MMORPG News

MMORPG News

Gods and Heroes: Rome Rising: New Screens & Trailer Released

Posted: 17 Jun 2011 01:13 PM PDT

Heatwave Interactive has released seven terrific new screenshots from Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising. Check them all out in our Gods & Heroes gallery.

General: PlanetSide Next: Big Announcement Planned for Fan Faire

Posted: 17 Jun 2011 01:03 PM PDT

Jon Smedley has 'tweeted' that Planetside Next fans can expect a "big" announcement at the 2011 Fan Faire to be held in Las Vegas, Nevada on July 7-9. There are no other hints as to what the news might be. Speculate!

General: Luvinia Online Class Reveal

Posted: 17 Jun 2011 12:50 PM PDT

The Luvinia Online team has partnered with MMORPG.com to reveal a pair of classes that will be featured in the game. We have all the information you need about both the Paladin and the Necromancer. Check it out!

Dungeon Fighter Online: Act X: Rebirth Coming June 29th

Posted: 17 Jun 2011 12:47 PM PDT

Nexon has announced that the Dungeon Fighter Online update, Act X: Rebirth will be deployed on June 29th. According to reports, the new patch will feature an overhauled item shop as well as a new 'selectable' avatar system.

Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning: Game Cards Now On Origin

Posted: 17 Jun 2011 12:36 PM PDT

EA has announced that game time cards for both Dark Age of Camelot and Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning are now for sale on the company's new game portal, Origin. Cards can be purchased in the 30-, 90- and 180-day flavors.

Star Wars: The Old Republic: Post-Writing Polish

Posted: 17 Jun 2011 12:32 PM PDT

In a new blog post penned by Bioware's Writer Ian Ryan, the process of polishing and refining the game's story is detailed. Ryan indicates that simply because the writing is finished, it doesn't mean it's complete. The writing team assists the art department to set the right mood. Ryan shows off a couple of examples of "before and after" art inspired by the writing team's suggestions.

General: HeroSmash: 1 Million Beta Players

Posted: 17 Jun 2011 12:15 PM PDT

Artix Entertainment has announced that its latest MMOG, HeroSmash, has scored over a million beta beta players in its first eight weeks. HeroSmash, as the name implies, features epic battles between the forces of good and the forces of evil.

DC Universe Online: Ra's al Ghul's Revenge Detailed

Posted: 17 Jun 2011 12:07 PM PDT

The DC Universe Online team has revealed details of the next game update, Ra's al Ghul's Revenge. Ra's al Ghul is an international terrorist who teams up with Poison Ivy and Swamp Thing in an attempt to return the earth to its 'natural' state, namely it's state without humans.

Rift: Father's Day Sale

Posted: 17 Jun 2011 11:51 AM PDT

Want Dad to join in the Telara fun? If so, this is the weekend to get him that special gift. Rift is on sale for either $9.99 for the standard edition or $16.99 for the collector's edition. The purchase of Rift doesn't include any game time but the CE does contain some great in-game swag.

Metin 2: New Trailer Shows Off Patch Features

Posted: 17 Jun 2011 11:30 AM PDT

Metin 2 has been updated and the dev team is proudly showing off a brand new trailer highlighting, among other things, new mounts and hairstyles that give bonuses to hit-, stamina- or mana- points.

General: Pokie Ninjas Hokage Village Update On Its Way

Posted: 17 Jun 2011 10:34 AM PDT

Pokie Ninja is scheduled for an update in the near future. The update, "Chapter III: Hokage Village", players will be able to build and upgrade their own villages, visit and interact with friends' villages, release their own quests, and earn new titles to unlock abilities.

4Story: Aerial War PvP Map Coming June 22

Posted: 17 Jun 2011 10:01 AM PDT

4Story players will have a new PvP map to check out. It's called the "Aerial War" and features a faction-wide reward for all players: Kill the enemy faction's NPC and the entire faction reaps the benefit whether they were there participating in the battle or not.

