MMO Updates |
- EVE Online's Incarna 1.0 coming Tuesday
- Gaijin announces World of Planes MMO
- Aion fans: Update your look with free Wonder Girls outfits from Massively!
- PlanetSide Next to be unveiled at SOE Fan Faire
- Storyboard: The stock
- The Daily Grind: How dependent are you on internet guides?
- Sony Online Entertainment announces Backstage Blogger contest
- Pillar of the community: Vindictus adds a new character and events in 1.31
- The MMO Report: Nerd-flu edition
- Lord of the Rings Online fan film trailer released
- Duran Duran and Second Life, isn't that bizarre?
- Captain's Log: The Gospel of Tribble
- Superheroes get a helping hand with Champions Online's weekend boost event
- The Guild Counsel: An interview with The Syndicate's Sean Stalzer on his new book
- Ask Massively: Sort of like literary criticism edition
- One Shots: The sting of justice
- Inaugural Fallen Earth dev blog talks PvE, PvP, and roleplay content
- Lucent Heart open beta starts next week
- The Perfect Ten: Shapeshifters
- Behind the Mask: A complete guide to angel-slaying, volume two
- Fox unveils Family Guy Online... really
- Aika Online's Epic II expansion launching in August
- Celebrate Jade Dynasty's second anniversary with a free mount from Massively!
| EVE Online's Incarna 1.0 coming Tuesday Posted: 17 Jun 2011 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Expansions, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Patches, News items  The update process is scheduled to last for 14 hours on Tuesday, June 21st, so make sure you've got some long-haul skills in your training queue this Monday. Incarna version 1.0 is bringing the much-ballyhooed captain's quarters patch to EVE, and it represents the first step towards fully functional space station interiors. The update will also feature a new tutorial experience (though the familiar voice of Aura isn't going anywhere), as well as new agent finder and corporation recruitment tools. CCP says that full patch notes are in the works and in the meantime, you can join the forum discussion at the official EVE website.
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| Gaijin announces World of Planes MMO Posted: 17 Jun 2011 09:30 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Historical, Real life, Galleries, Screenshots, MMO industry, New titles, News items, War, Free-to-play, Miscellaneous  Gaijin's press release calls World of Planes a "flying simulation game," and the company will be drawing on its previous genre experience thanks to titles like Wings of Prey and Wings of Luftwaffe. According to the new World of Planes website, the game will feature "hundreds of historically accurate planes" and "flying skills that can be honed and improved with each mission." The site also hints at ground- and sea-based combat along with co-op missions, solo play, and a realistic damage model. The game will operate under a free-to-play business model, and you'll want to check out our screenshot gallery below before heading to the official World of Planes website to sign up for beta.
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| Aion fans: Update your look with free Wonder Girls outfits from Massively! Posted: 17 Jun 2011 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Aion, Contests, Giveaways  Has your pocketbook kept you from indulging in some new threads? Well take heart, because as always, we've got you covered here at Massively. We've got codes galore for several of these items: The Disco Pack (both Asmodian and Elyos), the Nobody Retro Dress, the Tell Me Ensemble, and finally, the Wonder Girl Dress Pack. Want to win one of your very own? Entering couldn't be easier. Just leave us a comment telling us which of these items is your favorite and why. The entry deadline is 11:59 p.m. EDT Sunday, June 19th. We'll choose the winners Monday, so read our contest rules, leave your comment before the deadline, and best of luck! 
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| PlanetSide Next to be unveiled at SOE Fan Faire Posted: 17 Jun 2011 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, PlanetSide, News items, MMOFPS  Even eight years after its launch, Sony Online Entertainment's Planetside still retains a healthy (and borderline fanatical) playerbase. This is almost certainly owed largely to the fact that Planetside remains one of the scant few MMOFPS games on the market. Planetside players, though, have been thirsting for more for quite some time. Thankfully, it appears the wait will soon be over. Rumors have been flying for what seems like ages, alongside a few sparse screenshots, but Planetside Next seems to be set to be officially unveiled at the upcoming SOE Fan Faire this July. John Smedley, President of SOE, announced on his Twitter, "For all you Planetside Next fans stay tuned for a big announcement at our upcoming Fan Faire in Vegas!" You heard the man! Keep your weapons in their holsters for just a while longer and keep an eye on Massively, because we'll be sure to have all the freshest information as soon as it's out.
