General Gaming Article

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• Newegg Daily Deals: Corsair HX750 750W Power Supply, SanDisk Ultra Plus 128GB SSD, and More!
• AMD Survey Shows Laptops Vastly Outnumber Smartphones and Tablets on College Campuses
• Bell Labs Zips Past Google Fiber to Set Broadband Speed Record
• IDC: PC Market Performed "Markedly Better" than Projected in Second Quarter
• Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella Discusses Company's Future in Open Email to Employees
• Double Fine Confirms Grim Fandango Remake is Headed to PC

Newegg Daily Deals: Corsair HX750 750W Power Supply, SanDisk Ultra Plus 128GB SSD, and More! Posted: 10 Jul 2014 11:12 AM PDT Top Deal: There are certain times when fireworks are appropriate, like over a lake on the 4th of July or above Toon Town in Disneyland, to name just a couple. Likewise, there are definitely places you shouldn't see fireworks, like inside a nursing home or coming out of your PC. You can avoid the latter by ditching that lightweight and generic PSU that claims to offer a million watts for $10. Instead, check out today's top deal for a Corsair HX Series HX750 750W PSU for $90 with free shipping (normally $130 - use coupon code: [EMCPCWP23]; additional $20 mail-in-rebate). You're not likely to see fireworks out of this unit, though it will deliver 80 Plus Gold efficiency and a modular cabling experience. Other Deals: Intel Core i7-4820K Ivy Bridge-E Quad-Core 3.7GHz (Turbo 3.9GHz) LGA 2011 130W Desktop Processor for $310 with free shipping (normally $325 - use coupon code: [EMCPCPB25]) Asus GeForce GTX 780 3GB 384-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card for $460 with free shipping (normally $500 - use coupon code: [EMCPCPB26]; additional $20 Mail-in rebate) G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 2400 (PC3 19200) Desktop Memory Model for $144 with free shipping (normally $159 - use coupon code: [EMCPCPB33]) SanDisk Ultra Plus 2.5-inch 128GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive for $60 with free shipping

AMD Survey Shows Laptops Vastly Outnumber Smartphones and Tablets on College Campuses Posted: 10 Jul 2014 10:46 AM PDT College students cherish laptops more than any other electronic device Within the next year or so, there's a good chance that tablet shipments will outnumber traditional PC sales. Be that as it may, tablets are still relegated to being mostly content consumption devices, and if you want to get some real work done, you'll need a real PC. That sentiment is underscored by a new AMD survey that reveals the laptop as the most important electronic device among college students. Harris Poll conducted the Back-to-School Technology Usage Survey on behalf of AMD. The poll revealed that even though more than half of today's college students carry at least two devices at all times, the laptop is the most cherished piece of technology and the one that's used most often. Some 85 percent of those polled said they own a laptop, which outnumbered smartphone owners and was more than double the number of tablet owners. The poll asked students to rank their devices in order of importance, to which 41 percent ranked their laptop as number one, followed by their car, tablet, bicycle, and television. "Students expect more from their computers than ever before – they want them to be equally as good at streaming their favorite TV show as they are at crunching numbers in a math class," said Gabe Gravning, director of product marketing, Client Business Unit, AMD. "The processor is a pivotal part of enabling these experiences and AMD APUs are a versatile solution that offer an ideal combination of productivity and entertainment performance to handle virtually all the things today's students need and want from their technology – including long battery life, industry-leading AMD Radeon graphics, and a smooth, sharp streaming video experience." Over a quarter of respondents said they'd purchase a new PC if they won $1,000, and more than two-thirds said one of their biggest fears is having their technology stop working. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Bell Labs Zips Past Google Fiber to Set Broadband Speed Record Posted: 10 Jul 2014 10:08 AM PDT Can we get some of that 10Gbps, please? Records are meant to be broken, but sometimes they're downright shattered. Case in point -- Bell Labs, the research arm of Alcatel-Lucent, just set a new broadband speed record of 10 gigabits per second using traditional copper telephone lines combined with a prototype technology that's intended to show how existing copper access networks can be used to deliver 1Gbps symmetrical ultra-broadband access services. The prototype technology is called XG-FAST and is an extension of G.fast technology, a new broadband standard currently being finalized by the ITU. G.fast, which is expected to be commercially available in 2015, uses a frequency of 106MHz to deliver broadband speeds of up to 500Mbps over a distance of 100 meters. By comparison, XG-FAST uses an increased frequency range of up to 500MHz to achieve faster speeds, albeit over shorter distances. Using XG-FAST technology, Bell Labs was able to hit 1Gbps symmetrical over 70 meters on a single copper pair, and 10Gbps over 30 meters using two pairs of lines (bonding). "Our constant aim is to push the limits of what is possible to 'invent the future', with breakthroughs that are 10 times better than are possible today," explains Marcus Weldon, President of Bell Labs. "Our demonstration of 10Gbps over copper is a prime example: by pushing broadband technology to its limits, operators can determine how they could deliver gigabit services over their existing networks, ensuring the availability of ultra-broadband access as widely and as economically as possible." Interesting stuff, though Bell Labs set the record in a lab under ideal conditions. Quality of wire, crosstalk, and other factors can all affect real-world results. Nevertheless, it's pretty exciting that 10Gbps speeds are visible in the distance. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

