General Gaming Article

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• HP May Leapfrog Lenovo in Notebook Shipments This Year
• Here's What AMD's Dual-GPU Radeon R9 295 X2 Graphics Card Could Look Like
• Microsoft Contest Uncovers Prime Number Over 324,000 Digits Long
• Buffalo Stuffs TeraStation 7120r NAS with 6TB HGST Ultrastar Helium HDDs, Won't Float Away
• Newegg Daily Deals: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit, AMD 760K Richland, and More!

HP May Leapfrog Lenovo in Notebook Shipments This Year Posted: 01 Apr 2014 11:41 AM PDT Hewlett-Packard jumps off to a fast start with 7 million notebook shipments in Q1 If Hewlett-Packard can maintain its current pace, there's a good chance it will close out the year with more laptop shipments under its belt than rival Lenovo, the world's largest supplier of PCs (a distinction once held by HP not that long ago). It's still early, but preliminary numbers show that HP shipped 7 million notebooks in the first quarter of 2014, which is 1 million more than some were expecting. These figures from Digitimes' sources within the upstream supply chain. They were expecting HP to ship 6 million laptops in Q1, which would have put HP behind Lenovo's 6.6 million units. That means it's going to be a closer race than anticipated, as Lenovo is expected to ship 28.3 million laptops by the end the year. We could be looking at a photo finish. However it unfolds, it's bad news for Acer and Asus, both of which are being impacted by better-than-expected sales by its top-tier rivals. Acer may have been hit the hardest, as sources believe the company suffered a 15 percent sequential drop in laptop shipments in Q1. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Here's What AMD's Dual-GPU Radeon R9 295 X2 Graphics Card Could Look Like Posted: 01 Apr 2014 09:20 AM PDT AMD's dual-GPU card might rock a hybrid cooling solution It's good practice to take Internet rumors with a healthy dose of skepticism, especially on April Fool's Day. Got it? Good, now we can continue with what are claimed to be the first photos of AMD's rumored Radeon R9 295 X2, a dual-GPU graphics card that some have surmised could carry a massive 500W TDP. If that's true, a gnarly cooling solution would be mandatory, and certainly that's what these early photos show. Chinese language website Chip Hell posted a couple photos of what the author says is AMD's upcoming card, and to keep the two GPUs chilly, it's shown with a dual-slot hybrid cooler. It essentially combines a self-contained liquid cooler with a traditional air cooling shroud to give the card a double dose of cooling potential. It's a funky looking design and one that's sure to draw criticism if AMD goes forward with a setup like this, especially since Nvidia hasn't needed to resort to anything this extravagant. At the same time, it's believed that each GPU carries a 250W TDP, so with two of those underneath the hood, it wouldn't be shocking if AMD used a hybrid cooling solution. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Microsoft Contest Uncovers Prime Number Over 324,000 Digits Long Posted: 01 Apr 2014 08:45 AM PDT Playing with prime numbers There's a fascination among math enthusiasts with discovering prime numbers, and lucky for them, the world will never run out of them. To put that into perspective, the winner of a contest intended to introduce people to the future of complex computing in the cloud discovered a prime number 342,000 digits long. That's an immensely long number, though still nowhere close to the longest prime number ever discovered, which checks in at 17,425,170 digits. Over 400 people signed up to participate in Microsoft's Prime Challenge since it launched last year. The contest is now over with a user who goes by "PHunterLau" emerging as the winner. "Thanks to everyone that took part in The Prime Challenge, and of course huge congratulations to the winner - PHunterLau," said Steve Plank, Cloud Computing and STEM Evangelist at Microsoft. "We've shown that with a bit of determination, some computing resource and possibly a