Flameseeker Chronicles: The greatest Guild Wars 2 love story ever told Posted: 28 Jan 2014 09:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Culture, Lore, Opinion, Guild Wars 2, Flameseeker Chronicles, Buy-to-Play I enjoy the Twisted Marionette fight, and I'm looking forward to smacking some wurms if I can ever make it off the overflow servers, but what I really love about Guild Wars 2's latest content release, The Origins of Madness, is its emphasis on characterization. Some of you probably think my cheese has slipped off its cracker for finding a mini-instance in which NPCs chatter at each other the most charming part of an update, but I am what I am. I feel a little less alone in this since I'm not the only one turning cartwheels over it. A recent ArenaNet developer livestream contained a reference to the relationship between Marjory Delaqua and her partner, Kasmeer Meade, as a "love story." For those of us who had already picked up on their affection for each other and were hoping to see them become a couple officially, this was very exciting, and their interaction in the current release has shown them growing closer. But why are Kas and Jory such a big deal? They're just a pair of NPCs, right? Continue reading Flameseeker Chronicles: The greatest Guild Wars 2 love story ever told Flameseeker Chronicles: The greatest Guild Wars 2 love story ever told originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 28 Jan 2014 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Kingdom Under Fire II interview highlights development Posted: 28 Jan 2014 08:00 AM PST Filed under: Betas, Game Mechanics, New Titles, News Items, Consoles, MMORTS Kingdom Under Fire II, which is finally releasing this summer, has undergone a number of changes during its six-years-plus of development. And in a recent interview, Executive Producer Sang Youn Lee sat down with Worlds Factory to discuss the evolution of the game and highlight its upcoming features. Players can look forward to guild-owned territories, a persistent world, territory disputes and sieges, PvE dynamic events, and much more. Sang Youn Lee also noted that while the game will be available on multiple platforms, it will not have cross-platform play. Check out the full interview for all the details. [Thanks to David for the tip!] Kingdom Under Fire II interview highlights development originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 28 Jan 2014 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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RuneScape behind-the-scenes video reveals boss character development Posted: 28 Jan 2014 07:30 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, News Items, RuneScape, Free-to-Play When you face a massive foe in your favorite game, do you wonder what went into making it? RuneScape has overhauled one if its earliest bosses and brought fans along for a look at the creative process in a new behind-the-scenes video. The revamp of the Giant Mole Boss shows off the steps from conceptualization to animation to audio to release. The finished product of the team's efforts is a nastier looking Giant Mole with modern boss mechanics, two difficulty modes, and an instanced lair for both solo and group runs. And what boss overhaul would be complete without new loot? Once players defeat this boss, they have the chance to acquire new rewards -- a mole that improves anti-dragon shields and numbing roots that remove DoTs -- on top of the original items. Follow along with the revamp in the clip below. [Source: Jagex press release] Continue reading RuneScape behind-the-scenes video reveals boss character development RuneScape behind-the-scenes video reveals boss character development originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 28 Jan 2014 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Get the scoop on Aion's new Glory Points and dungeon systems Posted: 28 Jan 2014 07:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Aion, Game Mechanics, News Items, PvE, Free-to-Play, Dungeons When Aion's Steel Cavalry launches tomorrow, Daevas will have their first chance to experience the new Glory Points and instanced dungeon entry systems. To help players better understand these changes, NCsoft has compiled two helpful guides. Glory Points (GP) are a new form of Abyss currency that will determine the rankings from officer on up. While soldier ranks will still be determined by Abyss Points (AP), ranking for officers, generals, commanders, and the Governor will not be affected by gain or loss of AP at all. GP can only be earned in specific ways, such as the Arena of Glory (61+), GP Quests, and fortress sieges in Katalam, Danaria, and the inner upper Abyss. The dungeon entry system is changing from a specific timed-cooldown to an entry count. This means that players will no longer be forced to wait a specific amount of time to re-enter an instance after one run, but instead have a set number of opportunities to do so within a time frame. The entry count for each dungeon will reset on its own schedule, either daily, weekly, or even several times per week. Get the scoop on Aion's new Glory Points and dungeon systems originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 28 Jan 2014 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Journey to the Edge of the Mists in Guild Wars 2's next content release Posted: 28 Jan 2014 06:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Interviews, Lore, Patches, News Items, Guild Wars 2, Buy-to-Play Guild Wars 2's new World vs. World map, the Edge of the Mists, has been in beta testing for several months. Soon, players will get to experience it in the live game, along with (hopefully) reduced WvW queue times and new opportunities to beat up players from rival realities. There's trouble in PvP paradise, though, and it comes in familiar red airships. ArenaNet's Colin Johanson and Meelad Sadat sat down with us to talk about the upcoming content release, appropriately named Edge of the Mists. Jump past the cut to grab some info and watch the teaser video! Continue reading Journey to the Edge of the Mists in Guild Wars 2's next content release Journey to the Edge of the Mists in Guild Wars 2's next content release originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 28 Jan 2014 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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The Daily Grind: What first drew you to your current game? Posted: 28 Jan 2014 05:00 AM PST Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous My memories of 2004 grow hazier over time -- that was a decade ago, after all -- but I still remember what first drew me to World of Warcraft, and it wasn't a longstanding love of the strategy games. No, what engaged me was the fact that it promised a break from the tedious group-based slogs and aimless wandering that made up the MMO landscape at the time. After playing Final Fantasy XI for two years, the idea of being able to just go out into the world and do things and have actual quests was so intoxicating that it could be legally called a drug. It's been many years since WoW was new and many years since it was my main game, and what keeps me in the game is not what initially attracted me to the game. But I do remember why I bought it in the first place, during a time when it seemed almost impossible to find and was first breaking subscription records. So what about you, dear readers? What first drew you to your current game, even if those attributes aren't the reason you stick around now? 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: What first drew you to your current game? originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 28 Jan 2014 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Not So Massively: LoL update blocked by porn filter, Firefall's story campaign, and PoE's summoning skills Posted: 27 Jan 2014 05:00 PM PST Filed under: Betas, Video, Business Models, Culture, Expansions, Game Mechanics, Patches, PvP, News Items, PvE, Free-to-Play, MMOFPS, Dev Diaries, Miscellaneous, Not So Massively, MOBA, League of Legends, Diablo III, Firefall, Crowdfunding, Star Citizen, Elite: Dangerous, Path of Exile Star Citizen hit $37 million in crowdfunding this week, unlocking the strange new Tanga solar system in a rectangular planetary nebula. In the latest Elite: Dangerous newsletter, developers revealed plans for the upcoming multiplayer alpha stage, the travel and trading alpha, and the eventual full beta release. Red 5 Studios secured $23 million in funding for additional development on Firefall and revealed plans to launch in 2014 with a full story campaign. Several League of Legends players in the UK have reported that innocuous game files in the latest patch are being inadvertently blocked by the new country-wide internet pornography filter. Heroes of Newerth indulged lore-hounds this week with a new content website for artwork and game fiction. Diablo III's latest public test realm patch doubled the drop rate of legendary items, and developers clarified that XP gain for players grinding paragon levels will be drastically increased in the next update. And Path of Exile revealed the four new summoning skills coming in patch 1.0.6 that will make necromancer Witch builds a lot more viable. Continue reading Not So Massively: LoL update blocked by porn filter, Firefall's story campaign, and PoE's summoning skills Not So Massively: LoL update blocked by porn filter, Firefall's story campaign, and PoE's summoning skills originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 27 Jan 2014 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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8 Bit's Skara MOBA greenlit on Steam Posted: 27 Jan 2014 04:30 PM PST |
