| Black Gold Online enters open beta today Posted: 20 Jun 2014 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Free-to-Play, Steampunk, Black Gold Snail Games is opening up the coppery patina doors to open beta for its steampunk MMO Black Gold Online today. Interested players can hop in at 5 p.m. EDT (2 p.m. PDT) for a chance to win exclusive in-game items. You can choose to play as either the mechanized Kingdom of Isenhorst or the magic-based Erlandir Union in a war to gain control of a crystallized energy known as Black Gold. "The open beta lets anyone join who is eager to explore and battle throughout our unique bilateral land of steampunk and fantasy," says Jim Tsai, VP of Snail Games USA. "The open beta's massive activity data and player feedback will be leveraged to put the final touches on one of this year's most anticipated MMORPGs prior to its launch later this year." You can find out more about the open beta events and in-game items on the official site. [Source: Snail Games press release]  Black Gold Online enters open beta today originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 20 Jun 2014 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Tamriel Infinium: In which you're told that Elder Scrolls Online kicks ass Posted: 20 Jun 2014 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, MMO Industry, Opinion, The Elder Scrolls Online, Subscription, Tamriel Infinium Welcome back to Tamriel Infinium, folks. I'll be your new writer, but don't worry about Larry. He's alive, well, and we're lucky to have him back at the helm of Hyperspace Beacon here on Massively. I've done plenty of dedicated game columns in the past, but it has been a while, so you'll have to bear with me while I shoot from the hip for a week or three and figure out what's best for this space. One thing I know already is that I dig Elder Scrolls Online, even though that's a pretty unpopular opinion in some quarters. With that in mind, let's poke fun at anti- ESO hipsters after the break, shall we? Continue reading Tamriel Infinium: In which you're told that Elder Scrolls Online kicks ass Tamriel Infinium: In which you're told that Elder Scrolls Online kicks ass originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 20 Jun 2014 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Symantec's COO credits his WoW credentials with boosting his resume Posted: 20 Jun 2014 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Real-Life, Culture Symantec COO Stephen Gillett is proud of his past accomplishments, including high-ranking positions at Starbucks, CNET, and Best Buy. But it may be his level 70 Paladin and Priest in World of Warcraft that got him in the door and up that ladder. Gillett believes that adding his World of Warcraft guild leadership stats to his resume has helped him land these tops jobs. "Here's my guild. Here's my ranking. Here's my biggest online achievement," Gillett said in a CNN interview. "Some people look at it and say, 'What the hell is this?' And others will be like, 'That's exactly what I'm looking for.'" "I think gamification and the way of thinking about it is applicable to any industry," Gillett continued. "Right now we get really good information on malware -- what it does, how it acts. But we have no telemetry on the human part of it -- what people were doing, thinking and believing when they encountered that particular threat." Symantec's COO credits his WoW credentials with boosting his resume originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 20 Jun 2014 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Riot seeks 'culturally aligned' devs, offers cash payouts for quitting Posted: 20 Jun 2014 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Culture, MMO Industry, News Items, Free-to-Play, MOBA, League of Legends League of Legends developer Riot has unveiled an initiative called Queue Dodge which is designed to strengthen the gamemaker's workforce and "reinforce" its internal culture. "We operate on a foundation of shared mission, values, passion, trust, and mutual respect," says the company's announcement post. "If someone gags on the unique flavor of our culture, they'd be doing themselves and the company a disservice to hang on just for the paycheck. Culturally aligned people and teams are more effective, and alignment around mission and values allows us to better serve players. We've designed Queue Dodge to help self-identified mismatches move on in an open, positive, and constructive way." Riot new-hires can opt in to the program during their first 60 days on the job. They will be paid 10 percent of their annual salary -- up to $25,000 -- to leave. Riot seeks 'culturally aligned' devs, offers cash payouts for quitting originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 20 Jun 2014 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Raph Koster on Origin's Privateer Online Posted: 20 Jun 2014 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, News