MMO Updates |
- Veteran EVE Online players share wisdom with new players
- Play Eden Eternal with free Aeria Points from Massively!
- Some Assembly Required: Diving into details of Origins of Malu with an exclusive interview
- Storyboard: Duel me!
- The Daily Grind: Are you an achievement junkie?
- The MMO Report: Unwanted guests from Connecticut edition
- Champions Online lets you vie for the kingship on a hill
- Lord of the Rings Online still not available in China
- Ask Massively: Ham edition
- Caravan security missions marching to Final Fantasy XIV
- Behind the Mask: Fictional guns are lame
- Functional improvements coming to the store for Lord of the Rings Online
- The Guild Counsel: Can GW2's multiple guild feature work for other MMOs?
- First WildStar Wednesday dev diary takes fans through creature creation
- Yoogames yoinks assets from EVE Online and others, faces retribution
- One Shots: Starting slow
- Captain's Log: Class spotlight - Engineer
- Aventurine publishes Darkfall siege system dev notes, manual
- Clone Wars Adventures announces eight million users, upcoming content
- Hellgate expanding to Tokyo on September 22nd
- MMO subscription dollars in decline for the first time since 2002
| Veteran EVE Online players share wisdom with new players Posted: 16 Sep 2011 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Game mechanics, MMO industry, News items, Sandbox  The thread is also good for a bit o' the ol' nostalgia, as Fallout specifically mentions silly mistakes he made back in the day, and he invites other players to share similar stories. The thread is fairly modest to this point (i.e., it's definitely not approaching threadnaught territory), but we suspect it will swell a bit as more vets weigh in with stories, pointers, and trolling attempts.
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| Play Eden Eternal with free Aeria Points from Massively! Posted: 16 Sep 2011 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Free-to-play, Giveaways  Haven't tried the game yet? There's no better time, particularly since Aeria Games has given us a pile of ePins worth 300 Aeria Points each. As always, we're sharing with you, and getting one couldn't be easier. Simply head to our giveaway page to pick up your ePin code, then log in to your Aeria Games account. Go to the shop, enter your code in the prepaid ePin field, and you're all set! 
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| Some Assembly Required: Diving into details of Origins of Malu with an exclusive interview Posted: 16 Sep 2011 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-fi, Game mechanics, Interviews, New titles, Massively Interviews, Some Assembly Required, Sandbox  Honestly, we have heard it before: MMORPG feature lists that promise what our sandbox-loving hearts desire. Try as we might, we cannot escape those sneaky tendrils of hope that find the chinks in our +10 jaded armor of cynicism as we read about the return of a true virtual where actions have consequences, personal choices dictate gameplay, and individuality is a matter of principle. Sadly, time and time again those hopes are dashed by titles that either cannot deliver on their promises or never even survive until launch. The same is true for the developers at Burning Dog Media; they too have ridden the roller coaster of sandbox dreams and harbored in their hearts a vision of their ultimate game if only they had the wherewithal to produce it. The difference between them and us is... they do! Welcome to issue #6 of Some Assembly Required -- an exclusive interview with Michael Dunham and Dave Cruikshank -- Lead Developer and Art Director of Burning Dog Media, respectively -- who are in the midst of developing the new sci-fi/fantasy MMORPG Origins of Malu. Originally called just Origins (the change was to help avoid confusion with other projects that were cropping up with similar titles), this game previously teased sandbox aficionados with a glimpse at some hope-stirring features. Today, we have the privilege of expounding on "coming soon" and revealing more features that not only are planned but are for the most part implemented. So why should we check out Origins of Malu? And what tantalizing tidbits of sandboxy goodness can we expect? Grab onto that hope and dive past the cut -- if you dare -- to see what Michael and Dave have to share.
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| Posted: 16 Sep 2011 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Game mechanics, PvP, Opinion, Roleplaying, Storyboard, Miscellaneous  That having been said, when you have a couple of characters whose day-to-day lives involve turning vicious critters into fine red mist, sooner or later someone is going to solve other problems with the same toolset. It's not like violence isn't a valid means of dramatic expression; look at how many of Shakespeare's plays ended with some kind of swordfight if you really need backup. (Several of them, and the ones that don't merely lacked a way to add in a CGI army at the end.) The problem is more that MMOs do not handle this sort of conflict between players very well, if at all. Continue reading Storyboard: Duel me!