The Stream Team: Running missions in EVE Online Posted: 27 Jan 2014 04:00 PM PST Filed under: Sci-Fi, Video, EVE Online, PvE, Massively Meta, Hands-On, Livestream, Sandbox, The Stream Team, Subscription, MMORPG It's been too long since Massively's Mike Foster has loaded himself into a spaceship and set out into the black searching for fame and fortune. Tonight, EVE Online returns with Tier II mission running. Tune in at 7:00 p.m. EST to find out what PvE questing content looks like in the world's biggest sandbox. As long as no nefarious stream snipers show up, it should be a nice, peaceful evening. Game: EVE Online Host: Mike Foster Date: Monday, January 26th, 2014 Time: 7:00 p.m. EST Enjoy our Steam Team video below. Continue reading The Stream Team: Running missions in EVE Online The Stream Team: Running missions in EVE Online originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 27 Jan 2014 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Captain's Log: Gearing up for Star Trek Online's fourth anniversary Posted: 27 Jan 2014 02:00 PM PST Filed under: Sci-Fi, Events (In-Game), Patches, PvE, Opinion, Star Trek Online, Free-to-Play, Captain's Log, Promotions, Anniversaries We're only a few days away from the release of Star Trek Online's fourth anniversary celebration, and a lot of information about upcoming events is rolling out. As the team prepares for the launch, several new blogs have popped up teasing players with information about upcoming content and changes including news that actor Tim Russ, who played Tuvok in Star Trek: Voyager, will reprise his role in Star Trek Online's Fourth Anniversary Featured Episode! It's only logical Last week's announcement that Tim Russ would be providing his voice for upcoming content certainly made a lot of Trekkies happy. Community Manager Brandon Felczer interviewed Russ for the game's video blog and asked a lot of great questions. It was also revealed during the interview that recordings of Russ' voice won't just be used in the upcoming Featured Episode (called A Step Between Stars); it will also be heard in "upcoming content" including "Season Nine and beyond." Continue reading Captain's Log: Gearing up for Star Trek Online's fourth anniversary Captain's Log: Gearing up for Star Trek Online's fourth anniversary originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 27 Jan 2014 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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EVE Online: Rubicon 1.1 patch inbound tomorrow Posted: 27 Jan 2014 01:30 PM PST Filed under: Patches, Sandbox, WildStar, Subscription EVE Online is prepping its Rubicon 1.1 patch for tomorrow, January 28th. Clocking in at a little over a gigabyte, Rubicon 1.1 will supplement the most recent expansion with new deployable structures, the final Sisters of EVE ship, graphic tweaks, UI improvements, and the usual kids-clean-up-the-mess-you-made fixes that post-expansion patches typically contain. The full patch notes for Rubicon 1.1 are currently available to read as your ship prepares for drydock. EVE Online: Rubicon 1.1 patch inbound tomorrow originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 27 Jan 2014 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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The Stream Team: Alganon's new expansion with Beau and the devs Posted: 27 Jan 2014 01:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Expansions, Game Mechanics, Interviews, Previews, Free-to-Play, Hands-On, Alganon, Livestream, The Stream Team Join Beau Hindman and members of the Alganon team as they explore some of the features of the brand-new and long-awaited expansion. Come ask questions, or if you've never seen it before, check out the gameplay during our livestream! Game: Alganon Host: Beau Hindman Date: Monday, January 27th, 2014 Time: 4:00 p.m. EST Enjoy our Steam Team video below. Continue reading The Stream Team: Alganon's new expansion with Beau and the devs The Stream Team: Alganon's new expansion with Beau and the devs originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 27 Jan 2014 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Riot claims 27 million daily players for League of Legends Posted: 27 Jan 2014 12:30 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, MMO Industry, PvP, News Items, Free-to-Play, MOBA, League of Legends It's no secret that Riot Games's League of Legends is the biggest MOBA on the block, but just how big might come as something of a surprise. Riot has revealed that the League playerbase has now reached 27 million players daily. Player concurrency hits about 7.5 million players during high-traffic hours; for comparison, Valve's Dota 2, which most would consider League's primary competitor, sees about seven million players per month. The high numbers have done wonders for Riot's pocketbook, helping League to generate over $624 million in revenue in 2013. Riot claims 27 million daily players for League of Legends originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 27 Jan 2014 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Chaos Theory: First five favorite moments in The Secret World Posted: 27 Jan 2014 12:00 PM PST Filed under: Horror, Real-Life, Game Mechanics, Opinion, The Secret World, Chaos Theory, Buy-to-Play I've been asked many times why I love The Secret World. And I have always answered enthusiastically about my favorite parts of this unique game. But a more interesting take on the question presented itself recently: When did I love The Secret World? This query gave me pause as I thought back to the point at which my I'm-having-fun feelings turned into bona fide squeals of delight and shrieks of surprise. And I came to the conclusion that