bit of luck here and there, we can advance knowledge in mathematics." "However, as an industry and a nation we must do more to maintain the interest in maths, as well as science, technology and engineering. We mustn't allow the interest in STEM skills to continue to decline," continued Plank. "This challenge has shown a critical intersection between technological components and skills." Microsoft said that many of the contestants had never used cloud computing before, though they made quick work of their free Microsoft Azure subscriptions to build and configure servers. On the other end of the spectrum, several participants used mathematical tools that already existed, such as Marcel Martin's Primo, while some wrote their own code. What's the big deal with prime numbers? They have real-world uses, such as creating public key cryptography algorithms used to secure nearly all online data transfers, Microsoft says. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Buffalo Stuffs TeraStation 7120r NAS with 6TB HGST Ultrastar Helium HDDs, Won't Float Away Posted: 01 Apr 2014 08:07 AM PDT Industry's first enterprise-class NAS to use helium-filled HDDs We imagine Buffalo's TeraStation 7120r enterprise-class NAS box talks to end users in a funny high-pitched voice as they walk around holding the thing on a string like a balloon. None of that is true, of course, though it is the first NAS box of its kind to come with a belly stuffed full of 6TB HGST Ultrastar helium-filled hard drives, up to 72TB total capacity (TS-2RZH72T12). The 12-bay RAID 2U rackmount NAS comes with an Intel Xeon E3-1275 quad-core processor clocked at 3.4GHz, 8GB of DDR3 RAM, quad Intel NICs with 10-gigabit support, half a dozen USB 2.0 ports, redundant hot plug PSUs and fans, two PCi-Express expansion slots, and support for various RAID and storage configurations (RAID 0/1/5/6/10/51/61/JBOD). "Buffalo has a proven track record of delivering products that utilize the latest technological advancements in the storage and networking sectors," said Brian Verenkoff, director of product management at Buffalo Americas, Inc. "We are excited to embrace HGST's revolutionary Ultrastar He6 helium-filled hard drives to offer the industry's largest capacity 2U NAS solution, with the goal of lowering TCO for high-capacity enterprise applications and datacenters."' There are some TCO benefits to using HGST's helium HDDs compared to a typical 3.5-inch air-filled 5 platter 4TB HDD. They include 50 percent more capacity at 6TB, 23 percent lower idle power at 5.3W, 49 percent better watts-per-terabyte, 4-5C cooler operation, and 50g lighter weight at 640g. These benefits don't come cheap. The TeraStation 7120r Enterprise 72TB TS-2RZH72T12D will be available in the U.S. for an estimated $20,000 MSRP. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Newegg Daily Deals: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit, AMD 760K Richland, and More! Posted: 01 Apr 2014 07:36 AM PDT Top Deal: For the same reason you wouldn't dress up in a deer costume during hunting season and go romping through the woods, you may not want to keep your PC dressed in Windows XP as you travel through the web, lest you fancy being the prey. You have options, such as today's top deal which is once gain for Windows 7 Home Premium w/ SPI 64-bit for $85 with free shipping (normally $100 - use coupon code: [EMCPGHB45]). Just think, if Microsoft supports Windows 7 as long as it XP, we won't need to have this conversation again for another 8 years! Other Deals: Adata DashDrive UV128 16GB Flash Drive for $9 with free shipping (normally $15 - use coupon code: [EMCPGHB26]) G.Skill Ares Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory for $138 with free shipping (normally $153 - use coupon code: [EMCPGHB34]) AMD 760K Richland 3.8GHz Socket FM2 100W Quad-Core Desktop Processor for $82 with free shipping (normally $90 - use coupon code: [EMCPGHB48]) IN WIN GRone White 0.8mm SECC Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case for $100 with free shipping (normally $110 - use coupon code: [EMCPGHB54])

