MMO Updates

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• Trickster Online's Episode 6 woos players with magic!
• Dark Age of Camelot quest revamp in the works
• EverQuest II adds dungeon finder, double Station Cash weekend on tap for Europe
• Trion announces Red Door publishing and development platform
• Face of Mankind looking for storyline gamemasters
• World of Tanks retail box coming to Europe in November
• Firefall dev says new MMO shooter will transcend the "circle of suck"
• The Daily Grind: Should games be region-locked?
• Star Trek Online bringing the Klingons into the free-to-play test realm
• New Rappelz expansion coming in November
• S4 League Season 3 looking for design submissions
• City of Heroes lays out the design for Street Justice
• Origins of Malu has more plans on the horizon
• Cryptic's Neverwinter to be a 'full-fledged MMO'
• Rage against the extreme: Introducing L.A.W -- Living After War
• Enter at Your Own Rift: Tidbits from 1.5
• WildStar Wednesday: The return of Metal Maw
• Free for All: Why the term Facebook game should fade
• Massively Speaking Episode 168
• New Dawntide patch due October 17th, release date announcement to follow
• CCP Games CEO issues letter of apology to EVE Online players
• Fans unearth new Forsaken World patch details
• Elsword adopts cute, cuddly, ferocious pets

Trickster Online's Episode 6 woos players with magic! Posted: 06 Oct 2011 10:30 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Patches, Free-to-play The world's most epic love story is coming to a close, a treasure map is discovered, and celebrations galore are on the way. It's not a soap opera; it's Episode 6 for Trickster Online, which has landed on the servers today. Trickster's latest update features the final part of its current story arc as well as a heapload of new content for players to explore. The episode adds 23 additional areas to the game, 56 more quests, an escort system, and a treasure hunt for billionaire Don Cavalier's loot. SG Interactive's Chris Lee says to not look at Episode 6 so much as an ending, but as a new beginning: "The new episode will put the finishing touch to our storyline while providing engaging contents for all players, from beginners to high level players. In addition to concluding the current storyline, this update marks the beginning of more new adventures in Trickster Online, and players should anticipate big celebrations in and out of the game coming soon." Be sure to check out the trailer for Episode 6: Songs of Love and Fate! Trickster Online's Episode 6 woos players with magic! originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 06 Oct 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Trickster Online

Dark Age of Camelot quest revamp in the works Posted: 06 Oct 2011 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Dark Age of Camelot, Game mechanics, MMO industry, News items, Dev Diaries Big changes are in the offing for Dark Age of Camelot fans. The latest Mythic dev diary sets the stage for a "return home to the Albion, Midgard and Hibernia of old." While the diary is long on pseudo in-character prose, it's short on specific details. What we've gathered, though, is that extensive revamps are in the works for many of the game's quests and more than a few of its classic adventuring locales. Mythic's Kai "Talal Saad" Schober says that new and returning players "may be hard-pressed to find their way at the outset of their journey," and as such the devs have set about revisiting many of the game's famous towns and villages with an eye towards modernizing the progression path. New types of quests are also in store, and the diary describes them as full of "moral deliberation" that will make for "diverse gameplay experiences as well as provide unique item rewards." Read more at the official DAoC website. Dark Age of Camelot quest revamp in the works originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 06 Oct 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: DAoC dev diary

EverQuest II adds dungeon finder, double Station Cash weekend on tap for Europe Posted: 06 Oct 2011 09:30 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest II, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Patches, News items, Free-to-play, Dungeons Love it or loathe it, the increasingly popular dungeon finder mechanic has finally made its way to Norrath. Today's EverQuest II patch features a variation on the random grouping tool initially made famous in World of Warcraft. Adventurers can queue solo or as a group by clicking the dungeon finder icon on their EQII menus, and it's worth noting that signing up for a random dungeon will net you a 25% XP boost. Other patch details worth mentioning include a, ahem, rebalance of the Dirge mythical effect as well as a Troubador revamp. Finally, European EQII fans should be pleased to know that this weekend features a double Station Cash promotion to celebrate the availability of pre-paid SOE game cards at retailers throughout the region. EverQuest II adds dungeon finder, double Station Cash weekend on tap for Europe originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 06 Oct 2011 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: EQII dungeon finder Via: EQ2Wire