Items, Star Wars Galaxies, Sandbox Raph Koster's thrown up a fairly fascinating blog post detailing one of his Origin projects that never saw the light of day. It was originally codenamed Star Settlers and it featured procedurally generated planets, exploration, resource management, and more. Koster's executive bosses "blew up a huge portion of the design" in favor of fitting the fledgling game into Origin's Wing Commander IP, several online versions of which were already in the works. "Some of them had gotten pretty far -- piles of artwork, design work, and even some tech," Koster writes. Finally a Privateer Online team was assembled, and it cranked out a prototype featuring "radically different" procedural planets, multiplayer space dogfighting, fractal ship customization, modular planetary settlement capabilities, and "a huge pile of lore" written by Wing Commander vets. Though Privateer Online was cancelled in favor of Earth & Beyond and its design docs were burned in a bonfire at Origin's shut-down party, Koster says that many of the developers went on to make Star Wars Galaxies which contained some of the same ideas. Raph Koster on Origin's Privateer Online originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 20 Jun 2014 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Daily Grind: Do you share MMO accounts with your friends? Posted: 20 Jun 2014 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Culture, MMO Industry, Opinion, Massively Meta, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous Account sharing. It's a bad idea. No, it's a terrible idea. It violates most MMO terms of service agreements, and it violates the most basic security principles: Never share your game account. Anything shared can easily be stolen or compromised by someone even less security-aware than you. But if you've been playing MMOs long enough, you've probably shared your account, at least with your spouse or your kids or roommate. And then it spreads. Your guild really needs a main tank for a dungeon run, but you want to get some grub, so you let a guildie play you. You want to dual-box a friend's newbie to catch her up while she's at work. You need someone to log in your toon and refresh your house while you're on vacation. I'm not judging you here; I'm guilty myself. Heck, before I was allowed to join my first guild way back forever ago, I was required to hand over my account info to the recruiting officer to prove I wasn't a spy! And my husband and I pretty much share our characters completely, rules be damned. Do you folks share your MMO accounts with friends, guildies, or relatives? Has it ever come back to haunt you?  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 you share MMO accounts with your friends? originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 20 Jun 2014 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| SOE relies on players to report inappropriate posts Posted: 19 Jun 2014 08:00 PM PDT |
| Riding High might be the horse-riding MMO you've been waiting for Posted: 19 Jun 2014 07:00 PM PDT Filed under: Real-Life, News Items, Miscellaneous So how would you rate the horse situation in the games that you've played to date? Abysmal? Deplorable? Have you longed for the day when you could finally have your dream game that allowed you to take on the role of a horse in a third-person cover-based online experience? Riding High promises to let you do just that. Except for the third-person cover-based part. You won't be shooting anything here; you'll just be owning a virtual horse. While the official site is a little bare, the game's Facebook page has recently posted answers to a number of questions, confirming, for example, that the game will feature distinct personalities for each horse and that players will be able to engage in PvP activities. (Probably not horse fights.) If this really is all you ever wanted from online gaming, you can register for the future beta test on the official site. [Thanks to Zenaphex for the tip!] Riding High might be the horse-riding MMO you've been waiting for originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 Jun 2014 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| World War II Online crowdfunds a client update Posted: 19 Jun 2014 06:30 PM PDT Filed under: Historical, Patches, MMOFPS, Crowdfunding, Subscription In an effort to update an aging client without breaking the developer's bank, World War II Online: Battleground Europe turned to the community to crowdfund the project -- and the community delivered. A $9,250 fundraiser on Indiegogo dedicated to the creation of a new test server, PC client, and Mac client was met and surpassed this past week. The update, which should roll out within six months, will include billing tools for Steam and improved audio and visuals. The crowdfunding campaign is now aiming for stretch goals that could add community upgrades, improved tech infrastructure, and additional marketing. World War II Online crowdfunds a client update originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 Jun 2014 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Think Tank: The best of E3 2014's MMO offerings Posted: 19 Jun 2014 06:00 PM PDT |