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MMO Updates

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• Guild Wars 2 inflates your character's head
• Roberts praises Oculus-Facebook deal, says Star Citizen will remain independent
• Massively's Elder Scrolls launch diary: Day two - Skills and progression
• The Massively April Fools' Day Quest
• The Daily Grind: Should WoW's garrisons count as 'housing'?
• Not So Massively: Diablo III's expansion, LoL's team builder, and the Oculus Rift acquisition
• The Stream Team: Goodbye, Free Realms
• World of Tanks unveils new 7v7 combat mode
• Final Fantasy XIV teases human-NPC relationship system
• Neverwinter spoofs game-within-a-game
• Shards Online developers plan for a player-run MMO
• Darkfall's getting PvE dailies, and no, it's not April Fools' Day yet
• The Stream Team: Adventuring in The Elder Scrolls Online's early access

Guild Wars 2 inflates your character's head Posted: 01 Apr 2014 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, News Items, Guild Wars 2, Humor, Buy-to-Play So everyone thought that Guild Wars 2 was just going to do Super Adventure Box again. But no, this year is going a different route. After all, you're super important in the game, aren't you? So why not let all of that importance go straight to your cranium? The designers have turned on the game's big head mode, and it's probably going to significantly improve your experience within the game as a whole. Maybe. Who knows, it could happen. The point is that the super adventure is now in your skull, which is greatly engorged, and you can log into the game right now to start playing with the biggest head your character has ever had in Tyria. Bigger even than Trahearne's head! Check out the full infographic on the update just past the break (click for a larger version) and enjoy the new visuals as you head into battle. [Source: ArenaNet press release] Continue reading Guild Wars 2 inflates your character's head Guild Wars 2 inflates your character's head originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 01 Apr 2014 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Roberts praises Oculus-Facebook deal, says Star Citizen will remain independent Posted: 01 Apr 2014 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Business Models, Culture, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Sandbox, Crowdfunding, Star Citizen, Buy-to-Play Star Citizen topped $41 million in crowdfunding yesterday, and Cloud Imperium boss Chris Roberts penned a new Letter from the Chairman as a result. The latest stretch goal unlocked the procedural generation R&D team, but perhaps more notably it served as an opportunity for Roberts to weigh in on the Oculus-Facebook debate and reassure Star Citizen fans of the game's independence. Roberts explained how Facebook's investment will help defer the obscene manufacturing and supply chain costs involved in bringing new hardware to the mass market. He also pointed out that Star Citizen features none of those costs, so there's no desire to sell to a larger firm. "We don't need to go to anyone with deep pockets to make our dream a reality," Roberts wrote. "Luckily our ships are digital so we have hardly any cost of goods, just the cost of developing the universe of Star Citizen and running servers that Star Citizen's universe will be simulated on. Thanks to the generosity of the Star Citizen community we have these two things covered." Roberts praises Oculus-Facebook deal, says Star Citizen will remain independent originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 01 Apr 2014 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: $41 million