IDC: PC Market Performed "Markedly Better" than Projected in Second Quarter Posted: 10 Jul 2014 09:43 AM PDT PC segment is starting to rebound Earlier in the week, Gartner predicted a "revival" of the global PC market in 2014, and hot on the heels of that prediction, market research firm International Data Corporation (IDC) reports that worldwide PC shipments totaled 74.4 million units in the second quarter of 2014. That represents a soft year-on-year decline of 1.7 percent, though that's "markedly better" than IDC's projected decline of 7.1 percent, the company said. It's the smallest decline in global PC shipments since the second quarter of 2012 when a surge in tablet sales disrupted the market. However, there's evidence to suggest that consumers are content with their current tablet devices, while the end of Windows XP support is prompting traditional PC upgrades in mature markets. At the same time, IDC warns not to get too excited. "The recent strength in mature regions is a positive sign," said Loren Loverde, Vice President, Worldwide PC Trackers. "However, an important part of this strength is driven by the rebound from weaker demand last year and to potentially short-term replacement activity. We can look for some recovery in emerging regions going forward, but it may coincide with slower growth in mature regions. We do not see the recent gains as a motive to raise the long-term outlook although 2014 growth could get closer to flat, rather than the May projection of -6 percent." Lenovo increased its lead over HP as the No. 1 PC supplier and now holds a 19.6 percent share of the market, up from 16.7 percent in the same quarter a year ago, versus HP's 18.3 percent share, up from 16.4 percent last year. Dell is in third place with a 14 percent share, followed by Acer at 8.2 percent, Asus at 6.2 percent, and all others at 33.6 percent. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella Discusses Company's Future in Open Email to Employees Posted: 10 Jul 2014 08:31 AM PDT Email provides a glimpse into Microsoft's future In some ways, you could argue that Microsoft's spinning in circles chasing its tail. So are a lot of companies during this transitional period into mobile, which is one that seemed to catch a number of tech firms off guard. Recognizing that Microsoft could benefit from some new blood, former CEO Steve Ballmer voluntarily stepped down and eventually handed the reins to Satya Nadella. So, what does the future hold? Nadella issued an open email to employees calling for a return to Microsoft's core. "More recently, we have described ourselves as a 'devices and services' company. While the devices and services description was helpful in starting our transformation, we now need to hone in on our unique strategy," Nadella said. "At our core, Microsoft is a productivity and platform company for the mobile-first and cloud-first world. We will reinvent productivity to empower every person and every organization on the planet to do more and achieve more." Nadella goes on to explain that productivity goes far beyond just documents, spreadsheets, and slides. He wants to "shift the meaning of productivity" by building brand new tools, ones that will be more predictive, personal, and helpful. Nadella also wants to ensure harmony between its cloud OS infrastructure and device OS and first-party hardware. In the past, there's been some doubt as to whether Microsoft will continue to promote its Xbox platform. Rest assured, "Microsoft will continue to vigorously innovate and delight gamers with Xbox," Nadella stated. You can read the entire email here. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Double Fine Confirms Grim Fandango Remake is Headed to PC Posted: 10 Jul 2014 08:02 AM PDT Classic rises from the dead A virtual high-five is in order for Double Fine Productions, which confirmed via Twitter and on its website that Manuel "Manny" Calavera and the rest of the gang from Grim Fandango will appear on the PC in remastered form. The remade classic will also launch to Mac and Linux, along with console exclusives PlayStation 4 and Vita. It was announced back in June that Grim Fandango would launch to Sony's game console and handheld, but until now, it was only rumored that PC platforms would also be in the mix. "And that's not all, folks! All versions will be launching simultaneously, so everyone can play on day one and not have to worry about those spoilers you've been successfully avoiding for the past fifteen years. (Pro-tip: stay off Twitter.)," Double Fine announced on its website. According to Joystiq, Grim Fandango's resurgence came about when Tim Schafer, the game's original product leader and founder of Double Fine Productions, found out that Adam Boyes, PlayStation VP of Publisher Relations, was poking around his old intellectual property. Schafer made a phone call to Boyes, and it was from that conversation that the idea of bringing back Grim Fandango was born. Grim Fandango is set in the Land of the Dead where souls of the deceased head to the Ninth Underworld. The better a person lived, the more enjoyable his or her soul's travel will be, culminating in Number Nine, a train that takes just four minutes to reach the gate of the Ninth Underworld. You play the part of Manny, a travel agent at the Department of Death. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

