MMO Updates |
- Perpetuum devs hand out PvP awards, tournament viewable in video archives
- XL releases new ArcheAge combat trailer
- Get into a RIFT Instant Adventure faster than watching this promo video
- Rosh Online launches, gifts players with lots of presents
- A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Spotlight on the Vahzilok
- The Daily Grind: Do MMOs coddle us too much in the early game?
- EverQuest II delays expansion launch overnight [Updated]
- War of the Immortals shows off the Champion
- Newest Ask Cryptic for Champions Online covers the flames of fashion
- The Game Archaeologist and the Classic MMOs in November
- City of Heroes rolls out the Media Blitz
- Dawntide closing beta server for massive world revamp
- LotRO dev diary details the Instance Finder
- SOE releases EQII Age of Discovery expansion, Freeport revamp, F2P model
- Newzoo releases 2011 MMO Games Market Report
- The Soapbox: It's a game, but not just that
- The Secret World unveils the Scorched Desert
- Hyperspace Beacon: End of beta impressions
- Conquer Online now available on iPad
- Dawn of Fantasy tosses Dwarves and discounts at players
- First Impressions: A second look at APB on launch day
- SWTOR lead designer explains item mod changes
- Aeria shows off Lime Odyssey alpha screens
| Perpetuum devs hand out PvP awards, tournament viewable in video archives Posted: 07 Dec 2011 09:30 AM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, Events, in-game, Game mechanics, MMO industry, PvP, News items, Perpetuum, Sandbox  Well, the results are in, and Perpetuum's first official PvP tournament (and a PvE scavenger hunt) went swimmingly according to the latest dev blog. Avatar even handed out a few tongue-in-cheek rewards including the Dale Earnhardt, Jr. prize (for the most laps around the combat arena) and the Baby's First PvP award which was given to the best newb group brave enough to enter the event. If you missed the event, or if you're just interested in a free look at Perpetuum, you can watch the archived video stream at the game's official website.
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| XL releases new ArcheAge combat trailer Posted: 07 Dec 2011 09:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, ArcheAge, Sandbox  ArcheAge is a sandpark title being developed in Korea by XLGAMES and Lineage creator Jake Song. Thus far there are no public plans for a western beta or release. Continue reading XL releases new ArcheAge combat trailer
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| Get into a RIFT Instant Adventure faster than watching this promo video Posted: 07 Dec 2011 08:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Game mechanics, Previews, RIFT  What's all this about? Why, it's the upcoming Instant Adventure feature for RIFT, where players can jump right into massive group content without having to sit in a queue or worrying about group composition. This "nonstop excitement" is hyped via a new video diary in which the feature is quickly demonstrated while the devs hit all the talking points in less than a minute. Instant Adventures are designed to deliver quick group quests without having to pull together specific roles or wait for world events to occur. By clicking on the Instant Adventure button, players are brought to either Stillmoor or Shimmersand and a special encounter is launched that scales up and down with your group's size. Give it a look and see if this is as good as the devs' word -- the adventures start (instantly) after the jump. Continue reading Get into a RIFT Instant Adventure faster than watching this promo video
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| Rosh Online launches, gifts players with lots of presents Posted: 07 Dec 2011 07:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, Launches, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Free-to-play  Ignited is also running a couple of special launch events. First up is the Nobody is a Rookie promotion, which includes a gift box full of items to ease the newbie transition. That's not all, as players will also receive another gift box containing level 19 gear. There's also the Blue Box Red Box promotion, and it entails holiday gift boxes filled with rare items. Rosh Online: The Return of Karos is a fantasy title set in the world of Asmara, which features a traditional XP-based leveling system, a PvP morality system, and large-scale guild and castle sieges. [Source: Ignited press release]
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| A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Spotlight on the Vahzilok Posted: 07 Dec 2011 06:00 AM PST Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, City of Villains, Lore, Opinion, Free-to-play, A Mild-Mannered Reporter  And then you have the organizations that started out with good intentions. Often times these groups still have good intentions, in fact -- it's just that they don't have good ways of executing them. So it goes with Dr. Vahzilok and his loose coalition of involuntary surgeons. Oh, sure, they're modern boogeymen on the streets of Paragon City, but their goals are noble -- a fact that's easy to forget when you're faced with zombie bombs. Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Spotlight on the Vahzilok
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| The Daily Grind: Do MMOs coddle us too much in the early game? Posted: 07 Dec 2011 05:00 AM PST Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous  The devs said that these changes were a result of player feedback, of which I have no doubt -- if you're going to ask players if they want everything as soon as they start a game, they're going to say "yes" whether it's a good idea or not. In practice, it felt like the game was coddling our new characters so much that we weren't put in much danger or had to struggle hard to gain these shiny toys. What say you? In your MMO of choice, does the game coddle newbies so much that it picks them up every time they stub their toes, is it a perfect balance of challenge and ease, or is it even too difficult? Is coddling a good thing to retain new players or is it bad for the game over the long haul?  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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| EverQuest II delays expansion launch overnight [Updated] Posted: 06 Dec 2011 08:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest II, Expansions, Free-to-play  Then, late tonight, EQII's Brasse posted the following on Facebook, informing the community that the expansion and F2P launch would have to wait until December 7th at the earliest: Ladies and Gentlemen, Friends and Trolls...[Update] A little later, she posted this: A final update this evening... Smed would like us to share that with the Platform Team working all night to complete the maintenance, we expect to be up at 10:00am PST.[Update 2] SOE's CTO posted another bit of info on the downtime. Stay tuned to this post for more information as it develops!