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| The Daily Grind: Are you an achievement junkie? Posted: 16 Sep 2011 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous  These achievements don't always mean everything to everyone. Many players couldn't care less about a gamer score or special unlocks; they just want to play the game and enjoy themselves. So we're curious to know how you feel. Do you live for achievements, or could you do without them altogether? [Photo Credit: Rotten Tomatoes forums]  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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| The MMO Report: Unwanted guests from Connecticut edition Posted: 15 Sep 2011 08:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-fi, Video, City of Heroes, Dungeons and Dragons Online, Free-to-play, Humor, Star Wars: The Old Republic, RIFT, The MMO Report, Miscellaneous  Never fear, though, there is some MMO news to be had during the show's eight-minute running time. City of Heroes and its upcoming free-to-play conversion gets a mention, as does the Star Wars The Old Republic trailer focused on Smugglers (whom Casey says will "kick you in the nuts, tag you with a sticky grenade, and laugh in your face as you fall to your knees in agony"). There's also a blurb about Dungeons and Dragons Online's new update, RIFT's latest promotion, Minecraft's adventure pack, and of course Uncle Casey's mailbag. Check it out after the break. Continue reading The MMO Report: Unwanted guests from Connecticut edition
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| Champions Online lets you vie for the kingship on a hill Posted: 15 Sep 2011 07:00 PM PDT Filed under: Super-hero, Video, PvP, News items, Free-to-play, Champions Online  Wondering how the mode came into being or just want to see how it will play? Then peek past the break for a video walkthrough of this new opportunity to take up arms against your fellow costumed crusaders. Or take a look at the recent Behind the Mask column covering just this mode, which should put you well on your way to asserting dominance over the hill of your choice. It's good to be the king. Continue reading Champions Online lets you vie for the kingship on a hill
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| Lord of the Rings Online still not available in China Posted: 15 Sep 2011 06:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play, Miscellaneous  CDC Corporation initially entered into an agreement to distribute Turbine's Tolkien-inspired MMORPG to Chinese gamers in 2006. Five years later, the game still has not seen the light of day, and Turbine has pulled the plug on the arrangement as a result. CDC spent approximately $10 million on "licensing, development, and other costs," but has nothing to show for the expenditures. Don't cry too hard for Turbine, though, as the Boston-based developer pocketed the $4 million non-refundable licensing fee.
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| Posted: 15 Sep 2011 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Opinion, Massively meta, Ask Massively, Miscellaneous  You will, however, know a bit more about what's going on behind the scenes of the site with this week's edition of Ask Massively. Sadly, we don't have our usual assortment of site gossip, but we do have answers about a few features and some discussion of the upcoming online-maybe Dragon Quest X. As always, you can leave questions in the comments or mail them along to ask@massively.com for a future column. Continue reading Ask Massively: Ham edition
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| Caravan security missions marching to Final Fantasy XIV Posted: 15 Sep 2011 05:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Patches, Previews, News items, Consoles, Final Fantasy XIV  Each of the Grand Companies will have a different caravan to protect and will enlist the aid of full members in ensuring the caravan's safety during its march from an aetheryte camp to one of the nearby hamlets. Monsters will attack the caravan in turn, sometimes driving off birds and sometimes outright damaging the cargo, and it will be up to players to feed, calm, and protect the chocobos laden with supplies. Once the caravan arrives at its destination, players will receive seals based on how much cargo actually made it to its objective -- a chance to earn more currency and get some nice experience out of the event.
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| Behind the Mask: Fictional guns are lame Posted: 15 Sep 2011 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Super-hero, Lore, Opinion, Free-to-play, Champions Online, Behind the Mask  Although this is more of a general roleplaying issue and not limited to CO, I feel it's worth touching on. Is it so weird to wonder why superpowered groups like VIPER or UNTIL use energy blasters instead of firearms? Hit the jump and we'll talk about why the U-KTF blaster rifles don't hold a candle to things that exist in the real world. Continue reading Behind the Mask: Fictional guns are lame
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| Functional improvements coming to the store for Lord of the Rings Online Posted: 15 Sep 2011 04:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Previews, News items, Free-to-play  The two biggest additions at a glance are the inclusion of a Quick Buy button and an Add to Cart button, with the former saving the need for a shopping cart trick and the latter allowing you to stay on the page after adding the item. Also added are a Recent Buy tab and some improvements to the visual elements of the store, making it easier for players to see which categories have additional items. No, it's not quite as exciting as slaying dragons and Uruk-Hai, but it should make it a little easier to buy the gear to do so.
