| World of Tanks rolls out team battles today Posted: 30 Oct 2013 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Historical, Galleries, Screenshots, Trailers, Video, Game Mechanics, PvP, News Items, War, Free-to-Play, World of Tanks, MOBA Previously, the only way to team up with a larger group of friends in World of Tanks and fight together (or against each other) was to create a practice room and meet up. With today's launch of Update 8.9, players can now form teams of seven and engage in competitive battles with other similarly skilled groups of seven in the new team battles game mode. Additionally, this update introduces a new battle arena with an American Northwest setting, new Chinese premium tanks (the 112 and T-34-3), and an alternative branch of German tank destroyers that stretch across tiers four through 10. Check out these new features in the gallery and update trailer below. [Source: Wargaming.net press release] Continue reading World of Tanks rolls out team battles today  World of Tanks rolls out team battles today originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 30 Oct 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| New Greed Monger screens show character creation Posted: 30 Oct 2013 09:00 AM PDT |
| Xsyon gets Steam Greenlight, plans PvE server Posted: 30 Oct 2013 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, PvP, News Items, PvE, Free-to-Play, Xsyon, Post-Apocalyptic, Sandbox, Player-Generated Content Xsyon has been Greenlit! After pitching its post-apocalyptic world to the Steam community, Notorious Games got the thumbs up for launching the game on that online platform. And in preparation of that launch, the game is planning some new updates, not the least of which is a PvE server! That's right, if you ever said to yourself you'd love to play Xsyon if only there was a PvE server, now you'll have the chance. A PvP server will still be an option for the more risk-oriented. Other plans in development include resetting abandoned terraformed land back to its original form, allowing players to farm by planting and tending crops, and adding cooking abilities where players can combine ingredients to create all-new recipes for dishes that provide buffs. There's no launch date set yet for Steam, but tell us: Would you play Xsyon on a PvE server, or would you prefer to remain on a PvP one? Tell us your thoughts! [Source: Notorious Games press release] View Poll Xsyon gets Steam Greenlight, plans PvE server originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 30 Oct 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Choose My Adventure: If it's Neverwinter, is it Alwayssummer? Posted: 30 Oct 2013 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Classes, Lore, Opinion, Free-to-Play, Hands-On, Choose My Adventure, Neverwinter I had a good time this weekend in Neverwinter streaming the first part of our adventure on Massively's Twitch channel. The viewers even participated in creating my character with me based on the gender, race, and class chosen in last week's column. When sitting down to actually create a male Tiefling Control Wizard, I realized that many other relevant choices that could take multiple articles just to vote on. In fact, as was evident in the livestream, in Neverwinter's character creator, you could take over an hour to roll the ideal character. Eventually, the stream audience settled on a medium-red Goku-lookalike named Morthos Angelbane. I don't know how canon that name is, but this is Choose My Adventure. It's not really my decision to make. However, character creation for Cryptic's Neverwinter offers some interesting choices that I feel really set the game apart from other similar games. Continue reading Choose My Adventure: If it's Neverwinter, is it Alwayssummer? Choose My Adventure: If it's Neverwinter, is it Alwayssummer? originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 30 Oct 2013 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Daily Grind: What's your favorite boss mechanic? Posted: 30 Oct 2013 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous It seems to me that it's got to be tough for MMO developers to constantly come up with new boss fight mechanics. I mean, consider how many games and bosses have been made by now, and yet players still expect something they've never seen before. That's got to be daunting. I'm somewhat fond of bosses that transform into different modes during a fight. That's especially nice if it's a long fight, since it's a good visual indicator of how far we've come. It keeps things spicy, too. I'd love to hear about your favorite boss fight mechanic today. Let's go beyond the red circles of doom and dig deep, people!  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's your favorite boss mechanic? originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 30 Oct 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Dorn reprises Worf role in Star Trek Online's Season 8 Posted: 29 Oct 2013 07:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Interviews, MMO Industry, Patches, News Items, Star Trek Online, Free-to-Play Worf is back in Star Trek, or rather, Star Trek Online. According to an interview with actor Michael Dorn on the official Star Trek website, the Klingon warrior will appear in the game's new Sphere of Influence feature episode. "I'm afraid Worf is always lurking somewhere in the background of my psyche," Dorn tells STO content designer and interviewer Kate Bankson. Read the full interview via the links below. Dorn reprises Worf role in Star Trek Online's Season 8 originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 29 Oct 2013 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Jukebox Heroes: Halloween tunes Posted: 29 Oct 2013 06:00 PM PDT |