General: E3 2011: END Games Meeting

Posted: 15 Jun 2011 05:54 PM PDT

During this year's E3 convention, MMORPG.com's Richard Cox had the opportunity for a face-to-face chat with END Games developers to talk about Vorp!, the company's Facebook MOBA. Richard went in a skeptic and came out...well, you'll simply have to read it for yourself. Let us know what you're thinking in the comments below.

EVE Online: Survivor Guy: Returning to Eve Online Part 3

Posted: 15 Jun 2011 05:46 PM PDT

MMORPG.com's resident Survivor Guy isn't finished with EVE Online yet as part 3 of his Returning to Eve Online jets into the column line-up. Read more of Adam's continuing adventures in the EVE universe. Be sure to tell us some of YOURS in the comments.

General: All Hyped Up

Posted: 15 Jun 2011 05:30 PM PDT

In today's Player Perspectives column, MMORPG.com writer Isabelle Parsley talks about the foibles of hype. Hype, that lovely beast that whips us into a frenzy and then deflates our delicate hopes. Check out what Isabelle has to say about hype and then let us know what you think!

Warhammer 40K: Dark Millennium Online: From the Warp: A Warhammer 40,000 Summer

Posted: 15 Jun 2011 05:15 PM PDT

Fans of all things Warhammer 40,000 have a lot to look forward to with the arrival of Space Marine and Kill Team. While not MMOs, particularly, they are the forebears, the harbingers of Warhammer 40,000: Dark Millennium Online. In a new column here at MMORPG.com, From the Warp, Industry Relations Manager Garrett Fuller talks about the Summer of 40k. Check it out and let us know what you think.
Posted by Shri Krishna

MMOGaming News

MMOGaming News

Webzen Has Confirmed The Development of Archlord 2

Posted:

Recently, Webzen has put up a post on its official website to recruit planners and producers for its newest MMORPG, which has attracted wide attention from the game industry.

Rift 35% Off This Weekend, for Father's Day!

Posted:

The MMO developer and publisher announced that players will get a massive 35% discount for Rift from June 17 to 19.

Eden Eternal Opens New Server with Item Mall Launched

Posted:

Aeria Games today announced that its latest free-to-play title Eden Eternal has already launched a third server, named Garnet, to appease popular demand for the game. The new anime-style MMORPG entered Open Beta (OB) testing less than 2 days ago and launched the Item Mall for players Thursday evening.

Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising First Impression

Posted:

Gods and Heroes is a new mmos that is still in beta, but not for long. The scheduled release of the game is set for June 21st, so the beta is quickly coming to a close. The game itself is being released by Heatwave Interactive, who seems to be new to the mmo scene as this will be their first downloadable mmo, their other games that are out so far are ones played via Facebook or Twitter. It should also be noted that the game is not going to be free to play, like most games I write about, but instead will be pay to play. So, how does this game hold up to other mmos already out there?

World of Warcraft: Valor Point Conversion in 4.2

Posted:

World of Warcraft update 4.2, Rage of the Firelands, will introduce the first new raid tier in Cataclysm, and with that it will also introduce the first conversion from Valor Points to Justice Points. For anyone running Heroics and raids, this is important information to ensure you spend your points wisely before release of the patch.

Upcoming MMOs in June Update 6 Games Beta Information

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In the first half June, more MMOs are announced to enter beta test. Dragon Nest finally got its beta on 6/15, and Prius Online will be released on the same day. Eden Eternal should struggle to stand out of these two strong competitors.

Scarlet Legacy Reveals Four Character Classes

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GamesCampus revealed today the details behind the unique four hero classes in its upcoming MMORPG, Scarlet Legacy. The classes include a powerful Warrior, the element-yielding Assassin, the attacking or healing Monk and the magical and musical Mystic. These intriguing character classes are part of the upcoming fantasy MMORPG which takes players through a vibrant and addictive journey to save Princess Scarlet.