Trion announces Red Door publishing and development platform Posted: 06 Oct 2011 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Business models, MMO industry, News items, RIFT, Miscellaneous Trion is the latest development firm to try its hand at a large-scale publishing platform according to a new company press release issued this morning. The beast is called Red Door, and it "will consist of a consumer platform and a full-scale publishing and development platform based on the proprietary technology fueling Trion's games." What games are those, you might ask? Well there's RIFT, of course, and the company is also developing End of Nations and Defiance. Red Door aims to allow third-parties to build and run games of similar scope via "fast real-time updates and versatile monetization models." Trion CEO Lars Buttler says that the company's goal is to "revolutionize premium games and help the industry realize its potential in the connected era." [Source: Trion press release] Trion announces Red Door publishing and development platform originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 06 Oct 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Face of Mankind looking for storyline gamemasters Posted: 06 Oct 2011 08:30 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Game mechanics, MMO industry, News items, Sandbox Nexeon Technologies is looking for a few good storytellers according to a post on the Face of Mankind forums. The sci-fi sandbox has long been a theoretically rich roleplaying environment, and the devs are looking to put that theory into practice. "We are currently looking to bring back an official storyline to Face of Mankind in a manner whereby it will play a significant part [in] the roleplay environment [of] the game, and where we will see players from all factions and backgrounds taking part in one way or another," writes Arthurius, Nexeon's community manager. To that end, Nexeon is looking to bring in several storyline gamemasters, and applications are now being accepted. The requirements are nothing to sneeze at, particularly when it comes to game knowledge, perfect grammar, and the willingness to sacrifice your own game time for the greater good. If you think you've got what it takes (or you're just curious), you can read more on the official Face of Mankind forums. Face of Mankind looking for storyline gamemasters originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 06 Oct 2011 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: FoM forums

World of Tanks retail box coming to Europe in November Posted: 06 Oct 2011 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Historical, Business models, MMO industry, News items, War, Free-to-play, World of Tanks, Miscellaneous World of Tanks boxed editions landed in American brick-and-mortar stores last month, and a new press release indicates that European retailers are about to join the party. Deep Silver has secured the publishing rights to Wargaming.net's World War II-based action MMO, and the company will be bringing the game to the UK, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Switzerland, Portugal, Greece, Benelux, and Nordic countries in short order. The package features the game itself plus bonus content in the form of in-game currency, premium account access, and a premium German tank. The World of Tanks box will cost £7.99 and is scheduled for a November 15th release. [Source: Wargaming.net press release] World of Tanks retail box coming to Europe in November originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 06 Oct 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Firefall dev says new MMO shooter will transcend the "circle of suck" Posted: 06 Oct 2011 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Game mechanics, Interviews, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Free-to-play, MMOFPS, Sandbox Red 5 Studios CEO Mark Kern has been around the game development block a time or two. With a resume that includes StarCraft, Diablo 2, Warcraft 3, and World of Warcraft, he's no stranger to successful multiplayer titles. So why is he heading up the development of Firefall, a free-to-play MMO/shooter hybrid that aims to stand genre convention on its head? Well, precisely because it aims to stand genre convention on its head. "If I see another action MMO combat game with exclamation points over quest givers, I'm going to commit seppuku! We're pouring so much money [into] a very stale formula," he recently told PC Gamer. Previous attempts at blending MMO and shooter gameplay have resulted in what Kern colorfully terms the "circle of suck," but Firefall will break that mold due to its unique mind meld of both genres. "Let's get the shooting right, and selectively add in the MMO elements. Let's take the idea of open world sandbox play and feature hundreds of players instead of four- or eight-player co-op. Let's take towns, crafting, and resources and combine it all together. And that group would be a much more fun game when we started playing it than anything we'd tried before," Kern says. Firefall dev says new MMO shooter will transcend the "circle of suck" originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 06 Oct 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: PC Gamer