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MMO Updates

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• Dino-survival: Hands-on with Beasts of Prey's early access alpha
• TERA's level cap to hit 65, new continent on its way
• Guild Wars 2 selling well in China
• Chaos Theory: The Secret World anniversary celebration, take two!
• The Daily Grind: Do you tend to believe dev statements?
• Path of Exile comic books hint at upcoming expansion
• Dark Age of Camelot brings back character and guild searches
• Choose My Adventure: Adventuring in ArcheAge
• PAX South tickets go on sale
• The Elder Scrolls Online's third update lands in August
• Has the free-to-play bubble burst?
• Leaderboard: What should I play for fun?
• Infinite Crisis refocuses development on new player experience
• Richard Bartle predicts that free-to-play will decline
• WildStar offering a free mount to players with 2-step verification
• LotRO's Paths of the Dead coming July 14

Dino-survival: Hands-on with Beasts of Prey's early access alpha Posted: 10 Jul 2014 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Bugs, Game Mechanics, Previews, PvP, PvE, Opinion, Hands-On, First Impressions, Post-Apocalyptic, Crafting, Buy-to-Play When I first dived into the horror-survival genre, I knew there would be zombies, but I never expected dinosaurs. You don't get much bigger than a T-Rex stomping around your neighborhood (though I am still waiting for an underwater survival game that randomly has blue whales unintentionally ruining your kelp fort as they hunt for krill). When dinosaurs started to replace zombies, I knew that my inner child would drag me in, even if I once again had to pay for alpha. It's this very idea of "paid alpha" that inspired me to tackle not one but two titles from the newly spawned dino-survival based genre. Apologists will say that it's just alpha, but the reality is that you get only one launch, and to me, launch is you start letting people buy your game and don't hold them under an NDA. With this in mind, I decided to try my hand at both Beasts of Prey and The Stomping Land to see which, if either, feels the most deserving of my time (and money). Today, I'll start with BoP. Continue reading Dino-survival: Hands-on with Beasts of Prey's early access alpha Dino-survival: Hands-on with Beasts of Prey's early access alpha originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 10 Jul 2014 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