[Hot Blog] Eden Eternal Developers Diary - Monster Invasion Feature

Posted:

Eden Eternal entered Open Beta late last night. Participation and player engagement continues to break company records, meaning that Eden Eternal is quickly becoming our most popular title to date.

Vindictus Karok Skill Guide and Analysis

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On the eve of the new character Karok's landing on Vindictus (the American version of Mabinogi: Heroes), let's take a peek at his skills from the Korean version first. Hopefully, this article will help you aquatint yourself with Karok.

RIFT Rogue Saboteur Soul Build Guide

Posted:

Well while looking for the best of both worlds (AoE and single target) I mixed a few points around and worked out that I think is a much better rotation. Annihilation does the same single target damage as a 1CP Detonate but cost 10 less power.

NHN: ASTA to Enter FGT in September, First Trailer Unveiled!

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ASTA, the newest MMO developed by NHN's subsidiary Naru Entertainment. More details have been revealed below for the first time. The game has impressed us with its special systems, like aerial combat, time-varying background scenes, and skills released by use of cards.

Wizardry Online Gameplay Preview - Prison, Slum and Enhancement

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For those who have been eagerly looking forward to the game, here is a brief introduction to some game systems, including prison, slum, equipment forging and gem enhancement.

Tera KR Offers Paid Character Re-Customization Service

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Tera KR players are able to get access to these services now, with a price. According to MMOculture, the publisher of Tera KR Hangame offers Korean players the options to change their characters' appearances ($9 USD), names ($18 USD), genders ($13.68 USD), and races ($22 USD).

[Hot Blog] Atlantica Online Mercenary Review: Swordsman

Posted:

Since Raenemeiko revied the Witch, I was wondering when she would get around to the rest. From the looks of it though, it isn't going to happen. I will begin to review the mercenaries in order of introduction.

Hackers Attack the Global Game Industry Repeatedly

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The global game industry has suffered hacking attacks again and again in recent days, which has become the focus of the media worldwide. In particular, the hacking acts aiming at game accounts and items are extremely cruel.

Team Fortress 2 Heavily Ripped off by Chinese Developer

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No, this is not a new Team Fortress game, and it's not made by Valve, neither. Called Final Combat, the game is an online shooting game created by Chinese company Xunlei.
Posted by Shri Krishna


General Gaming Article

General Gaming Article

Mozilla Developing In-Browser PDF Viewer in HTML5, JavaScript

Posted: 17 Jun 2011 06:48 PM PDT

Google began shipping its Chrome web browser with a built-in PDF viewer almost a year ago, making it the first browser to have such a feature. In fact, it still continues to be the only one. This is quite strange, particularly because of the competitive nature of the browser market. But Mozilla is now getting ready to catch up with Google in this department.

"While traveling to the Firefox 4 launch parties in Seoul and Taipei all the way from California, we killed a lot of time by brainstorming cool things to do with the web platform," Dr. Andreas Gal, a researcher at Mozilla, wrote on his personal blog. "Like many before us, we were wondering why nobody had implemented a PDF reader in HTML5/JavaScript. The kinds of operations a PDF reader needs to be fast at –render text, draw lines, blit images– need to be fast in browsers too, so browsers are already highly optimized for them."

It's clear that Mozilla's approach to in-browser PDF reader functionality is very different from Google's. Unlike Mozilla, which is developing its in-browser PDF reader entirely in HTML5 and JavaScript, Google uses a native-code plugin. According to Gal, the more traditional approach used by Google is bit of a security headache as it "enlarges the trusted code base, and because of that Google's Chrome browser goes through quite some pain to sandbox the PDF renderer to avoid code injection attacks."

The open-source outfit has been busy developing its browser-native "pdf.js" reader (demo) for nearly a month now and expects to have it ready within the next three months.

Forum Feature: Minecraft & Maximum PC, Sittin' in a Tree

Posted: 17 Jun 2011 06:41 PM PDT

If it's Friday, this must be Maximum PC's Forum Feature! Here are some highlights from this week's forum activity. If you haven't checked out our official forums, do so! Or we'll cry.