| Season two of Defiance premieres on Syfy tonight Posted: 19 Jun 2014 05:30 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Trailers, Video, Culture, Events (Real-World), Events (In-Game), Previews, News Items, Miscellaneous, Defiance Season two of the transmedia-synergistic sci-fi wonder Defiance premieres tonight at 8 p.m. EDT on the Syfy channel. "Tonight's show picks up one year after the conclusion of Season One," says the official press release, "and players of Defiance the game can get a firsthand look at what the shows characters have been up to, as the Tarr family has expanded its operations into the Bay Area in Datak's absence, and thief Josh Nolan returns to the Bay Area in search of Irisa." Trion devs have teased the game's version of the season two storyline as well, promising new missions, new gear, a new landmass, and a new enemy faction known as The Grid. We've got the season two trailer below! Continue reading Season two of Defiance premieres on Syfy tonight Season two of Defiance premieres on Syfy tonight originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 Jun 2014 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Stream Team: Leaping into LEGO Minifigures Online's open beta Posted: 19 Jun 2014 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Video, New Titles, Kids, Family, Livestream, The Stream Team Massively's MJ is beyond excited to delve into the wonderful world of LEGOs in the new LEGO Minifigures Online. That's right, she gets to live out her LEGO fantasies as an adorable little figurine who is out for adventure. The hardest part may be choosing what to play: Will she be a Librarian, a Mermaid, a Trendsetter, or a Forest Maiden? Perhaps she'll bust out of her female mold and be a Skydiver, a Cyclops, or even a Grandpa. Join us live at 7:00 p.m. for a look at all the choices and MJ's first moments in the game's newly opened beta. Game: LEGO Minifigures Online Host: MJ Guthrie Date: Thursday, June 19th, 2014 Time: 7:00 p.m. EDT Enjoy our Stream Team video below. Continue reading The Stream Team: Leaping into LEGO Minifigures Online's open beta The Stream Team: Leaping into LEGO Minifigures Online's open beta originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 Jun 2014 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Elite: Dangerous heading into Premium Beta 2 on June 24th Posted: 19 Jun 2014 04:30 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-Fi, Patches, Previews, Elite: Dangerous The next stage of Elite: Dangerous' premium beta is coming next Tuesday. In newsletter #28, Frontier Developments said that Premium Beta 2 will begin on June 24th and include several new features, including gameplay optimizations, three new star systems, high-resolution screen capture, German localization, and the Zorgon Peterson Hauler trading ship. Premium Beta 2 will begin with a wipe, although Frontier will be giving players in-game credits that correspond to progress made to date. Players can buy into the premium beta only through July 15th, which could indicate that the standard beta test is slated for later this summer. [Thanks to Cotic for the tip!] Elite: Dangerous heading into Premium Beta 2 on June 24th originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 Jun 2014 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Elder Scrolls Online illuminates its veteran dungeons Posted: 19 Jun 2014 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Game Mechanics, News Items, PvE, Dev Diaries, Dungeons, The Elder Scrolls Online, Subscription A new Creating ESO blog post on the official Elder Scrolls Online site today aims to give players an inside look at the process of creating the game's veteran dungeons. These dungeons are "much more than just tuned-up, harder versions of the original dungeon[s]," the post insists; they're special boss encounters and storyline expansions that include complex mechanics and battles. They likewise include elite loot, the acquisition of which often requires repetition, something the developers say they keep in mind when writing dialogue and staging the area. ZeniMax also emphasizes the importance of testing for these dungeons: Much like we do for Trials, we have groups of skilled, coordinated testers ready to take them on. The Dungeon Team wants to kill you, don't get them wrong, but they don't want bosses to be unfair or impossible. It's a difficult tuning and balancing act to get them just right, especially considering the broad range of character builds that will be attempting them. When the testers wipe several times learning the fight and let out a cheer when they finally manage to scrape by with a win, we know we're on the right track. The video that accompanies the post is embedded