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| War of the Immortals shows off the Champion Posted: 06 Dec 2011 06:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Classes, Previews, News items, Free-to-play  As one might expect from the visuals, the Champion is clearly well-oriented to a defensive role, but the trailer also shows off the fact that the class is hardly a slouch in the offensive department, wielding a sword that would be a two-hander in most other games and a shield large enough to be used as a makeshift raft. The trailer just past the cut should make it clear that the class tanks with the same style as every other class in War of the Immortals. [Source: Perfect World Entertainment press release] Continue reading War of the Immortals shows off the Champion
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| Newest Ask Cryptic for Champions Online covers the flames of fashion Posted: 06 Dec 2011 05:00 PM PST Filed under: Super-hero, Previews, News items, Free-to-play, Champions Online  Equally interesting to players will be the promise that the staff is hard at work trying to give players more options for power emanation points, such as staves or wands for magical characters. While some of the answers given will be seen as a bit disappointing, such as the fact that tattoos and scars will not be usable outside of the chest pieces already featuring them, overall the answers promise all sorts of ways for players to look as good as possible while fighting crime.
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| The Game Archaeologist and the Classic MMOs in November Posted: 06 Dec 2011 04:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-fi, A Tale in the Desert, Anarchy Online, Star Wars Galaxies, RuneScape, Free-to-play, The Game Archaeologist, Sandbox  In a way, I think these older MMOs get a free pass to escape the craziness of having to compete with more modern titles, and as such, they're more confident in their position and freer to pursue whatever is best for the game. You know, instead of trying to ape World of Warcraft (which probably aped them first in the great circle of apes). So what's been going on with our favorite classic MMOs last month? Let's cast our UltraVision[TM] back on the events of November to see what's been up with four games and their communities. Continue reading The Game Archaeologist and the Classic MMOs in November
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| City of Heroes rolls out the Media Blitz Posted: 06 Dec 2011 03:30 PM PST Filed under: Super-hero, Video, City of Heroes, City of Villains, Patches, Endgame, News items, Free-to-play  Today also sees the rollout of the fourth installment in the Signature Story Arc, which brings players still closer to knowing who is going to die among the Surviving Eight. Players can also toy around with the new Titan Weapons powerset, which gives everyone a chance at wielding a huge two-handed weapon with aplomb -- and if that doesn't sound like a fun ride, you may feel differently after checking out the preview video just past the break. Continue reading City of Heroes rolls out the Media Blitz
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| Dawntide closing beta server for massive world revamp Posted: 06 Dec 2011 03:00 PM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Dawntide, Sandbox, Crafting  The fantasy sandbox has had a rough go of it in 2011, first with funding issues and then with all of the trials and gameplay tribulations that come with bringing an indie MMO project to fruition. Due to the large-scale world re-design, the title will be going dark for a couple of months beginning on December 19th. The game's open beta server will be wiped, and the devs at Working as Intended will be constructing and populating "a new, more interesting, detailed and visually appealing world." Prior to the wipe, players will enjoy skill gains at five times the normal rate as well as no-holds barred PvP in every corner of the game world save for the starting towns. WAI is also allowing players to keep their equipment upon death until wipe day, but the official website notes that these changes are only temporary and will not be returning when the server reopens in January or February.