Massively's Elder Scrolls launch diary: Day two - Skills and progression Posted: 01 Apr 2014 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Classes, Game Mechanics, Launches, MMO Industry, New Titles, PvE, Opinion, Hands-On, The Elder Scrolls Online, Subscription Never in 15-plus years of MMO gaming have I been so bewildered when it comes to picking a main class and character. Part of this is because I ignored The Elder Scrolls Online prior to March 30th. So I'm drinking from the information firehose in terms of game mechanics while simultaneously trying to keep up with friends. The other part of it stems from the fact that ESO has an absurd amount of build customizability. I'm glad it has only four classes instead of six or eight because six or eight would probably send me over the decisional paralysis edge and into some sort of fugue state. I think for the purposes of this launch week diary -- and my own sanity -- I'm just going to stick with my Redguard Nightblade and forge ahead. There. Done. Maybe. Continue reading Massively's Elder Scrolls launch diary: Day two - Skills and progression Massively's Elder Scrolls launch diary: Day two - Skills and progression originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 01 Apr 2014 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Massively April Fools' Day Quest Posted: 01 Apr 2014 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Contests, Events (Real-World), Humor, Miscellaneous As a citizen of the internet, you know what to expect on April Fools' Day: lots of sites trying to trick you into believing outrageous lies or attempting to make you laugh. As Massively is a paragon of both truth and humorlessness in journalism, we promise to do neither today. Instead, we challenge you to a quest: a Massively April Fools' Day Quest. We have created a super-secret page here on the site that can be discovered only by finding five special words. So your task is to play scavenger hunt with our posts today -- specifically, to look at the tags at the bottom of each post that goes out during the day and find five separate tags (total) that clearly do not belong with the rest. All posts published today are eligible! Once you find these five words, you'll use them to assemble the url, starting with "massively.joystiq.com/" and then adding the five words separated by hyphens. For example, if the five words were apple, banana, pear, mango, kiwi, you could try "massively.joystiq.com/apple-banana-pear-mango-kiwi" to see if that worked. Yes, part of the challenge of the quest is to experiment with the order of the words because there is only one path to the solution. If you complete the quest, please be a good sport and keep the answer to yourself. The first person to figure out the solution and leave us a tip with the correct answer in it will have his or her name added to this post and will forevermore be internet famous. Good luck! The Massively April Fools' Day Quest originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 01 Apr 2014 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Daily Grind: Should WoW's garrisons count as 'housing'? Posted: 01 Apr 2014 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous, Housing, Subscription, MMORPG Every time we cover World of Warcraft's upcoming garrison feature -- the one that will grant an upgradeable town to every WoW player -- someone scoffs that it's not housing and shouldn't be considered such. And to the extent that it isn't a house or a zone that you can customize tile by tile or object by object like some of the more epic housing systems in MMOland, I'd agree. Even WoW Insider's Matt Rossi wrote that the garrison system seemed more like "bringing the RTS [genre's] whole 'construct a base, generate resources, use them for battle' gameplay into the MMO" than like the game's farms, let alone like traditional houses where you can stash your loot. Still, I have to wonder how that's so different from a housing system like WildStar's, which also attempts to create a private and mechanically useful space for players rather than offer a purely creative, mercantile, or social space. What do you think: Should WoW's garrisons count as MMO housing, or are they just upjumped farms? 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: Should WoW's garrisons count as 'housing'? originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 01 Apr 2014 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Not So Massively: Diablo III's expansion, LoL's team builder, and the Oculus Rift acquisition Posted: 31 Mar 2014 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Business Models, Events (Real-World), Events (In-Game), News Items, Free-to-Play, Massively Meta, Miscellaneous, Not So Massively, MOBA, Crowdfunding Welcome back to No So Massively, where every Monday we round up the highlights from the past week in the world of MOBAs, roguelikes, MMOTCGs, and other games that aren't quite MMOs. It's been a week of launches in the MOBA and multiplayer ARPG world! Diablo III officially launched, entering the UK sales charts at number six. SMITE made its launch official as well and kicked off a giant tournament with massive money prizes. MOBA Prime World officially launched its western version. Shadowrun Online's Steam early access begins today. Facebook bought up the Oculus Rift VR company for two billion buckaroos. Infinite Crisis announced new character Nightmare Superman coming in April. League of Legends formally launched its new team builder. Heroes of the Storm previewed character Tyrael in a new video just after the break. Continue reading Not So Massively: Diablo III's expansion, LoL's team builder, and the Oculus Rift acquisition Not So Massively: Diablo III's expansion, LoL's team builder, and the Oculus Rift acquisition originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 31 Mar 2014 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Stream Team: Goodbye, Free Realms Posted: 31 Mar 2014 05:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Events (In-Game), Free-to-Play, Massively Meta, Hands-On, Free Realms, Livestream, The Stream Team, Sunsets, MMORPG Since 2009, Free Realms has entertained children and adults with go-kart racing, playing trading card games, and of course, being a ninja. Unfortunately, even the good MMOs must end. Join Massively's Larry Everett and his son at 7:30 p.m. EDT as they take one more lap around Free Realms and maybe catch one more demolition derby. Game: Free Realms Host: Larry Everett Date: Monday, March 31st, 2014 Time: 7:30 p.m. EDT Enjoy our Stream Team video below. Continue reading The Stream Team: Goodbye, Free Realms The Stream Team: Goodbye, Free Realms originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 31 Mar 2014 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