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| Posted: 17 Jun 2011 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Culture, Opinion, Roleplaying, Storyboard, Miscellaneous  How is this relevant to roleplaying with MMOs? Simple: These are characters whom I'd played and generally created via MMOs, heroes and villains alike. And the lure of sticking to a strong character is seductive because you know whom you'll be playing and how to play the character for maximum impact. But you run a very real risk of being locked into a narrow range of character possibilities, and after a while, having stock characters built up becomes limiting rather than liberating. Continue reading Storyboard: The stock
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| The Daily Grind: How dependent are you on internet guides? Posted: 17 Jun 2011 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous  Times have changed, but our desire to bypass difficult sections of games has not. If we can't cheat our way past it, we'll gladly leap to any aid that presents itself, whether it's a strategy guide, a walkthrough, or an elaborate database devoted to cataloguing every step of every quest in our MMOs. Today is an honesty check for you: How dependent are you on spoilers to get through quests when you get stuck? Do you try to puzzle things out for yourself, or is your first instinct to tab out and look up the solution? For bonus discussion, does this mean that it's impossible for devs to really surprise us anymore?  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!
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| Sony Online Entertainment announces Backstage Blogger contest Posted: 16 Jun 2011 08:00 PM PDT Filed under: Contests, News items, Miscellaneous  Are you a blogger? Do you want to go to the Sony Online Entertainment Fan Faire this year? Then you should enter SOE's Backstage Blogger contest! The rules are simple: Make a video or written blog to show the SOE team how much you adore your favorite SOE title(s) and send it in! A panel of judges will rate the submissions and select four lucky winners from the pool of applicants. Those four fortunate folks will be awarded an all-access pass to the Sony Online Entertainment Fan Faire as well as a Sony Bloggie Touch Camera Kit and the ability to publish their posts from the convention on the SOE Station Blog for the duration of the Fan Faire. If you think you've got a shot at the prize, then head on over to the official forum post for the full set of rules and policies. Good luck, readers!
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| Pillar of the community: Vindictus adds a new character and events in 1.31 Posted: 16 Jun 2011 07:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Classes, Events, in-game, Patches, Free-to-play, Vindictus  The 1.31 update comes with a host of additions to the game, chief among them the ability to play a completely new character. The titular Karok is a hulking 400-pound giant who swings a barbed pillar, knocking foes out of the park. While he boasts great strength and power, his slower speed and lack of AoE attacks make playing him a challenge. The Karok update also includes new transformations for the Dark Knight and Paladin, a leaderboard ranking system, party member ranking, new avatars for characters, and the end of the game's token system. To celebrate the update, Nexon is throwing three in-game events. The Blood Brothers Event (June 15th to July 13th) gives your lowbie characters an XP boost if you have a level 40 or higher toon. During the New Recruit Event (June 15th to the 28th), baby-faced characters that hit level 10 will receive a welcome package. And finally, the Power Personified Event (also June 15th to the 28th) will reward new level 20 characters with three dye ampoules. You can watch the Karok: Pillar of Strength trailer after the jump! Continue reading Pillar of the community: Vindictus adds a new character and events in 1.31
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| The MMO Report: Nerd-flu edition Posted: 16 Jun 2011 06:30 PM PDT Filed under: Video, EVE Online, News items, Star Wars: The Old Republic, DUST 514, The MMO Report, TERA  In this week's MMO Report, Casey comes to us directly from E3 2011, where he verbally spars with a variety of game developers while battling off hunger, fatigue, and nerd-flu. Watch Casey's stats slowly dwindle as he confronts the many dangers of E3, such as overstimulation and the dreaded natural light. The first stop on Casey's E3 journey is an interview with Square Enix's Frank Fonseca, with whom he discusses the upcoming tactical MMORPG Wakfu. He gets a few details on the political system and discovers how tactical combat plays out in an MMO space. Next, he gets some face-time in with Producer Thomas Farrer and Creative Director Torfi Frans Olafsson from CCP, who tell Casey