The Daily Grind: Should games be region-locked? Posted: 06 Oct 2011 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Events, real-world, MMO industry, Opinion, Massively meta, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous A reader named Sam recently wrote in to Massively with a concern: He's a U.S. expat who moved to South Korea only to find he cannot log in to his North American Age of Conan account. The reason? Funcom employs region-blocking. Customers in Korea simply cannot connect to the U.S. game servers. Many games make it obnoxiously difficult for players in one country to play with friends in another. At the dawn of every World of Warcraft expansion, my own guild sees a flurry of Americans fussing with PayPal and buying boxes for our European members. But at least that's possible -- at least Blizzard isn't blocking their logins altogether. And upcoming MMOs, like Star Wars: The Old Republic, seem to be reversing this trend, forsaking region-locking altogether and letting folks play together and deal with the lag in their own way. What's your stance on region-locking (and -blocking)? Do you think companies should insist on keeping players neatly corralled by country and language for the sake of server stability and customer support? Or do you think that such policies undermine one of the best qualities of MMOs -- the chance to play with people from around the globe? 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! The Daily Grind: Should games be region-locked? originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 06 Oct 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Star Trek Online bringing the Klingons into the free-to-play test realm Posted: 05 Oct 2011 08:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Game mechanics, Lore, Previews, News items, Star Trek Online, Free-to-play The KDF faction has always struggled in Star Trek Online, from its early perception among players as the game's red-headed stepchild of a PvP faction to the present day. But there are still dedicated Klingon players, and there's no shortage of love for the faction in the lore. So there will no doubt be many players happy that starting on October 6th, the Klingon's new and improved play experience will be up for players to enjoy on the test server. In a significant departure from the past, Klingon players will now start well into the Lieutenant Commander rank, giving players a sizable jump in levels. The story arcs for the faction are now threaded together to alleviate the sometimes confusing structure of the story missions, giving a uniquely Klingon experience from start to finish. And as with all of the testing going on prior to the game's free-to-play conversion, players who clock in enough time to reach level 31 on a Klingon character will earn some bonus rewards -- enough to stir a true warrior's blood for the honor of victory. Star Trek Online bringing the Klingons into the free-to-play test realm originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 05 Oct 2011 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Path to F2P #6

New Rappelz expansion coming in November Posted: 05 Oct 2011 07:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Events, in-game, Expansions, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Patches, News items, Free-to-play, Dungeons Rappelz is five years old this month, and there's no better way to celebrate that milestone than by announcing a new expansion. Gala-Net has done just that, and the company's latest press release says that Epic VII: Ascension will debut in mid-November. The patch will bring about the conclusion of the Epic VII storyline and introduce a new baddie named Vulcanus -- not to mention his "harrowing dungeon of fire." Happily, the new instance is available for players of any level (and at any time), and the level-scaling mechanics will present appropriate challenges and rewards regardless of your character build. We'll have more info on the new expansion as the devs make it available, and in the meantime you can take part in the ongoing anniversary celebration. From now through October 18th, players will enjoy 55% hit- and mana-point boosts to "rip through mob after mob without stopping." [Source: Gala-Net press release] New Rappelz expansion coming in November originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 05 Oct 2011 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

S4 League Season 3 looking for design submissions Posted: 05 Oct 2011 06:30 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Contests, Game mechanics, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play You say you want player-generated content? You think you're a cut above the average armchair designer? Well, it's time to put your money where your mouth is thanks to a new contest sponsored by alaplaya and its S4 League title. According to the company's latest press release, S4 will be getting a "major expansion" in 2012, and the kicker is that it could be designed by you! "Players are encouraged to submit any and all ideas" for S4 League: Season 3, and the grand-prize winner will have the honor of seeing her design brought to life and played by thousands of gamers for years to come. Oh, and the design champ will also pocket a cool 100,000 alaplaya points. There are only a couple of days to go before the October 7th deadline, so head to the official website for all the details. S4 League Season 3 looking for design submissions originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 05 Oct 2011 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Design Season 3 Via: Vertical Wire

City of Heroes lays out the design for Street Justice Posted: 05 Oct 2011 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, City of Villains, Game mechanics, Previews, News items, Free-to-play You could argue that City of Heroes has been about street justice since launch, since there is no branch of the US legal system that involves beating people up in the streets with electrical powers. But the Street Justice powerset is the latest addition to the game in the Paragon Market, and as with the previous powersets, a new issue of the Intrepid Informer has been released so that players can understand how the set works, what the designers were thinking, and how to get the most benefit out of it. Written by Phil "Synapse" Zeleski, the diary outlines both the similarities and differences between this set and Dual Blades. While both are combo-oriented sets, Street Justice allows you to build a combo on the fly; by way of contrast, Dual Blades generates a variety of powerful secondary effects with its combos. If the set sounds like the sort of thing that's right up your alley, you may want to pop until the game, drop a couple of dollars, and start breaking some kneecaps. For justice. City of Heroes lays out the design for Street Justice originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 05 Oct 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Intrepid Informer #13