World of Tanks unveils new 7v7 combat mode Posted: 31 Mar 2014 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Historical, Video, Game Mechanics, Patches, PvP, News Items, War, Free-to-Play, World of Tanks, Dev Diaries Wargaming.net has just announced a brand-new combat mode for its tank-flavored MMO World of Tanks. The mode is a 7v7 random battles mode called Labyrinth. David Bowie is not included, but a new vehicle is: The only vehicle available in the upcoming mode will be the German self-propelled gun Karl-Gerät that will be added with Update 1.04 as well. Tankers will also get an original battle arena, developed specially for Labyrinth, as well as a new medal, awarded for exceptional performance in the new mode. The translated version of the latest WoT developer diary discusses the new combat mode in depth; we've got it embedded below. [Source: Wargaming press release] Continue reading World of Tanks unveils new 7v7 combat mode World of Tanks unveils new 7v7 combat mode originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 31 Mar 2014 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Final Fantasy XIV teases human-NPC relationship system Posted: 31 Mar 2014 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Humor, Final Fantasy XIV, Subscription Well it's April 1st already, at least in Japan, and Final Fantasy XIV has something to contribute to this off-beat day: a Favour system for the game. Allegedly, this system will help players curry favor with NPCs and develop relationships with them because that's not creepy at all. To build an NPC's affection, players will have to perform certain tasks, hand out gifts, and even sport a particular look because that's not demeaning at all. As a player rises in affection, he or she will move to later "phases" and have access to new features (such as minigames) and interactions with the NPC. So if you've ever wanted to start a relationship with a cute NPC that will result in an over-possessive, jealous lover who will deny you the ability to group with members of the opposite sex, here you go. Because that's not bizarre at all. Final Fantasy XIV teases human-NPC relationship system originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 31 Mar 2014 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Introducing the Favour system

Neverwinter spoofs game-within-a-game Posted: 31 Mar 2014 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Events (Real-World), Free-to-Play, Humor, Neverwinter Neverwinter has jumped the gun on April Fools' Day with its "preview" of Respen's Marvelous Game. The idea is that Neverwinter will add a game-within-a-game, allowing characters in the MMO to sit down and engage in some good ol' fashion tabletop D&D: "Respen's Marvelous Game takes place atop a table, with your character being transformed into a miniature statuette. This new event will challenge you on a whole new level. Now you will know what it is like to be on the other side of a tabletop game!" Of course, this is just a joke. Or is it? Cryptic teased the possibility of earning a green slime companion and said that it will be revealing more details tomorrow. Neverwinter spoofs game-within-a-game originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 31 Mar 2014 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Respen's Marvelous Game

Shards Online developers plan for a player-run MMO Posted: 31 Mar 2014 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Game Mechanics, New Titles, News Items More or less every MMO starts up its advertising with some trace of the idea that you can play however you want. Not every MMO talks about the idea of letting players run the servers at the top level, however. But that's what Shards Online is aiming to provide. A recent interview with the developers discusses the idea, with studio co-founder Derek Brinkmann explaining that it's one of the first steps to dismantling the idea that the designers have to tell you how to enjoy yourself. Citadel Studios is a team made up of former Ultima Online developers who wondered why more games haven't embraced the idea of taking live events to their logical conclusion with modern technology. Shards Online is set in a multiverse, with several different worlds featuring slightly different rules, while players can tweak the overall structure to their individual preferences by running their own servers. The game is in development for Windows, Linux, and Mac, with an alpha expected later this year. Shards Online developers plan for a player-run MMO originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 31 Mar 2014 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Polygon

Darkfall's getting PvE dailies, and no, it's not April Fools' Day yet Posted: 31 Mar 2014 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Darkfall, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, News Items, PvE, Sandbox, Subscription From the things-I-never-thought-I'd-type category, here's a story about Darkfall adding PvE dailies. Aventurine calls them feats in keeping with the PvP title's Unholy Wars progression system, and "there are several personal PvE daily feats that require specific monsters to be killed in order to be completed." The firm is also adding weekly feats, which, like the dailies, will reward prowess and occasional material rewards like raw resources. [Thanks Dengar!] Darkfall's getting PvE dailies, and no, it's not April Fools' Day yet originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 31 Mar 2014 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: DF forums