all about how the interplay between EVE Online and upcoming DUST 514 will work and why DUST 514 is different from other console shooters. From there he scurries off to En Masse's booth to have a chat with TERA's North American Producer Chris Hager, who discusses TERA's big political system reveal as well as the name of his potential political party. Last stop on the Casey-train is BioWare's booth, where Casey parleys with Star Wars: The Old Republic's Senior Live Producer Blaine Christine. Blaine gives Casey the low-down on Tatooine, the newly introduced player vehicles, and what players can expect in regard to The Old Republic's much-hyped story. For the full video, sadly lacking in the Uncle Casey's mailbag department, jump on past the cut. Continue reading The MMO Report: Nerd-flu edition
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| Lord of the Rings Online fan film trailer released Posted: 16 Jun 2011 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Lord of the Rings Online, Culture, News items, Free-to-play  A Casual Stroll to Mordor is currently featuring a new trailer for the film, which tells the tale of a geeky guy who finds meaning (and apparently, a girl) while questing his way toward the top prize in a LotRO gaming competition. Check out the trailer after the cut, and read more about the flick at The Fellows Hip website. Continue reading Lord of the Rings Online fan film trailer released
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| Duran Duran and Second Life, isn't that bizarre? Posted: 16 Jun 2011 05:30 PM PDT Filed under: Culture, News items, Second Life, Virtual worlds, Miscellaneous  According to Tateru Nino at Dwell On It, Duran Duran had promised its presence in the world of Second Life back in 2006. Second Life residents were hungry like a wolf for more information, but the band was lost in a crowd. At long last, the band announced yesterday the launch of Duran Duran Universe, a new zone in Linden Lab's virtual world. Although there may be no dancing on the sand, community manager Crissy Welinder posted the official announcement to the Duran Duran website: "Duran Duran Universe is packed full of wonderful artistic treasures, interactive features, innovative multimedia and exciting events and games." Every part of the Second Life zone has been carefully selected by members of the band, and they hope it is one continuous party. For more information about Duran Duran Universe, don't twist through a dusty land, just visit the band's official website.
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| Captain's Log: The Gospel of Tribble Posted: 16 Jun 2011 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Patches, Opinion, Star Trek Online, Captain's Log, Guides  Hello, compu... what the... shields up, red alert! Brace for impact! A giant Tribble is on the loose, and its name is Season Four. That's right -- the Star Trek Online public test server, Tribble, sometimes nicknamed the Trouble with Tribble, has finally reopened with the major update that we have all been waiting for. This build was first pushed last Friday but was taken down moments later due to a "major database error." The show-stopping kinks have been worked out now, so it is time to get to testing out all of the new content I have been writing about for the past couple of months. If you have not seen the release notes for this build, there are dozens of updates that will be altering the way you have come to play the game. Not sure what to test? That is what I am here for. The goal of this week's Captain's Log is to provide you a checklist on what to hit up once you patch your game and get on your test toon. Also, if you have never installed the test server, now is a great time -- Cryptic will soon be announcing a Tribble Test Weekend, during which you can log in and receive an exclusive item on the live server just for helping test. Ensign, warp 10! Let's share some text from the word of Tribble... Continue reading Captain's Log: The Gospel of Tribble
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| Superheroes get a helping hand with Champions Online's weekend boost event Posted: 16 Jun 2011 04:30 PM PDT Filed under: Super-hero, Events, in-game, Free-to-play, Champions Online, Promotions  Starting Friday, June 17th at 1:00 p.m. EDT and running until Monday, June 20th at the same time, Champions is giving its players a weekend worth of boosts. All players will receive a triad of helpful boosts, including Triumphant Recovery, Heroic Comeback and Team XP. Steam players get a little something extra in the form of a sassy Pistolwhip Sidekick to help with the fights. On top of all this, Cryptic is making the Demonflame adventure pack free to everyone. Normally this pack is behind a pay wall, so this presents a great opportunity for frugal capes to check out the content and earn a few snazzy rewards before Monday.