TERA's level cap to hit 65, new continent on its way Posted: 10 Jul 2014 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Patches, TERA Bluehole Studio and En Masse Entertainment have announced today that their fantasy MMO TERA will be receiving a level cap increase and expand into a new continent later this year. The level cap will increase to 65, adding new skills and glyphs in the process. Along with this will come the Northern Arun continent and the world's fourth largest city, new instance dungeons, quest guide, enchanting system improvements, and more. Mention of a special competition for seasonal guild housing is also in the notes, and players are speculating in the forum thread about what this might mean. While Korea will get this new content in late July, En Masse says that the goal is to make it available for North American players by the end of the year. [Thanks to Leiloni for the tip!] TERA's level cap to hit 65, new continent on its way originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 10 Jul 2014 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Forum Thread

Guild Wars 2 selling well in China Posted: 10 Jul 2014 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Business Models, MMO Industry, News Items, Guild Wars 2, Buy-to-Play Chinese MMO players love Guild Wars 2, according to an NCsoft census that was translated on Reddit. The two-year old fantasy MMO has eclipsed 3.8 million Chinese users, which indicates far faster growth than the game has exhibited in the rest of the world. The title launched in August of 2012 and topped the 3.5 million sales mark a year later. China's 3.8 million sales happened in just two months. GamesIndustry.biz posits that GW2's Chinese success is an indication of a lucrative and untapped market for Western developers as well as evidence that buy-to-play business models can succeed in an area dominated by F2P. [Thanks 7BitBrian!] Guild Wars 2 selling well in China originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 10 Jul 2014 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Reddit Via: GI.biz

Chaos Theory: The Secret World anniversary celebration, take two! Posted: 10 Jul 2014 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Horror, Real-Life, Events (In-Game), The Secret World, Guides, Anniversaries, Chaos Theory, Buy-to-Play It's that time of year again: time to celebrate another anniversary in The Secret World! And that means taking on world bosses, soaking up oodles of AP, and collecting lore, clothes, and (the best part) pets. Yep, definitely sounds like a party. The birthday bash lasts through July 17th, but the double AP portion of it ends on the 11th, so if you have new builds you want to test and you like the feel of all that AP popping up every few steps, now is the time to get into the game. If you attended last year's Guardians of Gaia celebration, you're no doubt familiar with the set up of the event; you may have even completed everything. If not, you now have the chance to catch up on everything, including collecting all the lore and pets. On top of that, there are new goodies to collect this time around. There's even a new achievement involving all the pets! Here are some tips and tricks for getting the most out of TSW's second anniversary celebration. Continue reading Chaos Theory: The Secret World anniversary celebration, take two! Chaos Theory: The Secret World anniversary celebration, take two! originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 10 Jul 2014 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Daily Grind: Do you tend to believe dev statements? Posted: 10 Jul 2014 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Culture, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, PvE, Opinion, Free-to-Play, The Daily Grind, Dungeons Lord of the Rings Online community manager Rick Heaton created a stir recently when he said that raiders are few and far between in Middle-earth. After he explained that Turbine's data show raiders, PvPers, and forum posters as tiny fringe groups, he ended his announcement with the following statement. "I fully appreciate and understand you won't believe a word of this. That's perfectly fine. It doesn't change the facts of the matter." Predictably, a slew of comments ensued in which Heaton was accused of lying. Plenty of commenters, both on the Turbine forums and here on Massively, then posited that of course there are no raiders because LotRO's raid content sucks, Turbine's definition of "raider" is different from the commonly accepted definition (whatever that is), and dozens of other reasons. Which leads to an interesting question regarding official dev statements. Do you tend to believe them? Even when they irritate you or don't align with your personal wishes for a given game? 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 tend to believe dev statements? originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 10 Jul 2014 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Path of Exile comic books hint at upcoming expansion Posted: 09 Jul 2014 07:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Expansions, Lore, Free-to-Play, Path of Exile We all know that you haven't made it as a video game unless you're immortalized in a comic book. Path of Exile has joined that very select club as it announced today that it will be the focus of an official comic book mini-series. The four upcoming Path of Exile graphic novels will be based on the lore of the game and penned by Dynamite Entertainment. The comics are slated for some time this summer and will be 22 pages apiece, with a compilation release in early 2015. So other than the cool factor, why should players care? Well, not only will the comics feature a lead-in to the game's unannounced expansion, but each issue will have codes for in-game goodies such as cosmetics. Path of Exile comic books hint at upcoming expansion originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 09 Jul 2014 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Comic book announcement

