MMO Updates |
- Allods Online's Rise of the Gods patch now live
- Mythos set to break the speed barrier with its new update
- NCsoft turns the tables by giving awards to MMO journalists
- EverQuest II Freeport and Beyond panel video released
- Clone Wars Adventures' Update goes live -- the Producers discuss collaborative project
- Wargaming.net's World of Warplanes to share currency with World of Tanks
- The Daily Grind: Are MMOs your main hobby?
- Prime: Battle for Dominus releases new game info, dev chat coming tomorrow
- The MMO Report: The no-class edition
- Final Fantasy XIV removing old penalties and adding a couple new ones
- Rusty Hearts reveals Frantz, releases new dev diary
- APB shoots down rumors of retail releases
- Behind the Mask: Welcome to my lair, do not touch my radio
- The Guild Counsel: A chat with Linda "The Brasse" Carlson
- One Shots: Her interests include cooking, shopping, and stabbing
- EverQuest displays new screenshots for the Veil of Alaris expansion
- RIFT's first State of the Game address floods players with news of the future [Updated]
- Dragon Oath offering real-world prizes for virtual contest
- NCsoft announces Aion patch 2.6
- Firefall's Mark Kern changes the perception of free-to-play
- Kitsu Saga closing down
| Allods Online's Rise of the Gods patch now live Posted: 15 Jul 2011 10:30 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Patches, News items, Free-to-play, Allods Online  This last bit caught our interest as it allows high-level Allods players to create a second character that shares all of the original character's item shop goodies. Both toons also have access to the same Astral ships, gold, and a few other trinkets according to gPotato's latest press release, and the mechanic offers a new spin on the traditional alt-creation pastime. Read all about it via the 2.0.04.49 patch notes.
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| Mythos set to break the speed barrier with its new update Posted: 15 Jul 2011 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, Patches, Previews, Mythos, Free-to-play  An upcoming content update for Mythos is set to include a new feature that encourages players to cut their way through dungeons at a record pace. Using the Dungeon Master feature, adventurers who beat dungeons and accomplish other challenges under a set time limit will be showered with gifts and glory. If you choose to play in this mode, a timer will start the second you enter a dungeon and will go until you vanquish every foe in the place. If you make a new record or beat an old one -- you'll be competing against other players in this -- you'll get a nice package of rewards including in-game currency and rare items. The update is set to increase the level cap and add more PvP content as well.
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| NCsoft turns the tables by giving awards to MMO journalists Posted: 15 Jul 2011 09:30 AM PDT Filed under: Events, real-world, MMO industry, Humor, Miscellaneous  What's this all about? In order to raise money for GamesAid, a UK-based charity, NCsoft has decided to host the first Golden Chippies Awards to celebrate the best and brightest MMO journalists in the British Empire. These wink-wink, nudge-nudge awards will be handed out on Wednesday, July 20th, and are a lead-up to the real Develop Awards ceremony. Among the awards are "GM Award for Appearing to Know More than the Developers" and the "Twink Award for the Strongest Introduction to MMO Journalism." NCsoft's Cat Channon introduced the event with sentiment that we at Massively would like to echo: "MMO journalism is a labour of love for those involved. A niche but growing subset of traditional gaming media, these guys really are doing it through devotion to the genre."
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| EverQuest II Freeport and Beyond panel video released Posted: 15 Jul 2011 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest II, Game mechanics, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play  The proceedings are captained by producer Dave Georgeson, and the panel features more info than one news post can adequately cover. The highlights include Game Update 61 (to be launched in late August), the new dungeon creator functionality, itemization and AA revamps, the addition of AA functionality to the crafting game, the Age of Discovery expansion, and of course, the Freeport revamp. That's just the tip of the proverbial iceberg, so grab your favorite beverage and click past the cut to view the hour-long video.
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| Clone Wars Adventures' Update goes live -- the Producers discuss collaborative project Posted: 15 Jul 2011 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Interviews, Family, Clone Wars Adventures  This is a first for both the MMO and the show, and they shared some insight into what went into the project. For highlights from the round-table, read below the cut!
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| Wargaming.net's World of Warplanes to share currency with World of Tanks Posted: 15 Jul 2011 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Historical, Economy, News items, War, Free-to-play, World of Tanks  Whether you feel more comfortable on the ground or in the skies, Wargaming.net has you covered. The studio announced today some new details on the economic system for its upcoming title World of Warplanes. According to the press release, it will follow the model of its predecessor World of Tanks with gold, credits, and experience as the primary forms of currency. With the addition of World of Warplanes to its stable, however, Wargaming.net plans to allow "global interaction" between the two titles. This means, in case you couldn't guess, that all of those different forms of currency will be shared between the two games. This, in turn, means that any player that has racked up an obscene amount of gold/credits/experience in World of Tanks can put their excess currencies toward their advancement in World of Warplanes. If you want to get a jump on the competition before World of Warplanes' launch, you can sign up for World of Tanks at the official site.