below. Continue reading The Elder Scrolls Online illuminates its veteran dungeons The Elder Scrolls Online illuminates its veteran dungeons originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 Jun 2014 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Pathfinder Online details the War of Towers Posted: 19 Jun 2014 03:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Game Mechanics, PvP, News Items, Sandbox, Pathfinder Online If you're gearing up for Early Enrollment in Pathfinder Online, you'll be pleased to know that your experience will be a bit more robust than planned. When the development team looked at the minimum viable early access product, it didn't appear indicative of what the game was supposed to be in the long run, but there was no way to get the full territory control system in without a lot of further work. So what could be done? Why, a stripped-down version. Dubbed the War of Towers, the system will reward players for capturing and controlling towers near one of the existing Settlements, allowing those Settlements to advance and improve in new directions. There's a video available just past the break that explains the details of how this tower capturing works, but the short version is that it should at least fill a gap until the full territory control system can be rolled out later. Continue reading Pathfinder Online details the War of Towers Pathfinder Online details the War of Towers originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 Jun 2014 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Star Trek Online lifetime subscription goes on sale Posted: 19 Jun 2014 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Star Trek Online, Free-to-Play, Promotions Starship captains in the future may not have a need for money, but you do if you want to buy into a lifetime subscription for Star Trek Online. Fortunately, Cryptic has made that option easier for interested parties, lowering the price from $299 to $199 through July 10th. A lifetime subscription to Star Trek Online includes all gold membership options, a monthly ZEN stipend, all veteran rewards past and future, and priority login. Star Trek Online lifetime subscription goes on sale originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 Jun 2014 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Final Fantasy XIV offers a preview of 2.3's story Posted: 19 Jun 2014 02:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Lore, Patches, Previews, News Items, Consoles, Final Fantasy XIV, Subscription Final Fantasy XIV is rolling out patch 2.3 very shortly, and that means the game's main story will continue onward. The latest preview on the official site hints at what comes next for the Warriors of Light (i.e., the player characters) as well as what's around the bend for Inspector Hildibrand. Dedicated followers of the game know that the next patch will feature Ramuh, but there appears to be more going on than simply the appearance of the next Primal. The story preview hints that the next update will focus on Thanalan and Coerthas as well as the Black Shroud, with implications that Shiva may not be exactly who players are expecting. Hildibrand's next adventure, meanwhile, looks to be taking a decided turn for the nautical, complete with a new look for the Inspector. Take a gander at the preview as well as the Facebook preview gallery for more hints about what will be going live with the patch. Final Fantasy XIV offers a preview of 2.3's story originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 Jun 2014 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Get cheap MMOs and a zillion early access titles in the Steam Summer Sale Posted: 19 Jun 2014 02:15 PM PDT |
| Diablo III is closing the auction house for good next week Posted: 19 Jun 2014 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Economy, Diablo III, Buy-to-Play Diablo III's auction house is on its last leg, giving up its ghost, and seeing a hellish light at the end of the tunnel. As of June 24th, all traces of the controversial feature will be removed from the game for good. Blizzard sent out a reminder today about the auction house, stating that while its economic functions were disabled in March, the studio left it up for a few months past that to allow players to retrieve items and gold. Any items and gold left unattended will be sucked into the abyss on next Tuesday, so beware! Diablo III is closing the auction house for good next week originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 Jun 2014 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Neverwinter throws Protector's Jubilee for first anniversary Posted: 19 Jun 2014 01:30 PM PDT |
