MMO Updates

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• The Road to Mordor: What would Lord of the Rings Online 2 look like?
• WRUP: Nostalgia is an insult in MMOland
• The Daily Grind: How old is your gaming machine?
• A new beastmen race is headed to Allods Online
• Betawatch: May 10 - 16, 2014
• Xsyon's Raccoon Roundup kicks off a summer of in-game events
• Darkfall details Crafting Orders
• ZeniMax invites you to watch other people play The Elder Scrolls Online
• PlanetSide 2 explains new implant system
• WAR40K: Eternal Crusade creates entire planet from scratch
• The Stream Team: Peeking in Black Gold Online's beta
• Marvel Heroes introduces One-Shots!
• War Thunder launches Ground Forces, complete with trailer

The Road to Mordor: What would Lord of the Rings Online 2 look like? Posted: 17 May 2014 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Opinion, Free-to-Play, The Road to Mordor It's safe to say that I've been around the block a time or two in this column, and as such I've grown quite familiar with a few of the war chants that some players like to spout in every single comment section. Yes, the character visuals are off-putting and a travesty that should be investigated by the United Nations. Yes, Turbine is a sinister money-grubbing organization with no love for the game, only for your wallet. Oh, it's not enough to say it once; there's a comment quota to be had! But the one that both makes me roll my eyes the most and makes me think a bit is the comment that states that the franchise should be given to some other studio to make, I dunno, Lord of the Rings Online II: Shire Reckoning. It's an interesting thought exercise that I feel has very little possibility of ever happening. Turbine has the license for at least a few more years, and anything past that would require Warner Bros. and the Tolkien estate to be convinced that a Lord of the Rings MMO could be done better and made more profitable elsewhere. Wishful thinking is one thing, but practical reality is another. However, let's say for the sake of argument that the commenters got their way and Brandybuck Studios was commissioned to make a new MMO for Middle-earth. What would it look like? Continue reading The Road to Mordor: What would Lord of the Rings Online 2 look like? The Road to Mordor: What would Lord of the Rings Online 2 look like? originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 17 May 2014 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

WRUP: Nostalgia is an insult in MMOland Posted: 17 May 2014 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Massively Meta, Miscellaneous Welcome back to Massively's What Are You Playing, the game where we tell you what we're playing this weekend and you tell us that we love games only because of nostalgia, but the games you love are real and true and objectively awesome! Continue reading WRUP: Nostalgia is an insult in MMOland WRUP: Nostalgia is an insult in MMOland originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 17 May 2014 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Daily Grind: How old is your gaming machine? Posted: 17 May 2014 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous The other day I was perusing my digital photo albums to look for pictures for Mother's Day. It was then that I spotted unboxing photos from my current desktop computer, and I realized that I had purchased this sometime between the births of my first and second kids. That put the computer's age in the four-plus range, which stunned me. Is it that old? I've been thinking about upgrading for a while, but I didn't think it was already outside of the three-year lifespan that I usually ascribe to my main machine. I guess I didn't notice because I've never had problems running MMOs on that computer (a newer graphics card certainly helped). It does concern me that there might be a day coming when my system requirements are sub-par, however. How old is your gaming machine? Do you have a top-of-the-line 2014 model or are you playing World of Warcraft on a TRS-80? 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 old is your gaming machine? originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 17 May 2014 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

A new beastmen race is headed to Allods Online Posted: 16 May 2014 07:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Patches, Previews, News Items, Free-to-Play, Races, Allods Online Earlier this month, Russian developer Mail.ru announced the new Praydenov (Praiden) race for steampunk MMO Allods Online. Though we don't know for sure when or whether English-speaking players will get to play as these beastmen, Russians will be rolling up the furry creatures this fall. There's scant English news on the race so far, but at least according to the Mail.ru site, the race is a mixture of a wolf, lynx, bear, marten, and fox. Tipster tandarighttanon (many thanks for the translation!) tells us the Praiden are a "neutral race that you can play till level 20, then you must choose your faction." The official site includes a gallery of additional mounts and critters destined for the game in the same patch. A new beastmen race is headed to Allods Online originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 16 May 2014 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Praiden race gallery, Mail.ru announcement