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| The Guild Counsel: An interview with The Syndicate's Sean Stalzer on his new book Posted: 16 Jun 2011 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Guilds, Interviews, MMO industry, The Guild Counsel, Miscellaneous  In the book, guild leader Sean Stalzer picks up from where his first book left off and gives us even more insight into the MMO industry and his guild leadership philosophy. The book is divided into three parts. The first covers The Syndicate's recent history and continued relationship with several MMO studios as well its job writing guides for Prima Games. In the second part, Sean explains his time-tested philosophy for running a guild, dubbed S.U.C.C.E.S.S. And the last section of the book looks at where MMOs are headed and what's needed down the road. Sean took the time to talk to Massively about his new book, and there was so much to discuss that this interview is split into two parts. In this week's Guild Counsel, Sean talks about the lessons he's learned from his work with MMO studios. He looks back at how it's influenced his leadership approach, and he gives a glimpse of why he's excited about his current work with 38 Studios. Read on for the interview! Continue reading The Guild Counsel: An interview with The Syndicate's Sean Stalzer on his new book
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| Ask Massively: Sort of like literary criticism edition Posted: 16 Jun 2011 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Launches, MMO industry, Opinion, Ask Massively, Miscellaneous  Now that we've gotten that out of the way, it's time for this week's edition of Ask Massively. And today's questions aren't going to lie down and take it, since we're fielding questions about Defiance as well as the sometime-this-year-probably release of Star Wars: The Old Republic. As always, if you've got a question you want answered next week, you can send it along to ask@massively.com or aim it toward the comment field. Continue reading Ask Massively: Sort of like literary criticism edition
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| One Shots: The sting of justice Posted: 16 Jun 2011 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Galleries, Screenshots, Guilds, Free-to-play, One Shots, All Points Bulletin, Crime  My name is Seadee, and I'm an officer in W.A.S.P. -- Warfare Activities Specialist Protection. We have been playing APB since the Realtime Worlds days; in the beta we were the number one Enforcer clan, and to this day, we remain in the spotlight in game. Everyone comes across W.A.S.P. at some point in APB, usually at the end of our STING (our crack squad of elite players). Our Hive Squads (our core playerbase) patrol day and night, bringing the crims to justice! This screenshot shows our clan doing a district takeover. We got 25 of our members all in one place, so naturally we had to take a few pictures.Are you ready to show off your guild? Gather up your best group shots of you and your guildmates. Whether you're hanging out, enjoying guild housing, taking out a huge enemy, or throwing a party, send a screenshot of your guild in action to oneshots@massively.com along with your name and the name of the game, and tell us about your guild!