Origins of Malu has more plans on the horizon Posted: 05 Oct 2011 05:30 PM PDT Filed under: Previews, News items, Miscellaneous, Sandbox If you're a long-time fan of sandbox gameplay, Origins of Malu is most likely on your short list for games to watch. The developers are promising that the game will allow players to experience a true sandbox environment, and from their early discussion of the game, it's certainly promising thus far. Of course, the real verdict is going to come when the game goes live, but until then, the team at Burning Dog Media is planning more updates to keep players hooked. An earlier posting on the official Facebook page claims that there are two major announcements about the game coming this month as well as information about how PvP will work and exactly what the team is doing for it. There's also the promise of official forums on the site and developer videos, both chances for future players to get engaged in the development and refinement process. If you're following the sandbox field, this may be worth keeping an eye on. [Thanks to Halldorr for the tip!] Origins of Malu has more plans on the horizon originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 05 Oct 2011 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Coming in October

Cryptic's Neverwinter to be a 'full-fledged MMO' Posted: 05 Oct 2011 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Business models, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Free-to-play Covering Neverwinter has always been a dicey proposition for Massively. We've always considered the upcoming D&D game by Cryptic Studios "multiplayer" rather than "massively multiplayer," yet because the game was being developed by Cryptic, the urge to cover it persisted. Now we'll be entirely justified. An article on IGN today delivers the news that Cryptic and new publisher Perfect World Entertainment are reorienting the game's design to make it a true MMO in the style of Vindictus or Rusty Hearts: Neverwinter is shifting from the co-operative multiplayer game that was announced last year and into full-fledged, free-to-play MMO territory. In fact, it's shifting towards the action end of the MMO spectrum. How free is free-to-play? Not all content will be free, though. The developer will be charging money for consumables, [...] vanity pets and cosmetic items. [...] Cryptic plans to avoid making any content premium-only in Neverwinter. The restructuring of the game will push back its release date to 2012. Cryptic's Neverwinter to be a 'full-fledged MMO' originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 05 Oct 2011 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: IGN ' Big Changes to Cryptic's Neverwinter'

Rage against the extreme: Introducing L.A.W -- Living After War Posted: 05 Oct 2011 04:30 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-fi, Galleries, Screenshots, Trailers, Video, New titles, MMOFPS, Post-Apocalyptic Are you brave? A little nuts? A mutated cat-like thing with a giant sword and a healthy resistance to radiation? Then you, like most Massively readers, are set for the apocalypse and prime for the latest post-nuclear MMO, L.A.W -- Living After War. Set a couple hundred years in the future, the title sees self-imposed exiled survivors of a nuclear holocaust return to Earth to start civilization and Walmart all over again. But it turns out Earth isn't empty, and the abominations unto nature itself aren't willing to give up their turf without a fight. It... plays better if you imagine thrash metal music in the background. L.A.W's two factions boasts three classes apiece, and we're intrigued at the mention of a transformation ability that can turn us into "mighty creatures." Players will punctuate these PvP struggles with -- of course -- stock market trading and crafting. Get a feel for L.A.W with our first look screenshots below and a trailer after the jump. On board? Then head on over to the site and sign up for the closed beta! Gallery: L.A.W -- Living After War Continue reading Rage against the extreme: Introducing L.A.W -- Living After War Rage against the extreme: Introducing L.A.W -- Living After War originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 05 Oct 2011 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: L.A.W beta application

Enter at Your Own Rift: Tidbits from 1.5 Posted: 05 Oct 2011 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Patches, PvE, Opinion, RIFT, Enter at Your Own Rift RIFT's Update 1.5 has been live for about a week now, and with it comes lots of changes. What always strikes me about the updates is the number of quiet changes that leave you saying, "Wait, what was that?" It's not a ninja nerf; it's more like the fine print of the patch notes -- things that you tend to skip over or not read closely because there's so much other stuff to chew on. This week in Enter at Your Own Rift, we'll take a look at a few of those "little" changes. And yes, we'll look at some of the larger ones too! Continue reading Enter at Your Own Rift: Tidbits from 1.5 Enter at Your Own Rift: Tidbits from 1.5 originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 05 Oct 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