Betawatch: May 10 - 16, 2014 Posted: 16 May 2014 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Events (Real-World), MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Massively Meta, Betawatch, Miscellaneous WildStar's open beta has not been without complications this week as the promised guild and character name reservation system suffered numerous outages, resulting in apologies and compensation for affected pre-order players. What else is new in the land of MMO betas? Dungeon Fighter Online returns to the west with a brand-new alpha test. Elite: Dangerous' alpha 4 has begun. Black Gold Online entered closed beta; we had a look via livestream earlier today. Landmark posted a summary of its closed beta activities this past week. World of Warcraft pubbed a first look at the Night Elf models coming in Warlords of Draenor. Auto Club Revolution announced closed beta coming on June 16th. Astro Lords, a new MMORTS, is due to hit closed beta on June 10th. War Thunder's Ground Forces expansion has left beta and is now live. Black Desert's Korean closed beta has drawn to a close. Enjoy the full Betawatch roundup below! Continue reading Betawatch: May 10 - 16, 2014 Betawatch: May 10 - 16, 2014 originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 16 May 2014 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Xsyon's Raccoon Roundup kicks off a summer of in-game events Posted: 16 May 2014 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Events (In-Game), Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, News Items, PvE, Xsyon, Post-Apocalyptic, Sandbox Notorious Games is hosting a series of events this summer in Xsyon, its player-driven post-apocalyptic sandbox MMORPG. The festivities start Saturday, May 17th with the Raccoon Roundup, a combat event that sees players hunting wild raccoons in a "hectic competition to become the Raccoon Rajah." The latest Notorious press release says that the hunt will happen on Xsyon's PvE and PvP servers, as will upcoming races, obstacle courses, scavenger hunts, skill contests, combat arenas, architecture competitions, "and much more." [Source: Notorious Games press release] Continue reading Xsyon's Raccoon Roundup kicks off a summer of in-game events Xsyon's Raccoon Roundup kicks off a summer of in-game events originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 16 May 2014 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Darkfall details Crafting Orders Posted: 16 May 2014 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Darkfall, Events (In-Game), Sandbox, Crafting If you're a particularly skilled crafter in Darkfall, you might be interested to hear more about the new Crafting Order system that allows you to create items for other players who place an order and provide you with needed materials. This changes crafting to a profession, "rather than something that everyone has to do," according to a post on the official forums. "Orders are anonymous and are processed in the order they were placed (first come - first served)," the post from Community Lead Unuldur states. "Crafting an order will provide a player with the same amount of skillup and prowess as if crafting the same item for themselves." This weekend also marks a special occasion to celebrate the upcoming prowess points respec with a Double Dye Drop Rate event and 2000 free prowess points for anyone with an active account as of May 31. Check out the official threads linked below for more info. [Thanks to Dengar for the tip!] Darkfall details Crafting Orders originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 16 May 2014 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Event thread, Crafting Orders thread

ZeniMax invites you to watch other people play The Elder Scrolls Online Posted: 16 May 2014 03:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Contests, Events (In-Game), Game Mechanics, Previews, News Items, PvE, Dungeons, The Elder Scrolls Online, Subscription ZeniMax has just announced a streamed Elder Scrolls Online competition in which selected guilds will rush through one of the brand-new trials launching with the Craglorn patch... and you can tune in to watch them succeed or fail live on Twitch this coming Saturday. Trials are intended as 12-player raids with hardcore mechanics like limited resurrections and complex encounters. "When it's all over," says the studio, "the guild with the best Aetherian Archive completion time (if [it] can finish!) will be declared the winner." Here's the complete schedule of start times on Saturday and Twitch channels for each guild: 2:00 p.m. EDT (8:00 p.m. CEST): German Allstars, Reddithium 3:00 p.m. EDT (9:00 p.m. CEST): BIG Nation, Resurrection 4:00 p.m. EDT (10:00 p.m. CEST): Entropy Rising, Fate 5:00 p.m. EDT (11:00 p.m. CEST): The Noore ZeniMax invites you to watch other people play The Elder Scrolls Online originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 16 May 2014 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: ZeniMax blog

PlanetSide 2 explains new implant system Posted: 16 May 2014 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Video, Game Mechanics, Free-to-Play, MMOFPS, Dev Diaries PlanetSide 2 has loot for the first-time ever in the form of implants. The ins and outs of this brand-new system are explained in-depth in a new dev video. Players begin with an enhanced targeting implant (that tosses up player names and health bars onto the HUD) but can swap those out for more interesting ones, such as implants that protect you from fall damage or that mark players who have shot you. Implants need a charge to function, and players can either earn or pay for chargers to power these. SOE said that it is definitely listening to players for ideas for future implants. Check out the full video after the break and let us know what you think of this system! Continue reading PlanetSide 2 explains new implant system PlanetSide 2 explains new implant system originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 16 May 2014 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Dev Highlights: Implants