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| Inaugural Fallen Earth dev blog talks PvE, PvP, and roleplay content Posted: 16 Jun 2011 01:30 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Fallen Earth, Business models, Game mechanics, MMO industry, PvP, News items, PvE, Free-to-play, Roleplaying, Post-Apocalyptic, Dev Diaries  The entry comes courtesy of associate game director Joseph "Linus" Willmon, and he expends a good deal of virtual ink on topics that include the free-to-play roadmap, various changes that will result from the conversion, a transition time frame, and post-F2P design priorities. While the entire post is quite intriguing for fans of the game's grungy wasteland shtick, that last bit is particularly interesting since it specifically targets three groups of players (one of which is almost universally ignored in dev circles) and promises them content updates. "Anyone who's played Fallen Earth knows there are three core groups --
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| Lucent Heart open beta starts next week Posted: 16 Jun 2011 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Events, in-game, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Free-to-play  June 21st is the big day, and Gamania is hosting a "no wipe" beta. That doesn't mean you won't be dying during the beta but rather that you'll get to keep your characters and progression when the service goes live. Lucent Heart's open beta will also feature Q&A sessions with the game staff and GMs, community competitions including Grand Prix races and battle of the sexes events, and numerous opportunities to fight off invading monster hordes. You can see the full event schedule at the official website, and don't forget to sign up for the open beta while you're at it. For more on Lucent Heart, see our first impressions as well as our coverage from this year's E3.
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| The Perfect Ten: Shapeshifters Posted: 16 Jun 2011 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: World of Warcraft, Anarchy Online, City of Heroes, EverQuest II, Guild Wars, Classes, Ultima Online, Chronicles of Spellborn, Humor, Champions Online, RIFT, Perfect Ten, Miscellaneous  But the more I think about it, the more I was intrigued with the idea of a shapeshifter. To be anyone would give you unparalleled freedom -- and plenty of chances to get into mischief, too. Come to think of it, it's probably best I'm not granted that particular superpower. However, plenty of MMOs do give players the chance to shift between their normal forms and something else entirely. While there are far more than 10 examples that the brain trust over here came up with, I'm going to pick out my favorites to highlight. Continue reading The Perfect Ten: Shapeshifters
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| Behind the Mask: A complete guide to angel-slaying, volume two Posted: 16 Jun 2011 11:30 AM PDT Filed under: Super-hero, Endgame, PvE, Free-to-play, Hands-on, Champions Online, Behind the Mask  This week, we'll be covering the deadly boss battles of the temple, from the alluring Valerian Scarlet to the big bad Therakiel himself. Caliburn will provide commentary for your fights, but don't expect him to help out; your team is going to need to bring out the big guns. Just as it did last week, this guide contains some spoilers! Continue reading Behind the Mask: A complete guide to angel-slaying, volume two
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| Fox unveils Family Guy Online... really Posted: 16 Jun 2011 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: MMO industry, New titles, News items, Miscellaneous  As it stands, Family Guy Online was announced via its official website, and Fox has also set up a Facebook presence as well as the usual social media suspects. Interested parties can register on the official site, and while said registration doesn't guarantee you a beta slot, the site does say that registration will put you "among the first in line for the closed beta." Stay tuned to Massively for further Family Guy MMO news as it happens!
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| Aika Online's Epic II expansion launching in August Posted: 16 Jun 2011 10:30 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Expansions, Game mechanics, MMO industry, PvP, News items, Free-to-play, Aika  Players will journey to the island of Traband to battle dozens of new mobs, partake of over 100 new quests, and level their characters from 70 to 75 courtesy of the cap increase. If that's not enough, Epic II boasts a new PvP system that ignores alliances and focuses on tower control by the game's various nations. Aika players will also be treated to an XP bonus for the remainder of June, while July will feature various bonus events designed to bring everyone up to speed for the expansion. More info on these events is forthcoming, and in the meantime you can learn more about Aika at gpotato's official website.
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| Celebrate Jade Dynasty's second anniversary with a free mount from Massively! Posted: 16 Jun 2011 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Contests, Free-to-play, Giveaways, Jade Dynasty  We've got 1,000 Auspicon mounts to give away to Massively readers. Simply visit our giveaway page to claim your code and you'll be riding in style in no time at all. Once you've picked up your code, visit the redemption page on your PWE account (or create one and install the game if you haven't yet done so). Enter your code, select your server and character name from the dropdown menu, click submit, then check your in-game mail to claim your new mount and enjoy! 
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