WildStar Wednesday: The return of Metal Maw Posted: 05 Oct 2011 03:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-fi, News items, Dev Diaries, WildStar A few weeks ago, the fine folks over at Carbine Studios posted the first WildStar Wednesday dev diary, which took fans through the process of creating a new WildStar creature. Well, it's that time once again, and this WildStar Wednesday features the return of the monstrous Metal Maw. Lead concept artist Andy Cotnam has handed off Metal Maw's design sketch to senior character artist Brandon Dix, who is charged with the task of modeling and texturing the beast. In the post, Dix takes fans through the process of creating a (virtually) living, breathing model of the new creature, from rough sculpture to rendered model. To take a look at the fascinating process for yourself, head on over to the WildStar Wednesday blog post at the game's official site. WildStar Wednesday: The return of Metal Maw originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 05 Oct 2011 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: WildStar Wednesday: From Concept to Creature, Part 2

Free for All: Why the term Facebook game should fade Posted: 05 Oct 2011 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Business models, Culture, Opinion, Free-to-play, Browser, Casual, Free for All, Miscellaneous Last week, in the comments section of one of my other columns, a player described Glitch as "kind of like a non-violent, Facebook version of EVE Online." I was confused by the Facebook part, so I had to ask him about it. He responded by saying that it was "sort of like saying a themepark MMO is very 'World of Warcraft-ish'. So the meaning is likely going to vary from person to person and cover a lot of things: browser-based, more simplistic." He makes a few good points. (I have the smartest readers!) At the same time, his truths shine light on a couple of very disturbing trends. Click past the cut and let's discuss them! Continue reading Free for All: Why the term Facebook game should fade Free for All: Why the term Facebook game should fade originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 05 Oct 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Are social media connections in MMOs useless?

Massively Speaking Episode 168 Posted: 05 Oct 2011 02:30 PM PDT Filed under: Podcasts, Culture, Opinion, Massively meta, Humor, Massively Speaking Massively Speaking Episode 168 is back as Shawn and Rubi rant about the week's craziness, both in MMO news and site news! If you think you'll be offended by your hosts being self-righteous and complaining about negative Massively feedback, you might want to skip this week. Just sayin'! Oh, and for the news portion, discussion includes DC Universe Online's newest content patch, APB: Reloaded's anti-cheat dev blog, Star Wars: The Old Republic's email blunder, and Blizzard's next MMO, which will not be mentioned at BlizzCon this year. Also, if you want an invite to Glitch, send Shawn an email. There are only three available, so first come, first served! Have a comment for the podcasters? Shoot an email to shawn@massively.com. We may just read your email on the air! Get the podcast: [iTunes] Subscribe to Massively Speaking directly in iTunes. [RSS] Add Massively Speaking to your RSS aggregator. [MP3] Download the MP3 directly. Listen here on the page: Read below the cut for the full show notes. Massively Speaking is the official podcast of Massively.com. Hosted by Editor-in-Chief Shawn Schuster and Community Manager Rubi Bayer, Massively Speaking takes on the week's biggest news and dev interviews with plenty of opinion, rants, and laughs thrown in for good measure. Join us every Wednesday afternoon to listen in and see what we'll say next! Continue reading Massively Speaking Episode 168 Massively Speaking Episode 168 originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 05 Oct 2011 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

New Dawntide patch due October 17th, release date announcement to follow Posted: 05 Oct 2011 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Dawntide, Sandbox Hey kids, it's a Dawntide update! Yes, really. The fantasy sandbox from Working As Intended has been quiet since delaying its planned October 1st release date, but today the devs have issued a brief blurb on the game's official website that suggests a bit of hope for the future. As it turns out, the delayed release was the result of a funding shortage, but now WAI has secured a new source and the team has "reassembled to resume development." A new patch is due October 17th, and a new release date announcement should roll in before the end of the month. WAI also takes a moment to tip its collective cap to Dawntide's hearty faithful. "Thanks for sticking with us through the rough times, and we still intend to release the best sandbox MMO out there," the site says. [Thanks to Halldorr for the tip!] New Dawntide patch due October 17th, release date announcement to follow originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 05 Oct 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Dawntide update