WAR40K: Eternal Crusade creates entire planet from scratch Posted: 16 May 2014 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-Fi, MMOFPS, Warhammer 40k, Dev Diaries While nobody can claim that the Warhammer 40,000 universe is lacking in locations, the team over at Behaviour Interactive thought it was important enough to create a new planet specifically for Eternal Crusade's setting. Art Director Ghislain Barbe talks about the planet Arkhona in his latest dev diary, saying that it lies smack dab "in the dead center of a void of systems." Arkhona used to be home to the Xenos, but now is ground zero for a five-way tug-of-war when it's not trying to tear itself apart with natural disasters. Or as Barbe puts it, "Death has come to Arkhona and it is ready for a second service." The look of the planet is replete with abandoned structures, shattered chasms, and diverse environments. Barbe also mentioned that one of the priorities of the art team is to support tons of customization. "Lots of research was done to see how far we could push what we offer without harming game performance," he said. WAR40K: Eternal Crusade creates entire planet from scratch originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 16 May 2014 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Visions of Arkhona

The Stream Team: Peeking in Black Gold Online's beta Posted: 16 May 2014 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Video, Livestream, Steampunk, Black Gold You've heard about Black Gold Online, now see it! Massively's MJ is jumping into the closed beta to show off character customization and delve into the newbie gameplay experience. Don't miss this opportunity to get a glimpse of the different factions in this upcoming RvR title that pits magic against technology. Join us live at 3:00 p.m. as we pry open these beta doors and peek inside. Game: Black Gold Online Host: MJ Guthrie Date: Friday, May 16th, 2014 Time: 3:00 p.m. EDT Enjoy our Stream Team video below. Continue reading The Stream Team: Peeking in Black Gold Online's beta The Stream Team: Peeking in Black Gold Online's beta originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 16 May 2014 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Marvel Heroes introduces One-Shots! Posted: 16 May 2014 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Super-hero, Patches, News Items, Free-to-Play, Marvel Heroes Greetings, True Believers! If you've been enjoying the scintillating storyline swiftly strung throughout Marvel Heroes, you're no doubt happy at the thought of more tantalizing tales of heroes and villains. But when the game is built on a broad base of boundless maps and mazes, where could the writers weave a web of wonder without damaging the delicate designs of Doom's decisive defeat? Why, the answer is simple -- it's time for the game to embrace the might Marvel One-Shot! One-Shots are episodes carefully crafted to comic concerns, focused on isolated incidents rather than breaking up the flow of the central narrative structure. The first one pits heroes against the sinister schemes of Man-Ape as he seeks to subdue the people of Wakanda and ruin the regency of Wakanda's rightful ruler, Black Panther. Any hero of level 20 or above who's cheering for a change of pace can pick up the One-Shot by selecting the Terminal from any waypoint, so by all means, jump in the next time you're in the game. Excelsior! Marvel Heroes introduces One-Shots! originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 16 May 2014 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Introducing One-Shots!

War Thunder launches Ground Forces, complete with trailer Posted: 16 May 2014 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Historical, Trailers, Video, Expansions, Patches, News Items, War, Free-to-Play Have you ever sat down to play War Thunder and thought to yourself that it's missing something? Maybe you have. Maybe you've though that what it really needs is tanks. A lot of them. An entire world of them. They could call it something compelling, like... how about "Planet of Armored Vehicles?" Or Ground Forces, that would make sense too. Especially since that's what the team at Gaijin Entertainment did call it. Yes, the Ground Forces expansion is now live, allowing every player to take part in a landscape of mechanized weaponry. There's a launch trailer just past the cut celebrating the inclusion of this global set of armored artillery, complete with plenty of shots of planes being shot down by anti-air vehicles. So if you like the idea of taking the gameplay out of the air and onto the ground, the game has you covered now. Continue reading War Thunder launches Ground Forces, complete with trailer War Thunder launches Ground Forces, complete with trailer originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 16 May 2014 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Ground Forces trailer