The Stream Team: Adventuring in The Elder Scrolls Online's early access Posted: 31 Mar 2014 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Video, New Titles, Livestream, The Elder Scrolls Online, The Stream Team For those with early access, life began for real in The Elder Scrolls Online yesterday. Not one to be left behind, Massively's MJ has jumped in on her new Redguard and is working her way out of the beginner lands in order to acquire all possible lore and read every text. Oh, and pilfer too! With nimble fingers and prying eyes, no loaf of bread nor locked drawer will be safe! Join us live at 1:00 p.m. EDT for her jump start into adventure. Game: The Elder Scrolls Online Host: MJ Guthrie Date: Monday, March 31st, 2014 Time: 1:00 p.m. EDT Enjoy our Stream Team video below. Continue reading The Stream Team: Adventuring in The Elder Scrolls Online's early access The Stream Team: Adventuring in The Elder Scrolls Online's early access originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 31 Mar 2014 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

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MMORPG News

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• General: 2014 April Fool's Day Round Up
• ArcheAge: This Week's AA News Round Up
• Elder Scrolls Online: There’s Nothing like Launch
• Shadowrun Online: Early Access Begins on Steam
• Neverwinter: Respen’s Marvelous Game Incoming
• Therian Saga: Beta Test An AMMOMRPG
• Guild Wars 2: Change is a Good Thing, Right?
• Prime World: Release Date Arrives with New Multi-Language Support

General: 2014 April Fool's Day Round Up Posted: 01 Apr 2014 07:29 AM PDT Nothing spites a news manager more than the arrival of April 1st and the attendant, and expected, games industry jokes. To celebrate the day, we've rounded up April Fool's pranks for your amusement into one convenient feature that we will update throughout the day. Keep your eyes right here to see the industry's best!

ArcheAge: This Week's AA News Round Up Posted: 30 Mar 2014 05:28 PM PDT A bit over a week ago GDC kicked off and with it came more ArcheAge news from Trion Worlds. More specifically, Producer Victoria Voss, Community Manager Evan Berman, and CEO Scott Hartsman were on the scene! If you haven't been following our column on ArcheAge, Bill Murphy's preview provides an informative overview on AA. Whereas Som Pourfarzaneh's preview gives a closer look to the sandbox side of the game.

Elder Scrolls Online: There’s Nothing like Launch Posted: 29 Mar 2014 05:07 PM PDT We're on the verge of a couple of major launches. The first, The Elder Scrolls Online will already have had its first early access players by the time you read this. The other, WildStar, is coming in just about two months. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to discuss MMO launches, and why, despite the bumps and kinks, it is one of the best times for establishing community.

Shadowrun Online: Early Access Begins on Steam Posted: 31 Mar 2014 12:28 PM PDT Shadowrun Online has now officially entered its early access phase of development and can be played via the Steam gaming platform. The early access content includes a "prequel" to the upcoming full release version of the game.

Neverwinter: Respen’s Marvelous Game Incoming Posted: 31 Mar 2014 12:06 PM PDT Neverwinter players will have the opportunity to partake of Respen's Marvelous Game from April 1st-4th. It's way too hard to explain, so the official word will instead: Respen's Marvelous game is "a digital game version of a tabletop game based upon the real world tabletop game that the digital game they are currently playing is actually based upon."

Therian Saga: Beta Test An AMMOMRPG Posted: 30 Mar 2014 04:44 PM PDT AMMOMRPG = AsynchronousMMOManagementRP - (That's not serious) Hi everyone, I'm François Desrosiers, designer at Virtys. I wanted to start my developer journal with an invitation to our open beta, so we all know what I'm talking about. My goal with the journal is to give you the story of a project that started small and got far bigger than we had expected. Hope you like it.

Guild Wars 2: Change is a Good Thing, Right? Posted: 30 Mar 2014 04:36 PM PDT For an MMO to be successful, it needs to constantly evolve in order to keep the interest of the players. ArenaNet has been changing Guild Wars 2 since its launch, but none of that will compare to the changes we're about to witness! April seems to focus on players having an easier time playing the game, which I'm always for, but I still have a few concerns.

Prime World: Release Date Arrives with New Multi-Language Support Posted: 31 Mar 2014 08:13 AM PDT Nival has announced that its MMO, RPG, strategy MOBA, Prime World, has officially hit release around the world. After a long beta, the team implemented many suggestions made by fans and players. With today's release also comes the news that the game now features fully localized versions in German and French.

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