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| The Daily Grind: Are MMOs your main hobby? Posted: 15 Jul 2011 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind  Whether you're making a long-awaited return to the world of Westeros, or you're feverishly turning the pages of the first four volumes in an effort to catch up, today's Daily Grind is all about budgeting your hobby time. Specifically, do you play MMOs at the expense of other hobbies or do you occasionally set the games aside?  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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| Prime: Battle for Dominus releases new game info, dev chat coming tomorrow Posted: 14 Jul 2011 07:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Livestream  First up is a bunch of website updates for Prime: Battle for Dominus, including backstory and info on the game's 11 explorable worlds. Pitchblack has also put together a combat update, and juicy details include info on the game's death penalty, looting, targeting, and more. Last but not least is the first official Prime dev chat, and the shindig is scheduled for this Friday, July 15th, at 3:00 p.m. EST. The chat will be available via live stream and will feature co-designers Warren Weems and John Kennison. Head to the official Prime website for more.
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| The MMO Report: The no-class edition Posted: 14 Jul 2011 06:30 PM PDT Filed under: Video, EVE Online, New titles, The Secret World, Humor, Champions Online, The MMO Report  First off, the host extraordinaire mentions Massively by name when regarding the new hide-outs in the Champions Online. It appears he is most fond of the Mother's Basement venue. However, the Moon Base may have caught his eye, too. Secondly, Casey reaffirms his love for EVE Online, or not... maybe it is just his enthralling voice that keeps us glued to our computer monitors as he discusses the trailer that tells us why we should love EVE. Next, our intrepid host stealthily guides us through all the non-American names associated with the surreal MMO Glitch. Lastly, he breezes over the new The Secret World trailer before reaching into his glorious mail bag and pulling out some memes. Jump past the cut to witness the full splendor of this week's MMO Report, and don't miss next week's Fan Faire edition that is all about SOE's event in Los Vegas. Continue reading The MMO Report: The no-class edition
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| Final Fantasy XIV removing old penalties and adding a couple new ones Posted: 14 Jul 2011 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, Patches, News items, Consoles, Final Fantasy XIV  Of course, it's not all about making life easier for players, as both the death penalty and Return option are seeing their functionality tweaked. Previously, players would sometimes die and use Return to avoid an anima cost while still making a fast trip somewhere. As of the newest patch, using Return to revive will incur a small durability penalty, offset slightly by the improvement of the Raise spell. Final Fantasy XIV players can check the official release for details on the slight rearrangement of penalties, aimed at keeping gameplay more dynamic and active.
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| Rusty Hearts reveals Frantz, releases new dev diary Posted: 14 Jul 2011 05:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Galleries, Screenshots, Video, News items, Free-to-play, Dev Diaries, Miscellaneous  Perfect World Entertainment is treating Rusty Hearts fans to a bevy of new information today, with the release of a new dev diary and some new information about Rusty Hearts character Frantz. Poor, poor Mr. Frantz. As if getting bitten by a vampire wasn't enough, his fiancée ended up in a tragic accident, forcing Frantz to turn her into a vampire as well in order to save her life. Unlike Frantz, who apparently had the willpower to only go half-vampire (you never go full-vampire), his fiancée seems not to have taken it quite so well and has disappeared, leaving Frantz desperately searching for her. Next up is the new developer diary, which is short but sweet. In the video, Product Manager Mark Hill talks a bit about Rusty Hearts and what players can expect from it. None of the information revealed is terribly new, but there is some flashy gameplay footage, as well as some talk about the two of the game's characters who aren't half-vampires. For some new pictures of Frantz, check out the gallery below, and then jump on past the cut for the full dev diary video. And remember, Rusty Hearts' closed beta gears up later this month, so head on over to the official site to sign up. Continue reading Rusty Hearts reveals Frantz, releases new dev diary
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| APB shoots down rumors of retail releases Posted: 14 Jul 2011 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Real life, Business models, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play, All Points Bulletin, Rumors  In a statement released earlier today by Mr. Sandil, GamersFirst has been approached by a number of potential retail partners due to the runaway success of APB Reloaded. However, the company is still evaluating its options, and as a result they are not yet ready to announce any partnerships. Mr. Sandil also stressed that any retail partnership would not change the fact that the company is committed to free-to-play as a business model, which is doubtlessly good news for fans now enjoying the urban shooter free-for-all.
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| Behind the Mask: Welcome to my lair, do not touch my radio Posted: 14 Jul 2011 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Super-hero, Culture, Patches, Opinion, Free-to-play, Hands-on, Roleplaying, Champions Online, Behind the Mask  Do Hideouts live up to the hype? What do they mean for roleplayers, or for the average player? Are they worth purchasing? After the jump, we'll cover the consequences related to hideouts and some of their implications in the CO roleplaying world. Continue reading Behind the Mask: Welcome to my lair, do not touch my radio
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| The Guild Counsel: A chat with Linda "The Brasse" Carlson Posted: 14 Jul 2011 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: EverQuest, EverQuest II, Interviews, MMO industry, The Guild Counsel  At Fan Faire, she took the time to speak with Massively about a variety of topics, including forum wars, social media, the future of SOE's Facebook games, and even a revamp of the popular Guide program in EQ and EQII. Read below the cut for highlights from the interview. Continue reading The Guild Counsel: A chat with Linda "The Brasse" Carlson
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| One Shots: Her interests include cooking, shopping, and stabbing Posted: 14 Jul 2011 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Galleries, Screenshots, Aion, One Shots  While I don't really have a main in Aion, this gal is one of my favorites. Although she defends her home as an Assassin, she spends most of her time cooking, or wheeling and dealing on the broker with a fair amount of price manipulation when the opportunity arises. Stealth, stabbing, sauces, and selling - that is what keeps her happy!We've taken a look at all of your accessories over the past few weeks on One Shots: weapons, armor, mounts, and pets. But now it's time to turn the spotlight on the star of the show. We want to see you -- well, your character. 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 it here on One Shots!