CCP Games CEO issues letter of apology to EVE Online players Posted: 05 Oct 2011 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Culture, Expansions, MMO industry, News items, Dev Diaries Just over three months ago, fans of EVE Online looked on in disbelief as the game they loved faced its biggest crisis of confidence since 2007's T20 developer scandal. The long-awaited Incarna expansion was pushed live with no multiplayer environments and only one race of captain's quarters. Players were forced to use the feature every time they docked, and it seemed that its only purpose was as a display case for overpriced cash-shop clothing. While players debated the controversial cash shop prices, a leaked company newsletter titled "Greed is Good" and a leaked memo from CCP Games CEO Hilmar Veigar Pétursson threw additional fuel on the flames. In a letter to the EVE Online community today, Hilmar delivered a humble apology for everything that happened. "The estrangement from CCP that many of you have been feeling of late is my fault, and for that I am truly sorry," he began. "In short, my zeal for pushing EVE to her true potential made me lose sight of doing the simple things right. I was impatient when I should have been cautious, defiant when I should have been conciliatory and arrogant when I should have been humble." The letter goes on to tackle everything from the removal of ship spinning and the release of the captain's quarters as a full expansion to CCP's plans for the future. In an accompanying devblog, CCP Zulu provided an impressive list of in-space features aimed for the winter development period. The list includes the long-awaited hybrid weapon balance changes, assault ship bonus reworks, capital ship rebalancing, and even iteration on faction warfare. CCP Games CEO issues letter of apology to EVE Online players originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 05 Oct 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: EVE winter expansion devblog, Hilmar apology devblog

Fans unearth new Forsaken World patch details Posted: 05 Oct 2011 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Patches, News items, Free-to-play, Dungeons If you're a Forsaken World fan, you might be interested to know that Perfect World Entertainment has announced plans for the game's next content update. According to MMO Crunch, it's unclear whether the Storms of War patch is a full-blown expansion or a smaller-scale update. Either way, there's new stuff coming. Some enterprising Forsaken World forum-dwellers have pieced together what they believe to be a feature list for the new content drop, but since Perfect World's Asian-market releases are normally months ahead of the American and European clients, none of the info has been confirmed. Highlights of the feature list include memory fruit XP buffs, town teleport abilities, tweaks to dungeon difficulty and arena PvP systems, and a lot more. Fans unearth new Forsaken World patch details originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 05 Oct 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: MMO Crunch

Elsword adopts cute, cuddly, ferocious pets Posted: 05 Oct 2011 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, Patches, Free-to-play Pet lovers, rejoice: Elsword Online is adding a brand-new pet system to the game. Pet haters, rejoice: Elsword is allowing you to torment furry balls of cuteness in order to turn them into killing machines. Once players hit level 10, they can select a pet to help them in their journeys. Right now there are only two types of pets in the game -- Pocket Phoru and Ancient Phoru -- although Kill3rCombo promises that more are coming soon. A pet can be trained as it grows through multiple stages of life, changing based on how the player treats it. Pets aid their masters with different types of attacks and buffs. Kill3rCombo's Ben Colayco sees the pet system as keeping in line with the overall tone of the game: "Introducing pets to Elsword adds another dimension to the game and allows players to become fully immersed in the comic book style world. By echoing character evolution and growth within the pet system, we wanted to reinforce that Elsword offers a unique and dynamic environment to players, while at the same time maintaining the key differentiators that set us apart, such as maturation of characters." [Source: Kill3rCombo press release] Elsword adopts cute, cuddly, ferocious pets originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 05 Oct 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

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General gaming

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• Super Mario 3D Land Twists the Familiar Rather than Striking New Ground
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• Keiji Inafune Working on a 3DS Game Called King of Pirates
• L.A. Noire Developer Team Bondi Shutting Down
• New App Lets Windows Phones Act as an Xbox 360 Remote
• Japan Review Check: Ace Combat, Dead Rising
• Yakuza Of the End Confirmed for Western Release as Dead Souls
• Game Arts Co-Founder Takeshi Miyaji's Last Interview

Super Mario 3D Land Twists the Familiar Rather than Striking New Ground Posted: 06 Oct 2011 05:00 AM PDT When I nominated Super Mario 3D Land for the "Most Innovative" award at this year's E3, I wasn't entirely serious. I liked the fact that 3D Land was the first major game release I've ever come across to make 3D visualization something more than a mere gimmick, and I was amused by the fact that it did so by taking a decidedly old-fashioned approach to game design. By constraining level design to fixed, almost two-dimensional points of view, 3D Land employs the illusion of depth to help players navigate hazards that would be difficult to master through visual perspective alone. It's a nice touch, and I'm glad to see 3D visuals used for something more substantial than a quick "gee golly" response, but most innovative game of the year? Nah, surely not. Outside of making actual use of the 3DS's top screen's depth slide, Super Mario 3D Land doesn't exactly revolutionize the medium. It's incredibly fun, no question about it, and it looks and plays great. But based on the dozen or stages Nintendo has shown off so far, 3D Land is definitely a case of the company's Tokyo studio producing variations on a theme rather than showing the way forward into a bold future of game design.