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| The Guild Counsel: Can GW2's multiple guild feature work for other MMOs? Posted: 15 Sep 2011 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Guilds, Opinion, Guild Wars 2, The Guild Counsel, Miscellaneous  But what about all of the other MMOs currently out there that we all know and love? If you're a guild leader, chances are that you've already dealt with the question of whether to allow members to have characters in other guilds. Can it work, or is it a recipe for drama? In this week's Guild Counsel, we'll look back at how far guilds have come and whether allowing for multiple tags can work in current MMOs. Continue reading The Guild Counsel: Can GW2's multiple guild feature work for other MMOs?
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| First WildStar Wednesday dev diary takes fans through creature creation Posted: 15 Sep 2011 03:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-fi, News items, Dev Diaries, WildStar  Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the first (of many, we hope) WildStar Wednesday. The magnificent Robert "Robeardo" Land and the fabulous Andy Cotnam from Carbine Studios have collaborated on a short dev diary to kick things off after WildStar's recent official announcement and convention circuit. The diary focuses on the creation of a WildStar boss by the name of Metal Maw. Metal Maw, for the uninitiated, was conceived at Gamescom during a live drawing session featuring Mr. Cotnam, with the help of some fan input. Now that the creature has been created, Cotnam takes fans through the process of bringing a boss monster from the page to the game. For the full process -- and some lovely concept art, to boot -- head on over to the official dev diary.
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| Yoogames yoinks assets from EVE Online and others, faces retribution Posted: 15 Sep 2011 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: EVE Online, Culture, MMO industry, News items, Legal, Miscellaneous  Let's get ready for a lawsuit! Yoogames has been called out on the EVE Online forums for using images from EVE in order to promote its own game, Planet War. But it's not just EVE Online getting ripped off here; keen-eyed forum-goers have spotted pictures of StarCraft 2's Protoss Yo-Mommaship and Star Wars' Trade Federation space station. What will become of this, no one knows... oh, who are we kidding? This is lawsuit city. CCP's own CCP Fallout stopped by the thread to thank the OP for pointing out the infringement and to say that he is "notifying the relevant parties in the company." So grab some popcorn, sit back, and enjoy the show. We'll be sure to bring you the latest in courtroom entertainment as it develops.
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| Posted: 15 Sep 2011 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Super-hero, Galleries, Screenshots, City of Heroes  This picture is of Galaxy City. When you first create a hero, you have a choice between Atlas Park and Galaxy City. I always picked Galaxy City for my starter zone because I liked the sort of calmness that the place had compared to Atlas Park's hustle and bustle. It's too bad that come I21 that calmness will be disturbed. I'm gonna miss this little city.It's starting zone week here at One Shots. First impressions are a big deal, so many developers put a lot into that first zone you see. Show us a screenshot of your favorite starting zone -- add your name and a little bit about the image, send it in to oneshots@massively.com, and we'll feature it in this week's One Shots! If you want to get a jump on next week, we'll be taking to the skies. One Shots will be all about aerial shots, whether they're taken from atop a high-flying mount or on the ground while viewing the action in the air. Send your image in and we'll show it off next week.