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| EverQuest displays new screenshots for the Veil of Alaris expansion Posted: 14 Jul 2011 01:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Galleries, Screenshots, EverQuest, Expansions  SOE promises to reveal more about this about this hidden continent of Norrath in the coming months, In a post on the official forums, the community manager reiterated that the level-cap increase and the guild-hall revamp will be added to the game with this expansion. However, the true reason behind the post was to show off the new screenshots from the land of Alaris. Keep in mind that this game is 11 years old when you gaze at these screenshots of the deadly Resplendent Temple, mysterious Windsong Oratory Crypt, and beautiful Rubak Oseka in the gallery below.
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| RIFT's first State of the Game address floods players with news of the future [Updated] Posted: 14 Jul 2011 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Interviews, Previews, Massively Interviews, RIFT  It's difficult to try to summarize all of this news in a brief paragraph -- so we're not even going to try! Instead, Massively joined a number of other news outlets for a conference call with the RIFT team and Scott Hartsman to clarify all of the exciting content, fixes and features mentioned in this address. So join us after the jump as we look at quality-of-life improvements, new types of rifts, vastly improved PvP experiences, solo dungeons, and something intriguing called "Instant Adventure."
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| Dragon Oath offering real-world prizes for virtual contest Posted: 14 Jul 2011 12:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Contests, Free-to-play  To enter, you'll need to have a Dragon Oath character of level 10 or above, and "like" the Dragon Oath Facebook page. Click the "promotions" tab on the Facebook page to receive a code to add the pet to your account, and then the real fun begins! Your task is to level your new pet as much as you can by 1:00 p.m. EST on July 28th. When the deadline arrives, take a screenshot of your character and pet and send it to contests.dragonoath@gmail.com along with your character, account name, and the entry code you received to get your white fox pet. The top 10 players with the highest leveled White Foxes will be put in a raffle to win one of the prizes, and ChangYou will announce the winners on August 26th. Best of luck to all who enter!
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| NCsoft announces Aion patch 2.6 Posted: 14 Jul 2011 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Screenshots, Aion, Patches, News items  NCSoft has announced that Aion will be seeing its newest content update early next month. Patch 2.6 will be hitting the test servers on July 28th for a short trial-by-fire before being released on the live servers on August 3rd. What will this patch entail, exactly? For starters, solo players will be treated to some new content in the form of the Crucible Challenge, which is a solo version of the Empyrean Crucible instance, now with a bonus round! A few instances are seeing some difficulty adjustments (namely Dark Poeta, Empyrean Crucible, and Beshmundir Temple), while these instances and more will be updated with an auto party-matching system. New conditioning stones will allow players to enhance their gear even further, and a new pet -- the Runaway Poppy -- will give its owners a chance at some extra Platinum Medals. And lastly, to whet your appetites while you wait for more information, we have a few new screenshots from the patch that can be seen in the gallery below!
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| Firefall's Mark Kern changes the perception of free-to-play Posted: 14 Jul 2011 11:30 AM PDT Filed under: Business models, Economy, MMO industry, New titles  As a former team lead from Blizzard, one would think that Kern would totally support the monthly subscription model shared by Blizzard's flagship MMO, World of Warcraft. In the beginning, Kern admits that he was. He tells to the Escapist, "We felt that with a AAA quality game, a subscription was still the way to go. I was pretty skeptical of free-to-play five years ago." However, with the change in US economy and watching the success of F2P MMOs in other countries like China, the CEO changed his tune. "What I found surprised me; free-to-play wasn't just a successful model, it was an incredibly profitable one," Kern explains in the Escapist article. As the perception of F2P is changing in western culture, perhaps we will see more and more triple-A games beginning their life as free-to-play. The full interview with Firefall's Mark Kern can be found on the Escapist website. Let us know what you think of F2P for triple-A games in the comments below.
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| Posted: 14 Jul 2011 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Business models, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play  "This was a very difficult decision for us and has only been made after much deliberation. We'd like to thank those who played Kitsu Saga and especially those who stuck with it through the more difficult times," the news blurb states. Aeria also offers up a bit of info regarding AP Spender compensation, and the long and short of it is that refunds may take a while to process due to the large number pending (Aeria estimates seven to 10 business days after July 14th). Head to the official Kitsu Saga website for the details.
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