Maximum Minecraft

As a longtime fan of Minecraft, mightily am I pleased by this night's work by forum user codyandbecca, who has/have recreated the logo of my favorite magazine in Minecraft. 

In the Free Clinic, Flipper, who should know better, innocently wonders if maybe he has a virus on his PC. 

In Programmers' Paradise, DJSPIN80 explains why Windows 8 will disappoint him. CrashTech gamely responds. Thoughtful discussion ensues!

Globeadue needs help picking a 2-bay NAS.

In the Modders' Workshop, our Star Trek-themed mod keeps getting awesomer, and usrebmot starts to build what he calls the world's smallest watercooled full PC. 

The Break Room is now read-only, and a kinder, gentler off-topic forum, The Studio, has taken its place. Come chill around our virtual water cooler. And don't be a dick. (The Studio is only available to registered and logged-in users)

Enjoy your weekend!

Windows Phone 7 Device Unlock Tool to be Sanctioned by Microsoft

Posted: 17 Jun 2011 04:12 PM PDT

Power users looking to get the most out of their Windows Phones have something special to look forward to. ChevronWP7 is a utility that allows consumers to developer unlock their Windows Phone 7 devices. This provides the capability to side-load applications to the phone without going through the Marketplace, as well as providing lower level access to things like the system registry. Typically this functionality requires a $99 per year subscription to Microsoft's App Hub.

The ChevronWP7 team made big news in December when Microsoft invited them to Redmond to "engage in further discussions with us about officially facilitating homebrew development on WP7." Today Rafael Rivera, Chris Walsh, and Long Zheng have announced that they are preparing to launch an approved Windows Phone unlocking service. Though a small fee will be involved the team has promised that the cost will be more affordable than the App Hub. A firm price has not been announced at this time.

wp7

Providing options for the homebrew community could be a major selling point for Windows Phone, as many consumers prefer a competing platform like Google's Android due to the open nature of their devices. This announcement opens up many possibilities on the future of software and apps for Windows Phone. Being able to load software without having it go through Microsoft's approval process could provide an avenue for open source software to make its way onto the devices. Advanced customization on the Windows Phone platform is currently very limited, which could also change with this type of solution.

For more information and updates you can follow @ChevronWP7 on Twitter.

Sega Gets Hacked Too, Customer Data Stolen

Posted: 17 Jun 2011 02:05 PM PDT

segaIt appears that yet another gaming company has come under online attack resulting in the theft of user data. This time it's Sega and its Sega Pass system. No one has claimed responsibility for this attack yet, but most observers are pointing the finger at LulzSec. 

Sega has pulled the system offline and has not indicated when it might return. According to the statement sent out by Sony to users, "... a subset of SEGA Pass members emails addresses, dates of birth and encrypted passwords were obtained." Sega stressed that no passwords were stored in plain text. No payment information was obtained in the hack.

While the Internet is pretty convinced it was LulzSec, the group posted on its Twitter feed saying, "@Sega - contact us. We want to help you destroy the hackers that attacked you. We love the Dreamcast, these people are going down." Do you think this rash of data breeches will slow down, of is this the new normal?

Netflix Removes Sony Movies from Watch Instantly

Posted: 17 Jun 2011 01:47 PM PDT

stzNetflix addressed the concerns of confused customers today announcing that all Sony content acquired through the Starz Play deal was no longer available. Among the pulled movies are The Social network, Salt, and The other Guys. Netflix called the situation a "temporary contract issue", but it might be a sticky issue for Starz.

According to GigaOm, the problem is a clause in the contract Starz has with Sony. Starz has passed its IP distribution cap for Sony content and has asked Netflix to remove those films. The contract Starz agreed to with Sony didn't have any built in escape hatches in the even Netflix growth took off, which it did. 

