MMO Updates |
- Turbine sweetens the deal for DDO subscribers
- SOE Fan Faire 2011: DCUO reveals new downloadable content: Fight for the Light
- The Tattered Notebook: EverQuest II highlights from SOE Fan Faire 2011
- ArcheAge parkour video shows off city architecture
- Grimlands to debut at Gamescom
- MV Guide: July 11 - 17, 2011
- DUST 514 may go true F2P in the future
- The Daily Grind: What challenges have you added to your game?
- SOE Fan Faire 2011: A look at Free Realms with Sr. Producer Harvey Burgess
- EVE Evolved: The evolution of microtransactions
- SOE Fan Faire 2011: An update on Vanguard
- One Shots: Introducing Slappy
- Heatwave CEO talks Gods and Heroes population
- Rise and Shiny recap: Gilfor's Tales
- SOE Fan Faire 2011: Star Wars Galaxies Gathering -- the final hurrah
| Turbine sweetens the deal for DDO subscribers Posted: 11 Jul 2011 10:30 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Dungeons and Dragons Online, Business models, Free-to-play, Promotions  Turbine's also made sure that the price point for VIP subscriptions is attractive, as it's offered players the ability to sign up for three months at $29.97 (effectively $9.99 a month). By taking advantage of both deals, players can enjoy three months of VIP status and earn 3,000 Turbine Points for just $30. VIP status means that all of DDO's adventure modules are available to enjoy, including the new ones that came with Update 10.
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| SOE Fan Faire 2011: DCUO reveals new downloadable content: Fight for the Light Posted: 11 Jul 2011 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Super-hero, Expansions, News items, DC Universe Online  Little did they know that there was much more on the way, because later this summer, DCUO will have its first download pack arriving on both the PC and PS3. Curious about what the new content will be? Put on your power rings and read below the cut! Continue reading SOE Fan Faire 2011: DCUO reveals new downloadable content: Fight for the Light
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| The Tattered Notebook: EverQuest II highlights from SOE Fan Faire 2011 Posted: 11 Jul 2011 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest II, Expansions, News items, The Tattered Notebook  Continue reading The Tattered Notebook: EverQuest II highlights from SOE Fan Faire 2011
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| ArcheAge parkour video shows off city architecture Posted: 11 Jul 2011 08:30 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Video, MMO industry, New titles, News items, ArcheAge  There's a bit of lag on display, as well as a lack of real danger given that the player character walks away from several high falls, but the clip is worth watching due to ArcheAge's gorgeous architecture. Check it out after the cut, then head to AAportal to join the discussion. Continue reading ArcheAge parkour video shows off city architecture
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| Grimlands to debut at Gamescom Posted: 11 Jul 2011 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Events, real-world, Free-to-play, Massively Event Coverage, Post-Apocalyptic  Grimlands has a number of intriguing concepts, including a learn-as-you-go skill system and player-controlled cities. Like many of gamigo's titles, Grimlands will be free-to-play, which should lower the barrier of entry for this scrappy little go-getter. Gamescom will take place from August 17th through the 21st. Along with Grimlands, gamigo will be showcasing Jagged Alliance Online and UFO Online. You can read up on gamigo's hot new lineup in our first look article.
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| Posted: 11 Jul 2011 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Massively meta, Livestream, Miscellaneous, MV Guide  MV Guide is a weekly rundown of the MMO gaming events planned on Massively's Livestream channel. Every week, the Massively staff logs in to play various MMOs live and in person, and we'd love for you to drop by the channel and visit. We have a combination of regular weekly games and new surprises, so you'll find a variety of games to take a look at. During Livestream events, you can participate in the live chat to learn about the game, ask questions, and spend some time with Massively staff and readers. (Of course, Livestream events are subject to the whims of outside forces like server-side gremlins once in a while.) Follow along after the jump to see what's scheduled for this week! Continue reading MV Guide: July 11 - 17, 2011
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| DUST 514 may go true F2P in the future Posted: 11 Jul 2011 06:30 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Business models, Free-to-play, Consoles, MMOFPS, DUST 514  This fee is meant to help with the initial start-up costs for DUST 514, and will be refunded to players in the form of in-game currency that can be spent on unspecified in-game microtransactions. Pétursson isn't ruling out the possibility that the game might go completely free-to-play in the future, however: "You're really getting the game for free but you have to pre-buy credits in the beginning. We might go fully free-to-play down the line, but in the beginning we have a cover charge just to manage the initial launch of it. We have always been a big believer in growing up a social network behind the game in a slow and predictable way. Because we have seen that if you don't do that you can end up with a very unstructured experience, where there's no cohesion to the community. By growing it at the beginning we help to make a healthy environment initially."We first reported on this cover charge during last month's E3. Pétursson says that CCP will see how the cover charge plays out during the game's testing period. The company is just now recovering from a hotbed of controversy involving EVE Online's approach to in-game item sales.