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| Captain's Log: Class spotlight - Engineer Posted: 15 Sep 2011 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Classes, Opinion, Star Trek Online, Captain's Log, Guides  Hello, computer (and players)! As you may or may not know, the Star Trek franchise celebrated a momentous birthday last week as it turned 45 years old. While humankind first set out to "boldly going where no one has gone before" in the late 1960s, its legacy lives on today, four decades later, through Star Trek Online. Although the game has had its fair shares of ups and downs, I am not afraid to stand behind it and be proud of it for being able to continue Gene Roddenberry's dream. I am also extremely honored to play a small part in its history by bringing you Captain's Log each week, and I look forward to what the next 45 years hold. I'd like to welcome each of you to the third and final installment of my three-part series focusing on the classes within STO. After checking out the awesome DPS that Tactical captains can dish out a couple of weeks back, we now shift our focus to the Scottys, LaForges, Obriens, and Torreses of the game -- the Engineering captains. Players taking on this role often find themselves having a blast, literally, as they materialize their defense and medical turrets, call on their support and seeker drones, and deploy their force fields and cover shields. While there are a variety of powers that this career can utilize, I would like to showcase a few of them past the jump. Ensign, warp... actually, no; it's actually time to realign the dilithium matrix... Continue reading Captain's Log: Class spotlight - Engineer
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| Aventurine publishes Darkfall siege system dev notes, manual Posted: 15 Sep 2011 12:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Darkfall, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Patches, News items, Sandbox  Highlights include a breakdown of the new attacker/defender roles for clans, information on initiating and progressing challenges, and a bit about the new wager system. It's clear that Aventurine has completely rewritten the old siege mechanics, and the manual document touches on why such a huge change was necessary. "The key reason for this was to remove any hard limits imposed by the system, and make this whole aspect of the game much more open and free for all players to enjoy."
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| Clone Wars Adventures announces eight million users, upcoming content Posted: 15 Sep 2011 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play, Casual, Clone Wars Adventures  The other day, we announced Clone Wars Adventures' one-year anniversary celebration. However, it seems more celebration is in order. According to a press release today, the game is also celebrating over eight million registered players. On top of that, the press release gives us a sneak peek at upcoming content. The television series' fourth season will begin tomorrow, September 16th, and will focus on Mon Calamari, the home planet of everyone's favorite Admiral. As such, the game will feature content such as Mission on Iceberg 3, which presents a storyline that sets the stage for the TV Series. In addition, the game will be adding a minigame called Aquatic Assault, which puts players in the boots of the famous Nautolan Jedi Kit Fisto as he pilots his Diver Propulsion Vehicle against waves of Aqua Droids, Quarren, and Karkaradon. The game's one-year anniversary celebration is going on now. To get in on the festivities, head on over to the game's official site and sign up. [Source: SOE Press release]
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| Hellgate expanding to Tokyo on September 22nd Posted: 15 Sep 2011 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Horror, Expansions, Game mechanics, Patches, Hellgate: London, Free-to-play, Dungeons  The action-horror MMO is expanding to a new burned-out husk of a metropolis, and on September 22nd, you're invited to partake in more grisly demon-slaying action in what remains of post-apocalyptic Tokyo. The city features 24 new levels as well as new monsters and boss mobs. There are also a couple of new game modes on tap, including Cow Room (which pits players against hordes of zombies) and Base Defense (which is exactly what it sounds like). Finally, Hell Mode gets an encore, and hardcore types who want better loot, more XP, and more it'll-put-hair-on-your-virtual-chest challenge are welcome to queue up and prove their e-manliness. [Source: T3Fun/HanbitSoft press release]
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| MMO subscription dollars in decline for the first time since 2002 Posted: 15 Sep 2011 10:30 AM PDT Filed under: Economy, MMO industry, Miscellaneous  2010's subscription revenue added up to $1.58 billion, a respectable amount but still 5% less than 2009. 2009 saw a 10% bump in subscriptions, and 2008 witnessed 21.6% growth. Connect the dots, and subscription revenue has most likely peaked and begun a downhill slide. Analysts predict that by 2015, revenue from subs will be as low as $1.33 billion. However, with the popularity of RIFT this year and the coming storm of Star Wars: The Old Republic, the subscription model may see a resurgence. On the flip side, microtransactions from F2P models are rising exponentially, jumping 24% from 2009 to 2010 to account for $1.13 billion. With the two models combined, the industry saw a very modest 5% increase last year in revenue. Screen Digest analyst Piers Harding-Rolls sees the writing on the wall: "The focus of many PC game operators has clearly shifted to micro-transaction‐based models -- in part due to competition in the subscription market especially in the high‐end MMOG segment, but also because of the flexibility micro-transactions offer operators in monetising gamers."
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