Netflix has nearly 70% more subscribers than they did a year ago, an increase of 14 million to 22.8 million. Netflix isn't offering any additional information about the removal of Sony films, and it's not really in their hands. Sony and Starz will have to work out a deal, if one is even plausible. We can't see Starz putting up more cash just to benefit Netflix. 

Cool Site of the Week: Klout

Posted: 17 Jun 2011 11:50 AM PDT

If you're anything like us, you use Twitter and Facebook multiple times day to check in with friends, share your life and discover what's happening in the world outside your cubicle. A few of you might even be using them as a result of being in that cubicle--leveraging the power of social media to inform the unwashed masses of what products or services your business provides. No matter what you shout from the social media mountain tops, Klout--our Cool Site of the Week--will tell you whether anyone is actually listening.

Even though it's still undergoing beta testing, Klout is a social media force to be reckoned with. Users are invited to link up their Twitter and Facebook accounts (with LinkedIn functionality on the way as well), to the site. Once entered, Klout scours your accounts, looking at what you post about, who you talk to, repost, and who is following your every online move. The service then uses this information to provide you with a number of metrics--Score Analysis, Network Influence, Amplification probability and True Reach--to provide you with an over all view of how effectively you're leveraging your social network contacts.

Are you a Specialist? A Networker? Maybe a Broadcaster? Klout will give you the lowdown.
Best of all, Klout rewards your social media excellence with some pretty impressive swag from a wide variety of sponsors, finally giving you a truly valid excuse to push for more online followers.

Be sure to check back every Friday for another edition of Cool Site of the Week.

Microsoft Claims Victory Over Autorun Malware

Posted: 17 Jun 2011 11:10 AM PDT

The dark corners of shady Internet bars just became a whole lot safer thanks to Microsoft. The boys and girls in Redmond noticed a disturbing trend towards the end of 2010; the rate of infection due to malware spread via Autorun was skyrocketing. Rather than shrugging their shoulders and telling Symantec to deal with it, the company released an update in February that disabled most Autorun functions on Windows PCs. Four months later, the results are in – malware authors looking to slip your computer a mickey via infected flash drives had better start looking at Linux instead.

Microsoft gauged its success by looking at the number of computers infected by common Autonrun-spread virus families like Taterf, Rimecud, Conficker, and Autorun. They compared the number of infections reported in January, the month before the update took effect, against the number of infections reported in May. The results are astonishing – XP computers saw 59 percent fewer Autorun virus infections, and the malware rate on Vista machines dropped a full 74 percent! Computers running Vista SP2 saw the most benefits, with an 82 percent decrease in infections since January.

Microsoft's blog post showed an interesting side effect: even operating systems that didn't receive the update, like Windows 7 (which already blocked Autorun) and Windows XP SP2 (which is no longer supported), saw a reduced number of infections. Could malware authors be dropping Autorun attacks out of their general arsenal as it becomes more and more difficult to break into the treasure chest of Windows users?

Image credit: Microsoft

Razer Onza Tournament Edition Review

Posted: 17 Jun 2011 10:36 AM PDT

Razer's gamepad is finally out—was it worth the wait?

We're no fan of the console-ification of PC gaming, either, but you've got to admit, Microsoft has had the gamepad market locked since it introduced the USB Xbox 360 controller more than five years ago. In that respect, it's not really surprising that the first real challenger to Microsoft's super-solid wired controller is, itself, an Xbox 360 controller: the Razer Onza.

The Onza was first revealed more than a year ago at CES 2010, so consumers have had a lot of time to ask questions like, "Is Razer really going to try and become a console peripheral company? Can a third-party controller ever really beat the first-party offering?" Well, we don't have an inside line on Razer's business dealings, but we do have the Onza in our hands, and we can tell you that the answer to the second question is an emphatic yes.

The Onza's low-profile face buttons are much more responsive than the standard Xbox 360 controller.

