beast that punches right through enemies' armor and shields. The devs said that they will be tweaking time-to-kill in 1.8 by reducing the power of high-level damage modifiers, taking one grenade away from what players could previously hold at a time, reducing base damage for several weapons, and applying weapon proficiency skill bonuses against either shields or armor. DUST 514 jacks up its arsenal but nerfs damage output originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 05 Mar 2014 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Star Trek Online exceeds bonus XP barrier this weekend Posted: 05 Mar 2014 02:00 PM PST Filed under: Sci-Fi, Events (In-Game), Star Trek Online, Free-to-Play Star Trek Online has a super-sized bonus weekend lined up for its players, doubling all skill points and expertise earned from tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. EDT through Monday, March 10th, at the same time. The bonus XP isn't the only incentive to log in, as Cryptic is also activating all previous starbase, spire, embassy, and dilithium mine featured projects tomorrow for a limited time. This will open up 37 "rerun" projects in case fleets missed out on them the first time around. Finally, a recent dev blog delivered the specs and visuals for the new Fleet Galaxy Dreadnought, which will also become available on the 6th. Star Trek Online exceeds bonus XP barrier this weekend originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 05 Mar 2014 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Exploring weaponcrafting in The Elder Scrolls Online Posted: 05 Mar 2014 01:30 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Screenshots, Previews, News Items, Races, Crafting, The Elder Scrolls Online, Subscription If you've merely puttered around The Elder Scrolls Online on a beta weekend, you might not have realized the game boasts a robust crafting system to allow players to make their very own pointy sticks and other implements of blood and battle. A post on the official ESO site today shows off some of these crafted items and explains how different racial styles are achieved. Says the post, Smiths in Tamriel add their own personal touches to every weapon, shield, and piece of armor they forge, from choosing a racial style to imparting special bonuses they've learned called traits. Master blacksmiths, clothiers, and woodworkers can take ordinary arms and armor and, with the right materials, transform them into equipment worthy of a true hero. Click to enlarge the picture embedded after the cut to see 27 of the weapons in their full glory. Continue reading Exploring weaponcrafting in The Elder Scrolls Online Exploring weaponcrafting in The Elder Scrolls Online originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 05 Mar 2014 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Choose My Adventure: PlanetSide 2 Posted: 05 Mar 2014 01:00 PM PST Filed under: Sci-Fi, Polls, PvP, Opinion, War, Free-to-Play, Hands-On, Choose My Adventure, PlanetSide 2 Welcome to this all-new edition of Choose My Adventure! We've made some changes to the way this veteran Massively column works, so I wanted to take some time to explain how things will work from here on out. In the past, you chose mostly everything for the column's writer to do in a particular game (that you also chose). We've decided to streamline the process and make it more of a three-part "review" of sorts with a fourth part set aside for voting. I will select the game to prevent the recent problems we've had with cheating, and you will choose my path within it. That means there will be one week of voting and three weeks of my impressions of those choices for each game. So let's go ahead and get into the polls for this PlanetSide 2 edition of Choose My Adventure. Continue reading Choose My Adventure: PlanetSide 2 Choose My Adventure: PlanetSide 2 originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 05 Mar 2014 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Fat Chocobo dashing out of Weight Watchers and into Final Fantasy XIV Posted: 05 Mar 2014 12:30 PM PST |
| Leaderboard: Are you concerned about Elder Scrolls Online's PvP focus? Posted: 05 Mar 2014 12:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, PvP, Opinion, Leaderboard, The Elder Scrolls Online, Subscription The Elder Scrolls Online is a fascinating MMO for a number of reasons. There's the obvious triple-A budget and mega-popular IP, but apart from that the game appears to feature highly customizable skill-based character progression and curiously, a heavy focus on player-vs.-player combat. We say curiously because prior to ESO, the Elder Scrolls series went to great lengths to immerse players in you're-the-savior-of-the-world storylines, which on some level are incompatible with competitive multiplayer PvP. So, how about it, Leaderboard readers? Are you concerned about ESO's PvP pedigree, or are you OK with the IP branching out in new directions? 