Dark Age of Camelot brings back character and guild searches Posted: 09 Jul 2014 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Dark Age of Camelot, Culture, Subscription Looking for a particular person or group in Dark Age of Camelot? Fortunately for you, Broadsword has made it that much easier to track those people down for a hopefully not-at-all-creepy reunion. The devs announced that they have brought back character and guild searches to DAoC. Currently, these searches are limited to the Ywain server but will expand to other servers in the future. The team also said that it's going to be adding more in-game lists for realm point earners and champions of the realm in the near future. Character and guild search used to be in DAoC until Mythic took it down several years ago. Dark Age of Camelot brings back character and guild searches originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 09 Jul 2014 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Character and guild searches

Choose My Adventure: Adventuring in ArcheAge Posted: 09 Jul 2014 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Polls, Video, Free-to-Play, Choose My Adventure, Livestream, ArcheAge, Sandbox, The Stream Team Although ArcheAge has many different things to do, you decided that Massively's MJ should continue her adventures with quests, so that's what she's been doing. After showing off her favorite spot in game and brilliantly demonstrating death by jellyfish, she's been running to and fro delivering notes, assembling statues, and killing whatever vermin are bothering the locals. And there's certainly no lack of vermin! During those questing adventures MJ has come across a dungeon, and she's looking forward to taking you inside. Hopefully she'll find other in-game companions to enter with her as well, else she'll surely experience death in a new and spectacular way! If she's alone, will you still have her enter? Join us live at 7:00 p.m. to decide her fate live! And don't forget to participate in the next vote to decide which crafting profession MJ should pursue next week. Game: ArcheAge Host: MJ Guthrie Date: Wednesday, July 9th, 2014 Time: 7:00 p.m. EDT Enjoy our Stream Team video below. Continue reading Choose My Adventure: Adventuring in ArcheAge Choose My Adventure: Adventuring in ArcheAge originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 09 Jul 2014 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

PAX South tickets go on sale Posted: 09 Jul 2014 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Events (Real-World), MMO Industry, Miscellaneous The newest PAX has finally opened its virtual doors to registration! PAX South tickets are now on sale on the official website, although at the time of this writing there was a queue to purchase them. Attendees can buy one-day passes for $30 or a three-day pass for $65. PAX South is limiting purchases to four badges per person, with children six and under admitted free with a paying adult. There are no refunds. The convention will take place in San Antonio, Texas, from January 23rd through the 25th, 2015. PAX South tickets go on sale originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 09 Jul 2014 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Ticket store

The Elder Scrolls Online's third update lands in August Posted: 09 Jul 2014 03:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Game Mechanics, Guilds, Patches, Previews, News Items, The Elder Scrolls Online, Subscription ZeniMax says that The Elder Scrolls Online's next patch, which includes the preliminary veteran rank system changes and balance fixes previewed in yesterday's dev blog, is officially on the way next month. The patch is coming in early August and introduces armor dyes, guild tabards, public guild store locations, a new difficulty mode for Trials, and plenty of fixes and improvements. You'll be able to personalize your look more than ever before, represent your guild, and charge with them into a new level of challenge. The team has posted a preview video focusing on the many changes to guilds due in the patch. Wanna join our guild? We have tabards, yo! Enjoy the video below. Continue reading The Elder Scrolls Online's third update lands in August The Elder Scrolls Online's third update lands in August originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 09 Jul 2014 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Dev blog

Has the free-to-play bubble burst? Posted: 09 Jul 2014 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Events (Real-World), MMO Industry, Free-to-Play Richard Bartle isn't alone in thinking the free-to-play bubble is soon to burst. Talking at this week's Develop Conference in Brighton, UK, three mobile game designers with an expertise in free-to-play discussed the negative direction that F2P titles are headed and why that may be coming to an end. "I would rather have 10,000 people who play my game for two years, than a million people who only play for a short time," Matthew Wiggins of mobile studio Jiggery Pokery states. The discussion, as reported by Gamasutra, focused on the unsavory practices of quick in-and-out publishers who were only out to make gobs of cash as quickly as possible. But one industry vet thinks that the F2P bubble has burst. "I think we're moving away from the aggressive initial monetization," CSR Racing studio boss Jason Avent says. "Those people who love your game are happy to pay for it. It's getting people into that longer game... We need to move away from exploiting a small number of people, and instead work to make lots of people stick around." Has the free-to-play bubble burst? originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 09 Jul 2014 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Gamasutra article