all I really needed to love The Secret World I learned in Kingsmouth. If you think about it, that's a pretty good thing. Since Kingsmouth is the first real adventure zone after your tutorial (I'm not counting the faction cities), having experiences that grab folks' interest there is vital to producing long term-players. In a game, just as in a book or a movie, it is important to hook your intended audience early on so its members stick around to see what's going to happen next. And hook me Kingsmouth did. The following are the first five moments that captured my heart (and mind -- this is TSW we're talking about, after all). They are by no means the be-all, end-all of the game; they are very simple, in fact. But these particular moments did help define my appreciation for the game and ensnare me enough to keep me coming back for more. Continue reading Chaos Theory: First five favorite moments in The Secret World Chaos Theory: First five favorite moments in The Secret World originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 27 Jan 2014 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Pantheon interview offers glimpse of economy, housing, and more Posted: 27 Jan 2014 11:30 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Economy, Interviews, MMO Industry, Housing, Crowdfunding, Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen With the imminent shut down of Vanguard: Saga of Heroes on the horizon, eyes are turning to the upcoming Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen project spearheaded by one of the earlier fantasy game's creators. Brad McQuaid, first known for his work on the original EverQuest, is looking to fill the niche for old-school games that focus on group content and slow progression. How much will Pantheon fit the bill as the go-to game for all those old-school gamers looking for a challenging new home? Before the weekend announcement caught everyone off-guard, we nabbed McQuaid and Director of Development Salim Grant to find out a few more details about the game and its economy (no bind-on-pickup!), crafting, housing, and classes and races. Continue reading Pantheon interview offers glimpse of economy, housing, and more Pantheon interview offers glimpse of economy, housing, and more originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 27 Jan 2014 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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The Nexus Telegraph: Everyone's got active combat, and so does WildStar Posted: 27 Jan 2014 11:00 AM PST Filed under: Sci-Fi, Game Mechanics, Opinion, WildStar, The Nexus Telegraph, Subscription, Buy-to-Play WildStar is launching with active combat, but let's be totally honest about something: The whole telegraph system is not exactly as special now as it might have seemed, say, three years ago. Guild Wars 2 has active combat. Ditto TERA, ditto DC Universe Online. The Secret World makes use of telegraphs all over the place (which kind of feels like a kludge, but so does most of the game's combat system, so there). Even Final Fantasy XIV -- a game I have noted on many occasions as having a much slower and more tactical combat pace -- makes heavy use of telegraph mechanics. And The Elder Scrolls Online is certainly launching with a more active combat system, to boot. There's more to WildStar than telegraph markers, though. So it's time to talk about what the game actually does in terms of combat that's interesting and novel. We've been told that the active combat of the game is a big deal, but is it actually revolutionary, an evolution, or just another thing? Continue reading The Nexus Telegraph: Everyone's got active combat, and so does WildStar The Nexus Telegraph: Everyone's got active combat, and so does WildStar originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 27 Jan 2014 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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The cows come home in Marvel Heroes Game Update 2.14 Posted: 27 Jan 2014 10:00 AM PST Filed under: Super-hero, Trailers, Video, Classes, Patches, News Items, Free-to-Play, Marvel Heroes Game Update 2.14 hit Marvel Heroes over the weekend and introduced a few more goodies to the superhero game, including the new tundra zone of Bovineheim where Skrull cows are plotting great evil and must be stopped. Also, the most experienced heroes will find more challenging content thanks to the new Cosmic Terminals. On top of that, both Captain America and Hawkeye have new abilities and build options. Players can also don the new enhanced costume of Kate Bishop as Hawkeye, with all new voice-over, emotes, and animations. You can see Bishop in action in the trailer below. If you'd rather play Nightcrawler, Gazillion Entertainment announces that he should be making an appearance later this week. [Source: Gazillion Entertainment press release] Continue reading The cows come home in Marvel Heroes Game Update 2.14 The cows come home in Marvel Heroes Game Update 2.14 originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 27 Jan 2014 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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