Apple Co-Founder and Former CEO Steve Jobs Passes Away Posted: 05 Oct 2011 05:09 PM PDT Just a day after the announcement of the latest iPhone, Steve Jobs has passed away. Jobs, who was born on February 24, 1955 (making him 56 at the time of his death), was one of the original co-founders of Apple and served as its CEO for more than 14 years until resigning from the role this past August. He stayed on as chairman of the board. He had been battling health issues (cancer, in particular) for years; he was forced to take a leave of absence from the company beginning this past January, though he still made appearances at several Apple events even during his time away. Although Tim Cook was named CEO in August and led yesterday's iPhone 4S event, many had expected Jobs to make an appearance of some sort.

Review: NBA 2K12 Falls Short of Being The Perfect Substitute For The NBA Lockout Posted: 05 Oct 2011 03:31 PM PDT I was fortunate enough (and, indeed, old enough) to see a number of the NBA's legends play in person in the '80s and '90s. Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Dr. J, and many others passed through Salt Lake City to take on the Jazz when I was a teenager -- and I saw them all. I was even in the stands for Michael Jordan's title-winning jumpshot over Bryon Russell (he pushed off!) in the 1998 NBA Finals. As a result, I have a pretty deep respect -- reverence even -- for the players who helped shape the NBA. It's nice, then, to see that a video game developer shares this same level of respect... mostly. Playing the NBA's Greatest mode in NBA 2K12, which gathers together 15 of the league's all-time great players and the complete rosters of more than 30 teams, is a fitting tribute to those basketball gods. Every game is meticulously recreated with era-specific visuals (like a grainy black-and-white presentation for Bill Russell's 1965 Celtics squad) and commentary that informs and entertains about the legend you're playing. The rules are altered to fit the period, and players play the way they did at that point in time. It's almost like a playable museum of NBA history -- the kind of thing you'd relish sharing with your friends online. Except that you can't.

The Mario Brother from Another Planet Posted: 05 Oct 2011 02:32 PM PDT Feature Share it: Tweet The Mario Brother from Another Planet Though he started as a mere clone of his sibling, Luigi's role has grown far more complex. By: Francesco Dagostino October 5, 2011 Ah, the neverending struggle for video game heroes to keep abreast of the times. From their humble, pixel-based roots, these digital characters evolved into complex, emotional individuals -- seemingly, in the blink of an eye. After all, strengthening the connection between avatar and player became a necessity as the ever-changing medium of video games increased in complexity over the years. And this process went well beyond mere design: appealing color palettes, fancy clothes and spikey hairstyles weren't enough to make a character stand out. And thus, some became tarnished by the pitiless course of time, some faded, while others survived and matured thanks to the skillfull planning of their creators -- and some even grew spontaneously, like ivy creeping its way up a damp stone wall.

Keiji Inafune Working on a 3DS Game Called King of Pirates Posted: 05 Oct 2011 01:43 PM PDT Longtime Capcom employee Keiji Inafune left the company after 23 years late last year. He announced his first post-Capcom project over the summer: The Island of Dr. Momo, a free-to-play game for Japanese mobile phones. It's not exactly what many of his fans were hoping to see, particularly those located outside of Japan. Inafune has now revealed his second game, which he says is his company's "very first console game," and it looks like it'll be of much greater interest to core gamers. King of Pirates, known as KAIO in Japan, is a 3DS game in development at Intercept and being published by the newly-formed MarvelousAQL. According to Andriasang, it's an action-RPG with multiplayer support. It's officially described as a "pirate action adventure" game coming in 2012. An official website has already launched, complete with an English version. A message from Inafune himself can be found there in which he speaks vaguely about the game, stating, "The story is set in the adventurous great ocean where heroes fight for their ambition, justice, and their lives." He talks about how heroes need strength, not righteousness, and how he wants the game to visualize "human appeal." He concludes by promising, "I will not disappoint you."