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: Are you concerned about Elder Scrolls Online's PvP focus? Leaderboard: Are you concerned about Elder Scrolls Online's PvP focus? originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 05 Mar 2014 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Transformers Universe promises that beta is approaching Posted: 05 Mar 2014 11:30 AM PST Filed under: Betas, Sci-Fi, News Items, Kids, Transformers Universe, MOBA It's been a long wait for Transformers Universe hopefuls. The game has gone from MMO to MOBA to MOTA (which is still sort of a MOBA), its release date has been pushed back, and hopeful players could be forgiven for increasingly not expecting the game to ever come out. A new post on the official site confirms, however, that the game is approaching its next beta test in the very near future. Players who hope to be taking part in the beta are asked to fill in their computer specifications, giving the development team valuable information about the game's performance on various machines. They should also keep a close eye on their email inboxes; beta invitations will be sent out based in part upon the specifications filled in on the official site. So keep the faith, and before long you too could be swapping forms and blowing up other Transformers all over the place. Transformers Universe promises that beta is approaching originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 05 Mar 2014 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| RIFT previews its new soul, the Liberator Posted: 05 Mar 2014 11:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Classes, Patches, Previews, News Items, Free-to-Play, RIFT, Subscription The new souls being added to RIFT in the game's 2.7 patch are meant to allow every class to perform every single role in the game. So how will that even work? What will Warriors with heals really look like? You could wait until tomorrow to find out on the official site... or you could take a look at MMORPG.com's preview of the new soul, the Liberator, along with a small sample of its associated lore. Liberators aren't meant to be passive healers; the soul specializes in wading into the fray while sporting excellent group and area heals. In other words, it's still very much a Warrior occupation, but the focus is less upon hurting things and more upon using the energy of combat to help others recover. While the full explanation of the soul's specific abilities will be up tomorrow, you can still get a taste of the lore and concept by looking at the preview. RIFT previews its new soul, the Liberator originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 05 Mar 2014 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Ubisoft teases more screenshots for The Division Posted: 05 Mar 2014 10:30 AM PST |
| Aion's Black Cloud Marketplace celebrates in-game grand opening, deals and freebies ensue Posted: 05 Mar 2014 10:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Aion, News Items, Free-to-Play, Promotions Usually when a store opens in a new location, a grand opening celebration soon follows. Aion's Black Cloud Marketplace is no different. Starting today, players can access the marketplace right from inside the game instead of having to tab out to buy items on the official site. And to celebrate this grand in-game opening, NCsoft is offering a free pet and a special deal! From now until March 12th, players can get a permanent Palmist Acarun pet (a three-headed baby dragon) through the in-game store. Additionally, the winning Shugo Aethertech design by player EMPIREinWAR will become available for purchase; those who grab theirs before the 12th will get 20% off the purchase price. Check out the new Aethertech in the new images below. [Source: NCsoft press release] Aion's Black Cloud Marketplace celebrates in-game grand opening, deals and freebies ensue originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 05 Mar 2014 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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A small form factor skeleton with one-touch overclocking
Re-engineering the mechanical switch
Unified memory is one of the bigger feature additions to CUDA 6
They say a picture is worth 1,000 words, though if you post a copyrighted image without the owner's consent, it can actually be worth more than that. Much more. One of the most difficult parts about running a frequently updated website or blog is finding amusing images that are legal to use (hello, Creative Commons!). However, it's about to get a lot easier thanks to Getty Images, the world's largest photos service. In a surprise move, Getty Images is freeing up around 35 million photos from its collection spanning over a hundred years so that websites and bloggers can post them without getting smacked in the face by a lawsuit.
Don't go shoveling dirt on DX12's grave