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MMORPG News

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• EVE Online: Earlybird Tickets Go On Sale For Fanfest 2015/EVE Vegas
• General: New RPG Xeno Quest Coming to Android and iOS
• Elsword: Update: Henir's Time and Space Throws Down the Gauntlet
• Phantasy Star Online 2: AsiaSoft Announces SEA English Client Beta for May 29th
• Marvel Heroes: One-Shots Feature 'Snapshots' of the Marvel Universe
• Trove: Dracolyte Voted In as Next Playable Class
• Warhammer 40.000: Eternal Crusade: How the Classic Warhammer Lore Affects the Game
• General: The Week in RPG News - May 16th 2014
• Elite: Dangerous: Alpha 4 Underway, Premium Beta Coming May 30th
• Grand Chase: Redux - Enter: Season 5

EVE Online: Earlybird Tickets Go On Sale For Fanfest 2015/EVE Vegas Posted: 16 May 2014 11:00 PM PDT Icelandic event organizers plan to make EVE Fanfest 2015 a stellar event--literally. Next year's celebration, set for March 19-21 in Reykjavik, Iceland, coincides with a total solar eclipse which NASA says is best viewed from Iceland. Early Birds tickets are now available for both Fanfest 2015 and EVE Vegas which takes place October 17-19th of this year.

General: New RPG Xeno Quest Coming to Android and iOS Posted: 16 May 2014 11:09 PM PDT NGames this week announced the summer release of its new mobile turn-based MMORPG, Xeno Quest. Made with the Unity 3D Engine, the game lets players create powerful Knights, Mages and Hunters and join their friends in a quest for glory.

Elsword: Update: Henir's Time and Space Throws Down the Gauntlet Posted: 16 May 2014 11:21 PM PDT This week, Elsword developer KOG Games intends ups the ante on boss encounters as its latest update, Henir's Time and Space treats players to the most challenging dungeon experience in all of Elsword.

Phantasy Star Online 2: AsiaSoft Announces SEA English Client Beta for May 29th Posted: 16 May 2014 02:22 PM PDT Phantasy Star Online 2 fans will want to take notice that AsiaSoft has announced May 29th as the commencement of the English language beta for the game. According to 2p.com, over one hundred thousand fans have put in to beta test the English client (IP blocked for SEA).

Marvel Heroes: One-Shots Feature 'Snapshots' of the Marvel Universe Posted: 16 May 2014 02:15 PM PDT Marvel Heroes Online players have a new game experience thanks to the arrival of 'one-shots'. According to the dev team, one-shots are designed to give players a snapshot of the larger Marvel Universe and can take place both within and outside of the larger story.

Trove: Dracolyte Voted In as Next Playable Class Posted: 16 May 2014 02:10 PM PDT The Trove community has spoken and it is the Dracolyte that will be featured as a new playable class. The Dracolyte will be free to all players and will make its appearance when the dragon-themed biome is released into Trove.

Warhammer 40.000: Eternal Crusade: How the Classic Warhammer Lore Affects the Game Posted: 16 May 2014 01:58 PM PDT The latest Warhammer 40k: Eternal Crusade newsletter has been published. In it, Art Director Ghislain Barbe discusses how the classic Warhammer lore is affecting the way W40k:EC is being developed and speaks about some of his favorite components of the lore.

General: The Week in RPG News - May 16th 2014 Posted: 14 May 2014 08:47 PM PDT Welcome to the first edition of the RPG Files: Week in Review! Each week we round up the biggest RPG stories from around the web, making it our mission to catch you up on all that's happening in the world of roleplaying games. With our own brand of color commentary, of course. Ready to gather your party and venture forth? Then check your inventory, grab a potion or two, and let's dungeon crawl our way through the week's news!

Elite: Dangerous: Alpha 4 Underway, Premium Beta Coming May 30th Posted: 16 May 2014 09:37 AM PDT Frontier Developments has announced that the Elite: Dangerous Alpha 4 has kicked off and gives players a much-expanded game to explore with more scale, scope and depth. Also included are new ships, trading and much more. Lastly, for those who are premium members, the beta will be available beginning May 30th.

Grand Chase: Redux - Enter: Season 5 Posted: 14 May 2014 08:38 PM PDT Hey Gang, GM Moshup here with all the juicy details about Season 5, the biggest content release in Grand Chase history! With the implementation of Season 5 comes an innovation upshot that combines updates on many aspects of the Grand Chase world and the actual game design itself. This update brings a fresh, vibrant attitude to GC; a streamlined game experience that both veteran and new players alike will truly enjoy. And, the MMORPG guys and girls get all the deets in advance.

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