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| The Daily Grind: What challenges have you added to your game? Posted: 11 Jul 2011 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Lord of the Rings Online, Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous  I see self-created challenges as an attempt to add spice and flavor into games, usually after you've long since gotten bored of the most efficient leveling path. Some players think up these challenges to add a slice of sandbox-style goals into an otherwise theme park-oriented title. Right now, one of my characters in Lord of the Rings Online is attempting to do every single solo quest in each zone before going elsewhere. It's challenging to slow myself down and get over that desire to progress and go for the big XP rewards, but it's a ton of fun so far as well. So, big or small, what challenges have you added to your 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!
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| SOE Fan Faire 2011: A look at Free Realms with Sr. Producer Harvey Burgess Posted: 10 Jul 2011 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Interviews, News items, Free-to-play, Free Realms, Family  Read on for all the details, including Ranching, sports jerseys, Sunset Valley, and a new mount! Continue reading SOE Fan Faire 2011: A look at Free Realms with Sr. Producer Harvey Burgess
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| EVE Evolved: The evolution of microtransactions Posted: 10 Jul 2011 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Business models, Culture, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Opinion, EVE Evolved  It was a delicate situation based more on perception and poor communication than intent or fact, and I think CCP pulled things back well with formal statements from both itself and the CSM in addition to an in-depth follow-up press conference. One of the big points to come out of the press conference was that while CCP and the CSM are both confident that none of the future microtransaction plans are game-breaking, the company did not restrict itself to vanity goods such as Incarna clothing. While the CSM was convinced that CCP planned only to produce pure vanity goods, CCP Zulu was careful not to rule out gameplay-affecting microtransactions altogether. Both CCP and the CSM also talked about "game-breaking" sales rather than using a clearer term like "gameplay-affecting" or "non-vanity." It's reasonable then to assume that in the future we might eventually get non-vanity goods that do interact with gameplay but aren't game-breaking in terms of balance, mechanics or interaction with the in-game economy. In this week's EVE Evolved, I show exactly why options like selling ships would be game-breaking and then let my imagination run wild as I speculate on possible non-vanity microtransactions for the far future that shouldn't disrupt gameplay. Continue reading EVE Evolved: The evolution of microtransactions
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| SOE Fan Faire 2011: An update on Vanguard Posted: 10 Jul 2011 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, News items, Vanguard, Massively Event Coverage  Continue reading SOE Fan Faire 2011: An update on Vanguard
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| Posted: 10 Jul 2011 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Galleries, Screenshots, Vanguard, One Shots  Hi there, my name is Leonatus, and the featured screenshots is about one of the coolest pets ever created: Slappy the Cool from Vanguard's Isle of Dawn!Are you ready for next week's One Shots theme? We've seen your gear, your mounts, and your pets; now it's time to see you! Snap a screenshot of your favorite character in your favorite MMO. Let us know about him or her by sending the screenshot, your name, and some information about the character to oneshots@massively.com, and we'll feature the character here on One Shots!
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| Heatwave CEO talks Gods and Heroes population Posted: 10 Jul 2011 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, MMO industry, New titles, News items  Castoro doesn't elaborate on what the promotion might be, but he does say that even though Gods and Heroes doesn't need 500,000 users to turn a profit, "our current growth rate isn't good enough." Finally, Castoro notes that the game has "an awareness issue and our pricing model doesn't seem to be tantalizing enough." Whether Heatwave is looking at a freemium conversion or simply a price reduction coupled with more advertising, Castoro's post makes clear that the team is in it for the long haul. Check out the blurb on the official forums for a list of Heatwave's immediate priorities.
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| Rise and Shiny recap: Gilfor's Tales Posted: 10 Jul 2011 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Video, Opinion, Hands-on, Humor, Rise and Shiny, Livestream  So, yes, this game has many flaws. Many. I'll tell you all about them in a minute, but it's important to note that after I streamed it live (check the embedded video) I gave it more time and the game did seem to open up and become more fun. It helped that things started to make more sense, but of course how I arrived upon the answers was pretty silly in itself. Click past the cut and check it out! Continue reading Rise and Shiny recap: Gilfor's Tales
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| SOE Fan Faire 2011: Star Wars Galaxies Gathering -- the final hurrah Posted: 10 Jul 2011 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, News items, Star Wars Galaxies, Massively Event Coverage  Continue reading SOE Fan Faire 2011: Star Wars Galaxies Gathering -- the final hurrah
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