Leaderboard: What should I play for fun? Posted: 09 Jul 2014 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: MMO Industry, New Titles, Opinion, Miscellaneous, Leaderboard Holy cow, folks, I have a problem! Admittedly it's a first-world problem, but it's a problem nonetheless. See, I have limited time. And there are just too many interesting games either out right now or coming out later this year or releasing meaty updates in the near future, etc. Even if I retired tomorrow, I wouldn't have time to scarf up all of this awesome gaming goodness. Maybe you can feel my pain in this regard and maybe you can't. Regardless, you can click past the cut and boss me around narrow my focus for the remainder of 2014. Care to help a brother out? 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: What should I play for fun? Leaderboard: What should I play for fun? originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 09 Jul 2014 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Infinite Crisis refocuses development on new player experience Posted: 09 Jul 2014 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Super-hero, MMO Industry, Dev Diaries, Infinite Crisis The dev team behind DC-Comics-based Infinite Crisis has come to a realization: there are a lot of MOBAs out there. So to set themselves apart from the rest, Creative Director Cardel "Annuvin" Kerr has penned a post on the official forums detailing how the devs will be putting some new content on hold to focus on revamping the new player experience. Luckily for us, the major tasks have been bullet-pointed: We will be holding back new Champions until the September Update -- We're still building Champions behind the scenes, and will resume their normal release schedule starting in September. Balance patches will be released as we iterate on design improvements -- You can expect these updates about once a month. We will continue to focus on the iterative cycle that is the foundation of good balance. Technical patches will be released with balance updates to make the game more stable and less prone to crashes. Crashes lead to more AFKs, and that quite frankly, sucks - so we'll continue to push out fixes. Credit -- err, Bug Stomping -- We will continue to fix bugs that you file, and that we find on our own. Expect an even larger presence on the Forums -- We're working on a lot of stuff, and much of it is based on what we've seen you all doing and saying. As a result, you can expect even more posts from developers asking and answering questions! Be sure to check out the entire post for more details on the team's plans with Infinite Crisis over the next few months. Infinite Crisis refocuses development on new player experience originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 09 Jul 2014 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Director Letter

Richard Bartle predicts that free-to-play will decline Posted: 09 Jul 2014 12:30 PM PDT Filed under: Business Models, MMO Industry, News Items, Free-to-Play Free-to-play as a business model stirs a lot of passionate opinions in both gamers and developers. According to Richard Bartle, well-known gaming researcher and co-creator of the first MUD, free-to-play as a business model has a certain half-life and is going to hit a point when it's just not viable any longer. Bartle spoke on the topic at the Develop conference in Brighton, explaining that the lack of standardization across the industry is part of what will hamper the model, with different games placing different cash gates at varying levels of restrictiveness. Bartle went on to state that the model also relies upon a fixed number of people willing to pay a large amount of money to make up for the users who pay nothing, and designers themselves will be unhappy with developing content for free-to-play titles. It's undeniable that the free-to-play model has had a massive impact on MMOs; whether it's a temporary thing or a consistent feature of this particular genre is still up for debate. Richard Bartle predicts that free-to-play will decline originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 09 Jul 2014 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: GameIndustry.biz