The Razer Onza isn't a wide departure from the standard 360 controller in looks—it's the same shape, more or less, with a nearly identical layout of face buttons and analog sticks and feels as good in the hands as the original. A slightly rubbery, nonslip coating makes it easy to hold on to, and it looks nice in matte black. It feels just the tiniest bit lighter and less solid than Microsoft's controller, but that still leaves it in "very sturdy" territory. Like the Xbox 360 controller, no additional drivers are needed in Windows Vista or 7.

Where the Onza controller beats the regular Xbox controller is in features. Notably, the Onza uses Razer's Hyperesponse actuators for the light-up face buttons, giving them a much clickier and more responsive feel. Additionally, Razer's controller packs two bumper buttons above each trigger—the bonus button can be bound to any of the other standard buttons—and the physical resistance of the two analog sticks can be adjusted individually.

The one questionable change to the Xbox 360 controller formula is the switch from a rocker-style D-pad to one with four oversize buttons with lots of travel. It's not a disaster, by any means, but we can't say we like it better than the rocker, and it might trip up people who use the D-pad for complex inputs, such as fighting game commands.

At just $10 more than an Xbox 360 controller (or the exact same price for the non-Tournament Edition, which lacks the adjustable sticks and light-up buttons), and with a strictly superior feature set, we'd recommend this one to anybody. Hands down, this is the gamepad to beat.

$50, www.razerzone.com

New Trojan Targets Bitcoin Wallets

Posted: 17 Jun 2011 10:27 AM PDT

Privacy advocates and seedy characters on the edge of Internet legality alike use Bitcoins as their virtual currency of choice. The anonymous, decentralized P2P nature of Bitcoins lets you transfer money without ever having to contact a bank or even know the true identity of the person on the other end of the transaction. Recent events have dragged the shadowy currency into the light of public scrutiny, and now its squirming users have another headache to deal with: a trojan designed specifically to pilfer your Bitcoin wallet.

The malware goes by the name Infostealer.Coinbit. Once it works its way onto a Windows PC, the program checks the default location for Bitcoin's wallet.dat file. Your wallet contains the encryption keys that are essential to Bitcoin transactions. If the trojan finds a wallet, it sends the data file to the attackers.

"If you use Bitcoins, you have the option to encrypt your wallet and we recommend that you choose a strong password for this in the event that an attacker is attempting to brute-force your wallet open," Symantec's Stephen Doherty said on the company's blog.

Sounds like a smart move to us, especially since there are sure to be even more attempts to swindle Bitcoins out from under your nose in the future. Earlier this week, a man claimed to have $500,000 worth of Bitcoins stolen from his e-wallet. One of the currency's selling points is its non-centralized structure, but remember that lack of oversight that seems so awesome in theory means that you have nobody to turn to when some jerk steals your encryption keys.

Senate Committee OK's Streaming Piracy Bill

Posted: 17 Jun 2011 10:13 AM PDT

In "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy," an irate mob lynched the creator of the Infinite Probability Drive because the one thing they couldn't stand was a smartass. With the "Commercial Felony Streaming Act," the US government is doing its best impersonation of that angry mob. Nobody's going to be lynched on Capitol Hill, but the bill aims to punish smartass pirates who have been using a loophole in existing laws to stream copyright-protected works with minimal fear of prosecution.

The laws on the books currently make it a felony to upload or download copyrighted content, but the issue of streaming is never addressed head on. The proposed legislation, introduced by Senators Amy Klobuchar, John Cornyn and Christopher Coons, wants to make illegal streaming a felony as well. The bill only targets people who stream copyrighted content for commercial purposes; the Man comes a-knockin' if violators stream copyrighted materials more than 10 times in a 180-day stretch. In addition, the retail value of the stream must exceed $2,500 or the licensing costs of the streamed material needs to be more than $5,000.

The punishment? Up to five years in the slam. The Senate Judiciary Committee voted to approve the bill yesterday. Next stop, a full Senate vote. All signs point to the bill passing, so if you're in the streaming piracy business, consider checking out the "Help Wanted" section of the classified ads soon.
Posted by Shri Krishna
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