| Nexon puts millions into Rumble Games Posted: 29 Oct 2013 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: MapleStory, MMO Industry, News Items, Free-to-Play, Mobile, MMOFPS, Mabinogi, Miscellaneous, MMORPG Rumble Games, founded by former BioWare/ Pandemic CEO Greg Richardson, has just received a nice cash boost from Nexon and its investment partners. Rumble announced today that Nexon, Google Ventures, and TriplePoint Capital have invested $17.5 million in the studio, which intends to use the funds to expand its markets and further support its stable of free-to-play and mobile titles. Nexon, the Tokyo-based producer of online games like Mabinogi, Combat Arms, and MapleStory, apparently sees something it likes in Rumble's games, which include KingsRoad, Ballistic, and Nightmare Guardians. Nexon puts millions into Rumble Games originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 29 Oct 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| New ship and special items await STO players in 'Sphere of Influence' Posted: 29 Oct 2013 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Events (In-Game), Patches, News Items, PvE, Star Trek Online, Free-to-Play, MMORPG With Star Trek Online's Season Eight: The Sphere content edging ever-closer to release, it's time for Cryptic to fire up the lore machine and start pushing players toward their destiny. Sphere of Influence, set to go live on October 31st, bridges the gap between current content and the upcoming Sphere additions. Starting Thursday, all players level 10 or above will be able to hail D'Tan from their mission journals and begin a new quest. This quest, which revolves around D'Tan's efforts to restore the Iconian Gateway, will take players into New Romulus to stand present at the gate's reactivation. Players who complete the quest will receive pieces of the ancient obelisk technology set as well as a special Obelisk ship that can be helmed only after the player reaches level 40. The quest will be available from October 31st to December 5th. New ship and special items await STO players in 'Sphere of Influence' originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 29 Oct 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Lord of the Rings Online dev diary digs into Helm's Deep's epic story Posted: 29 Oct 2013 03:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Expansions, Lore, News Items, Free-to-Play, Dev Diaries  Players of Lord of the Rings Online must certainly be looking forward to the continuation of the game's epic storyline in the upcoming Helm's Deep expansion. Unfortunately, they're going to have to wait just a little longer, but on the bright side, the folks at Turbine have released a new dev diary that delves into the next three books of volume III that will be added in the expansion, plus "some of the interesting challenges [the devs] faced while bringing this section of the story to life." One of the main issues that the devs must confront is the challenge of allowing players to play a significant role in the ongoing story while not directly interfering with the main narrative of the Fellowship. On top of that, there's the small detail that while many player characters are Hobbits, there were no Hobbits present at the battle of Helm's Deep. So how do the devs deal with these lore conundrums? Well, you'll have to check out the full dev diary to find out, so for all the tasty details (and a few teasers of upcoming content), just head over to the LotRO official site. Lord of the Rings Online dev diary digs into Helm's Deep's epic story originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 29 Oct 2013 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Marvel Heroes announces Asgardian content, playable Loki Posted: 29 Oct 2013 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Screenshots, Events (In-Game), Patches, Previews, Free-to-Play, Marvel Heroes, Crafting Marvel Heroes is a game known for its ability to suck players in to the universe of Marvel superheroes. Its linear play is also augmented by the much more open area of downtown Manhattan, and there is no other MMO that allows you to control heroes from all of Marvel's timelines and universes, from the movie franchises to the classic comics. And now we've learned the game is gearing up for a very nice update in November. So what's in store for this patch? Well, it just so happens that Marvel's latest movie, Thor: The Dark World, is coming out in a week or so. Gazillion Entertainment couldn't very well sit back and let the moment get away, could it? So it created an entire suite of content based around Asgard, Thor, and the new movie. We asked Jeff Donais, Creative Director, some questions to find out all of the details. Warning: There might be spoilers below! Continue reading Marvel Heroes announces Asgardian content, playable Loki Marvel Heroes announces Asgardian content, playable Loki originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 29 Oct 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Masquerade of Liars now live in Neverwinter Posted: 29 Oct 2013 02:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Events (In-Game), News Items, PvE, Free-to-Play, Neverwinter, MMORPG Halloween festivities continue to invade our MMOs, with Neverwinter's Masquerade of Liars festival currently online and set to run until November 4th. The event brings costumes, masks, decorations, and all the other stuff you'd expect to see in an MMO holiday, including special boss encounters with transformed NPCs. Collect Liar's Charms from daily quests and trade them to wandering illusionists for masquerade tokens, which you can then trade for special holiday loot. You'll also find Liar's Charms scattered about the world; they'll drop from skill nodes and slain monsters during the event. There's a fair amount of lore to be discovered by talking to the masquerade loremaster each day of the festival, yet another way to gather a few charms. Speak with the masquerade master in the center of Protector's Enclave for a full introduction to the event. Masquerade of Liars now live in Neverwinter originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 29 Oct 2013 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Flameseeker Chronicles: Guild Wars 2's rogue's gallery remixes Posted: 29 Oct 2013 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Lore, Opinion, Guild Wars 2, Flameseeker Chronicles, Buy-to-Play Guild Wars 2's wicked snake people, the Krait, are nasty on their best of days, and ArenaNet is making them even nastier in the new Tower of Nightmares release. The titular tower has