| Tara Strong on Guild Wars 2's 'British Harley Quinn' Posted: 19 Jun 2014 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Video, MMO Industry, News Items, Guild Wars 2, Buy-to-Play Chances are that you've encountered a character played by Tara Strong, since the prolific voice actress sports a resume that reads like a gaming greatest hits list. It includes MMOs and sort-of MMOs like Star Wars: The Old Republic, Marvel Heroes, Infinite Crisis, and Guild Wars 2. Strong's GW2 work goes under the microscope in ArenaNet's latest video release. It's basically a three-minute behind-the-scenes/interview mashup featuring Living World villainess Scarlet Briar, whom Strong describes as a "British Harley [Quinn]." Click past the cut to have a look. Continue reading Tara Strong on Guild Wars 2's 'British Harley Quinn' Tara Strong on Guild Wars 2's 'British Harley Quinn' originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 Jun 2014 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Smedley plays H1Z1 on Steam, talks early access Posted: 19 Jun 2014 12:30 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Horror, Business Models, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, PvP, News Items, Sandbox, H1Z1 John Smedley tells Reddit that he has played H1Z1 on Steam. "It's our first step toward early access launch," he writes, though the date is still up in the air. "We don't mean to be coy about the date," he says. "We just realized after that initial date it would be smarter to announce it after our feature list was complete. So expect to hear more on the date fairly soon." Smedley also mentions a few features that the dev team is currently working on, including bow crafting, "shooting a deer in the eye with the bow," and more. [Header image by H1Z1Jane via SOE] Smedley plays H1Z1 on Steam, talks early access originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 Jun 2014 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Star Citizen's new persistent universe director loves economic, strategic gameplay Posted: 19 Jun 2014 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Video, Game Mechanics, Interviews, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Dev Diaries, Sandbox, Star Citizen, Buy-to-Play How important is Star Citizen's persistent universe? Important enough that Chris Roberts has hired game industry veteran Tony Zurovec to oversee its direction. "The game has become so big that I can't actually direct every single aspect of it every single moment of the day," Roberts explains at the outset of a new 40-minute interview vid posted on Cloud Imperium's official site. Zurovec previously worked with Roberts at Origin and Digital Anvil. He also developed the Crusader series and brings a love of economic and strategic gameplay on a galactic scale to the table. Roberts also mentions Zurovec's work on an unreleased Digital Anvil game called Loose Cannon that was essentially " Privateer on wheels" and a pre-cursor to the sort of open-world sandbox mayhem found in Grand Theft Auto III and its sequels. Click past the cut to watch the full interview. Continue reading Star Citizen's new persistent universe director loves economic, strategic gameplay Star Citizen's new persistent universe director loves economic, strategic gameplay originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 Jun 2014 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| SWTOR devs say Star Cluster prices and rarities are working as intended Posted: 19 Jun 2014 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Business Models, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, News Items, Free-to-Play, Star Wars: The Old Republic A minor brouhaha has been, well, brewing in Star Wars: The Old Republic's community since the release of the game's Star Cluster cash shop packs. Players have been complaining about everything from emote unlock prices to item rarities (it's currently unlikely that you'll be able to collect a matching set of the pack's new armor given the scarcity of certain pieces). BioWare community manager Eric Musco took to the game's forums this morning to clarify the company's stance on the issues. "Those prices are intended. Collections prices are something that is not completely static from one pack to another and can shift," Musco wrote. "Similarly, many of you might notice that in the Star Cluster pack there are different amounts of items at different rarities than normal (more rares, less commons, etc.). With the Star Cluster pack, we were trying out some new things. I can tell you that the team has heard your feedback around both the rarities and the collections pricing and will adjust accordingly in future packs." SWTOR devs say Star Cluster prices and rarities are working as intended originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 Jun 2014 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Disabled visual enhancements found in the game's code
AMD exec doubles down on assertion that Nvidia Gameworks presents a threat to PC gamers 
New feature lets you record last 10 minutes gameplay
Surface Pro 3 has arrived!
You can't beat the price!
Struggling handset maker sees light at the end of the tunnel
Photoshop CC and Lightroom 5 bundle now $9.99 per month