L.A. Noire Developer Team Bondi Shutting Down Posted: 05 Oct 2011 12:57 PM PDT Things weren't looking good over the summer for Team Bondi. The Sydney, Australia-based developer released L.A. Noire in May, which proved to be both a critical and commercial success and should have led to a great deal of prosperity for its creator. The IP, however, is owned by publisher Rockstar, and following its release the developer has been surrounded by talks of poor working conditions, former employees being left out of Noire's credits, and a poor relationship with Rockstar. Paperwork has now been filed indicating that the studio will soon close. There were reports in August that Team Bondi wouldn't be around for much longer and that studio head Brendan McNamara was in talks to move staff over to George Miller's Australian production studio, Kennedy Miller Mitchell. Team Bondi's IP and assets were being sold off at the time, and then in September the company went into administration. According to Develop, a liquidator has been assigned to take care of any remaining business (selling assets and paying off debts) and "many" staff are indeed headed to KMM. It's quite the fall from grace for Team Bondi, not to mention a rapid one. L.A. Noire was the only game it ever produced. It was in development for much of the past decade and its success quickly led to Rockstar expressing its interest in turning it into a franchise. But future installments would not be handled by Bondi; Rockstar had no interest in working with it again according to an anonymous source who revealed much of what happened at the developer.

New App Lets Windows Phones Act as an Xbox 360 Remote Posted: 05 Oct 2011 11:28 AM PDT In addition to Microsoft's other big announcement today -- it's bringing a great deal of new on-demand video content from a variety of providers to Xbox 360, in addition to a selection of live TV -- it also teased the ability to control your 360 with a Windows Phone. This can be seen briefly right at the 1-minute mark of the video below, and we now have some additional details on that functionality. This is possible with the new Xbox Companion app for Windows Phone devices. It's not available yet and is currently without an official release date ("coming soon" is the best date we've got to go on). A Microsoft blog post explains some of what's possible with the app. You can browse Xbox Live Marketplace content (games, movies, TV shows, and music) and get additional information about any of it. A specific example of this is seeing the cast for a movie and then being able to select an actor or actress to view other movies he or she has been in.

Japan Review Check: Ace Combat, Dead Rising Posted: 05 Oct 2011 11:23 AM PDT A quick look at the highlights among the games coming out in Japan this coming week, courtesy the review pages of Famitsu magazine: - Ace Combat: Assault Horizon (10/9/9/9, 37 points): The top-scoring game of the week had to beat out some pretty hot competition to earn its Platinum award, but apparently it deserves it, because Famitsu found hardly anything to fault with the title. "The story's dramatic and full of suspense," one reviewer began. "The gameplay possibilities are vast, letting you get on everything from helicopters and bombers. The game's really become a massive action epic, letting jet fans and regular gamers both enjoy it on an even kill. I'm not completely complaint-free, but I am completely addicted!"

Yakuza Of the End Confirmed for Western Release as Dead Souls Posted: 05 Oct 2011 11:00 AM PDT A European trademark filing for Yakuza: Dead Souls seemed like a probable name for a western release of Yakuza Of The End. Sure enough, that's exactly the case. Sega today confirmed the newly-renamed Yakuza: Dead Souls is coming to the west next year. Dead Souls is a great deal different from previous Yakuza games. As you could probably guess based on the name, it features zombies overtaking the fictional city of Kamurocho in Japan. It was very well received when it was released in Japan earlier this year, receiving a 37/40 score from Famitsu.

Game Arts Co-Founder Takeshi Miyaji's Last Interview Posted: 05 Oct 2011 10:32 AM PDT Takeshi Miyaji, who co-founded Tokyo-based developer Game Arts with his brother Yoichi in 1985, was a major force in the Japanese game industry's formative years. Starting off with fast-paced shooters like Thexder and Silpheed before moving on to influential console RPGs like Lunar and Grandia, Miyaji was one among several pioneers -- including Yiji Horii, Hironobu Sakaguchi and the folks at Nihon Falcom -- who defined Japanese RPGs as a successful genre. Miyaji passed away July 29 at the age of 45 due to complications after surgery for a brain tumor. Famitsu had the opportunity to interview him back in May, however, just before his condition took a turn for the worse, and they published the text in this week's issue to kick off a new column devoted to '80s game developers.

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