been built in secret in Viathan Lake under a force field, and its unveiling will cause massive changes in the area. The trailer shows us green skies filled with black seeds and sinister winds; at the top of the tower is a plant of some kind. I'm not used to describing plants as lurking or looming, but this one is definitely doing both. I'm excited for this release because it looks creepy, and regardless of how effective it ends up being, I almost always appreciate it when MMOs attempt to be scary. I like that the lore of GW2 doesn't always take itself too seriously, but when it goes dark, it can hit some disturbing notes. My misgivings about the patch lie in this being the third enemy mashup we've seen: Dredge and Flame Legion, Inquest and Aetherblades, and now Krait and what have to be some extremely persuasive snake charmers. Continue reading Flameseeker Chronicles: Guild Wars 2's rogue's gallery remixes Flameseeker Chronicles: Guild Wars 2's rogue's gallery remixes originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 29 Oct 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Steam begins selling The Secret World: Massive Edition Posted: 29 Oct 2013 01:30 PM PDT Filed under: Horror, Sci-Fi, Events (In-Game), The Secret World, Promotions, Post-Apocalyptic, Buy-to-Play Steam has a new promotional bundle on sale for newcomers to The Secret World. Called The Secret World: Massive Edition, the bundle contains the core buy-to-play game, all of the issues to date, and this Halloween's Plague Doctor outfit (seen in the picture above). While Issues #1-4 were previously free with the core game, Issues #5-7 were sold as DLC. The promotional edition is on sale at half-off for $29.99. The game, its issues, and the Plague Doctor outfit can also be purchased separately. Funcom also announced that it will extend the game's current Halloween festivities through November 11th. Steam begins selling The Secret World: Massive Edition originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 29 Oct 2013 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| World of Warcraft film names lead actor Posted: 29 Oct 2013 01:00 PM PDT |
| Defiance Arkbreaker DLC lands in December Posted: 29 Oct 2013 12:30 PM PDT Filed under: Real-Life, Sci-Fi, Expansions, PvP, News Items, PvE, Consoles, Post-Apocalyptic, Miscellaneous, Defiance, MMORPG, Buy-to-Play Trion Worlds today announced that Defiance's second DLC pack, titled Arkbreaker, will go live on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC in December. The post is accompanied by a promise for more information in the coming weeks -- Defiance players have already begun to speculate in the official announcement forum thread. Defiance's last DLC expansion, the Castithan Charge Pack, launched in August. Executive producer Nathan Richardsson noted in May that Trion has five expansions planned for "the next year," though he left the studio back in July. Defiance Arkbreaker DLC lands in December originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 29 Oct 2013 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Hyperspace Beacon: SWTOR's changing combat in update 2.5 Posted: 29 Oct 2013 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Classes, Patches, PvP, Endgame, PvE, Opinion, Free-to-Play, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Hyperspace Beacon, MMORPG Let's talk about the combat changes coming in Star Wars: The Old Republic Update 2.5. We'll see pretty large sweeping changes to a couple of my favorite classes and some much-needed changes to others. Some of the changes make me question the thought processes of the designers, and some much-needed changes seem to be absent. I don't consider myself a combat design expert by any stretch of the imagination, but I have played every class in SWTOR extensively with the exception of the Bounty Hunter and Trooper classes. But then those two classes aren't seeing any major changes in Update 2.5. Therefore, I don't have much to talk about with them anyway. My favorite class is the Marauder/Sentinel, so the nerfs and upgrades to that class are dear to me. But I also really enjoy the Operative/Scoundrel class as well. This class will see (and frankly, not see) some changes in the upcoming patch. But I believe the class that is affected the most is the Madness/Balance-specced Inquisitor/Consular. Let's start there. Continue reading Hyperspace Beacon: SWTOR's changing combat in update 2.5 Hyperspace Beacon: SWTOR's changing combat in update 2.5 originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 29 Oct 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| RuneScape winning war on gold farming Posted: 29 Oct 2013 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Business Models, Events (Real-World), MMO Industry, News Items, RuneScape, Free-to-Play Gold farming is a pervasive plague throughout the world of free-to-play MMOs, but RuneScape appears to have developed a cure. Jagex has announced that the recent introduction of Bonds (an in-game item that can pay for account-related and out-of-game benefits) has nearly eradicated gold farming in the game, reducing it by 81% in only one month. COO Riaan Hodgson stated, "While we anticipated that the launch of Bonds would impact the flow of illegal wealth into the game, we are thrilled the initiative has resulted in such a strong and immediate impact." The impact of Bonds, however, goes beyond just significantly lowering gold farming; Bonds have opened up more benefits to more players via the Pay-through-Play initiative. Additionally, more than 10% of RuneFest attendees have paid for their tickets to the November 2nd event at Tobacco Dock using Bonds. [Source: Jagex press release] RuneScape winning war on gold farming originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 29 Oct 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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We stepped out onto the battlefield, and lived to talk about it
It's official, Steam is more popular than Xbox Live
Little Whiskers isn't the reason why your laptop may have smelled like cat urine
Intel's interest in TV may be waning
Helium is the key to big capacity hard drives