WildStar offering a free mount to players with 2-step verification Posted: 09 Jul 2014 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, News Items, Promotions, WildStar, Subscription, Buy-to-Play Do you have 2-step verification on your WildStar account already? The team at Carbine Studios really wants you to, since the added layer of security helps ensure that no one steals your stuff. So you're getting a little added incentive starting on July 10th -- a free bike! The Retroblade mount is free to all accounts with 2-step verification starting tomorrow, while everyone without 2-step verification will simply have to stare at your new ride with envy. Or, you know, get verified. This bonus is in addition to the existing benefits offered by the verification process, which includes a cosmetic headpiece, a title, and a 2% experience boost on all characters. Plus confidence that your account won't get stolen, which is also fun. The announcement has more details about the process if you haven't already gotten in on the verification train; all you'll need is a smartphone and a few moments to log in. WildStar offering a free mount to players with 2-step verification originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 09 Jul 2014 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: New Mount Available with 2-Step Verification

LotRO's Paths of the Dead coming July 14 Posted: 09 Jul 2014 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, Patches, News Items, PvE, Free-to-Play Got MMO plans for next week? If you're a Tolkien buff you might want to reconsider them, since Turbine is publishing Lord of the Rings Online's Paths of the Dead update on Monday. The firm has unveiled a new section of the game's official website that details all the Update 14 content. It includes a level cap bump to 100, the continuation of the epic story, a new essence system, and three new regions that expand the game's footprint into Gondor. Paths of the Dead is free for VIP players or available for purchase via the West Gondor quest pack in the game's cash shop. Don't forget to check out Massively's hands-on preview for more specifics! LotRO's Paths of the Dead coming July 14 originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 09 Jul 2014 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Announcement

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MMORPG News

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• Path of Exile: Graphic Novel Series Announced
• Guild Wars 2: ArenaNet Amasses 3.8M Sales in China
• Elder Scrolls Online: Update 3 Previewed in New Video
• Warhammer 40.000: Eternal Crusade: Live Twitch AMA on July 11th
• Guild Wars 2: Points of Interest Volume 2 Starring Bill Murphy!
• Guild Wars 2: Points of Interest Live - What's going on in Dry Top?
• General: Perfect World's Arc Client
• Continent of the Ninth Seal: Advanced Mystic Class Launched
• Elder Scrolls Online: Veteran Rank Changes Unifying the Game at What Cost?
• Dragon Nest: Hardcore Mode Introduced to Challenge the Elite
• Dragon Age: Inquisition: The Hinterlands E3 Demo Video Released
• Infinite Crisis: New Player Experience & Balance to Be Addressed
• Boot Hill Heroes: A Special Experience for RPG Players
• Lord of the Rings Online: Update 14: Path of the Dead to Arrive July 14th
• Marvel Heroes 2015: An Omega Level MMOARPG

Path of Exile: Graphic Novel Series Announced Posted: 10 Jul 2014 07:19 AM PDT Grinding Gear Games has partnered with Dynamite Entertainment and announced a new four-issue series of graphic novels based on the lore behind Path of Exile. Of keen interest to fans is the fact that the series will reveal information about an as-yet-unannounced expansion. The first of the series is expected to debut later this summer.

Guild Wars 2: ArenaNet Amasses 3.8M Sales in China Posted: 10 Jul 2014 07:02 AM PDT According to a report at GamesIndustry.biz, ArenaNet has sold 3.8 million copies of Guild Wars 2 in China, surpassing the total sales for the rest of the world. Guild Wars 2 has amassed these sales in just over two months since the game's release in China.

Elder Scrolls Online: Update 3 Previewed in New Video Posted: 10 Jul 2014 06:12 AM PDT The Elder Scrolls Online team has released a new video to show off some of what players can expect when Update 3 is deployed to the game. Update 3 is expected to hit live service in early August and will bring with it a host of bug fixes and systems enhancements as well as armor dyes, tabards and other ways to customize characters. See all that's in store in the video and let us know what you think in the comments.

Warhammer 40.000: Eternal Crusade: Live Twitch AMA on July 11th Posted: 09 Jul 2014 03:33 PM PDT Behaviour Interactive developers will be on hand on the Warhammer 40k: Eternal Crusade Twitch channel on Friday, July 11th for an AMA with fans of the forthcoming title. Check the details below to make sure you can be there!

Guild Wars 2: Points of Interest Volume 2 Starring Bill Murphy! Posted: 09 Jul 2014 03:15 PM PDT In case you missed the announcement just beneath this one, the Guild Wars 2 team has released the second episode of Points of Interest. Of particular note is the appearance of our own Bill Murphy to talk about future episodes of Points of Interest. Check it out and let us know what you think!

Guild Wars 2: Points of Interest Live - What's going on in Dry Top? Posted: 09 Jul 2014 10:44 AM PDT ArenaNet continues the brand new Guild Wars 2 Points of Interest livestream show next week, with our own Bill Murphy making a guest appearance. Why, you might ask? Read on, fearless reader.

General: Perfect World's Arc Client Posted: 09 Jul 2014 09:22 AM PDT This past week we spoke to Mark Hill over at Perfect World about their new ARC game platform. As many companies are now harnessing the power of their large communities, Perfect World is hosting their series of games on a single platform for users. Mark gave us some details on the new ARC platform and how players will be able to access games much faster and explore Perfect World's free to play market in a quick and easy way.

Continent of the Ninth Seal: Advanced Mystic Class Launched Posted: 09 Jul 2014 04:34 AM PDT Mystics in Continent of the Ninth Seal (C9) have a new advanced class to enjoy thanks to the arrival of the Erta. According to the site, Erta are aerial jugglers with quick reflexes and the ability to score quick, powerful melee attacks on the unsuspecting.

Elder Scrolls Online: Veteran Rank Changes Unifying the Game at What Cost? Posted: 08 Jul 2014 04:13 PM PDT ZeniMax published a post late last week saying it planned to make a series of changes to Veteran Rank content. Those changes, which began rolling out this week, were indicative of what the studio called a desire to listen to the feedback people had been giving and gauge just where the community had been on the matter of Veteran Rank content. After listening, there were several key points.

Dragon Nest: Hardcore Mode Introduced to Challenge the Elite Posted: 09 Jul 2014 03:37 AM PDT Shanda Games has announced that a new hardcore Desert Dragon Nest mode has been introduced into the EU version of the game. In hardcore mode, players will have to battle through all stage bosses and the dragon itself within a forty-minute time frame. In addition, the team has overhauled several character classes paving the way, according to developers, for future character builds.

Dragon Age: Inquisition: The Hinterlands E3 Demo Video Released Posted: 09 Jul 2014 10:16 AM PDT During last month's E3 convention, Bioware showed a fantastic demo of Dragon Age: Inquisition that featured game play in a zone called The Hinterlands. The team has released a "wrap report" video based on that demo, a stunning 16-minutes of game play narrated by Mike Laidlaw. Check it out and let us know what you think!

Infinite Crisis: New Player Experience & Balance to Be Addressed Posted: 09 Jul 2014 03:22 AM PDT The latest Infinite Crisis Letter from the Creative Director letter has been published on the game's forum. In it, Cardell "Annuvin" Kerr lays out the team's plans for the upcoming months. After warm thanks to the community for their input during IC's beta, Kerr discusses what the future holds for the new player experience and how the team is actively working to address game balance.

Boot Hill Heroes: A Special Experience for RPG Players Posted: 08 Jul 2014 09:09 AM PDT Over the last decade, turn-based battlers seemed to fall out of style. RPG developers moved further and further from their roots, adding in layers of complexity; paradigm shifts, action-combat, dynamic combos - answers to questions many gamers had never asked. Boot Hill Heroes couldn't have come along at a better time.

Lord of the Rings Online: Update 14: Path of the Dead to Arrive July 14th Posted: 09 Jul 2014 03:01 AM PDT The next major Lord of the Rings Online content update is scheduled to hit live service on July 14th. The update brings huge additions to the game including a level cap increase to 100, three new regions to explore and slotted armor / essence system. The Path of the Dead update is free to VIP subscribers or can be purchased for 795 Turbine Points by free players.

Marvel Heroes 2015: An Omega Level MMOARPG Posted: 09 Jul 2014 01:01 AM PDT Marvel Heroes launched last year in a decidedly less than superheroic state. The game shared many qualities found in the various ARPGs that have come onto the scene since Gazillion CEO David Brevik essentially created the point-and-click ARPG genre with Diablo in 1996.

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