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| LotRO dev diary details the Instance Finder Posted: 06 Dec 2011 02:30 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, News items, Free-to-play, Dev Diaries  In today's Lord of the Rings Online developer diary, game systems engineer Leo "Ransroth" Zelevinsky takes some time to provide players with information on the Instance Finder coming with Update 5. In a nutshell, it works like this: The tool exists in order to allow players to easily find instance parties and to reward them for participating in random content. Joining and completing an instance or skirmish using the Instance Finder, which can be done with or without an existing fellowship, will grant players instance currency, which can then be redeemed for spiffy loot. For the full details on how the Instance Finder works, head on over to the official dev blog.
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| SOE releases EQII Age of Discovery expansion, Freeport revamp, F2P model Posted: 06 Dec 2011 02:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest II, Business models, Classes, Expansions, Game mechanics, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play, Dungeons, Crafting  Yes, free-to-play is here (again, and across the board this time). That's just the tip of the iceberg, though. Today also marks the introduction of the much-ballyhooed Freeport revamp along with the rest of Game Update 62, and oh yeah, did we forget to mention the Age of Discovery expansion? If so, the short version of AoD includes the dungeon-maker tool, mercenaries, the Beastlord class, and a ton of customization and collectible updates sure to make your stay in Norrath even more enjoyable. We could tell you about 20 additional alternate advancement points, a new launchpad and website, new social networking integration, and more, but then you'd have no reason to check out the official forums for yourself.
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| Newzoo releases 2011 MMO Games Market Report Posted: 06 Dec 2011 01:30 PM PST Filed under: MMO industry, News items, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Miscellaneous  Newzoo, a research and consultation firm for the gaming industry, has released its 2011 MMO Games Market Report, and it includes some interesting -- albeit not terribly surprising -- statistics on the state of the MMO genre. The study found that only about 36% of 39 million players in "European and emerging markets" played games with a "sci-fi or space theme." This is especially relevant considering the next big player in the MMO market -- Star Wars: The Old Republic, for any rock-dwellers -- falls into this category. How will his prediction play out? We'll be finding out soon enough.Peter Warman, Newzoo's CEO, remarked on the matter: You will not catch me making any predictions about Star Wars: The Old Republic. But I am very curious to see how much F2P SciFi gamers EA will be able to convert to P2P gamers and what part will come from outside the current pool of SciFi gamers, being complete newcomers as well as the subscribers to EVE Online, WoW, RIFT or any other triple A P2P MMO game. With big F2P SciFi titles also scheduled to launch pretty soon I expect to see significant differences in uptake of the various SciFi titles in US, Europe and Emerging markets.
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| The Soapbox: It's a game, but not just that Posted: 06 Dec 2011 01:00 PM PST Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Soapbox, Miscellaneous  There are things about the MMO community that bother me. If you consider the number of Soapbox columns I've written over the last year or so, this will probably shock absolutely no one. But there's one thing that draws more ire from me than any other, one statement alone that implies an attitude that really gets my goat. It comes from MMO players, from non-players, from all sorts of different sources, and it bothers me every single time. "It's just a game." The statement that, say, Guild Wars is a game doesn't bother me at all, just like it doesn't bother me when someone says that Australia is a continent. But that addition, the sentiment that it's just a game bothers me immensely. It's insulting to a lot of people, and it's something that I try to avoid ever mentioning in my own writing because MMOs aren't just games, even though they are games, and the idea of "just a game" alone is missing the point something fierce. Continue reading The Soapbox: It's a game, but not just that
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| The Secret World unveils the Scorched Desert Posted: 06 Dec 2011 12:30 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Horror, Trailers, Video, News items, The Secret World  The Secret World is expanding its territory today with a new video revealing the Scorched Desert. The new zone is set in -- where else -- the sands of Egypt, where a dark corruption is taking over the land. Biblical plagues have returned to Egypt as an ancient cult awakens the dead. Of course, it will be up to players to fight back the forces of darkness and keep the paranormal activity at bay. For the full video, just click on past the cut. Continue reading The Secret World unveils the Scorched Desert
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| Hyperspace Beacon: End of beta impressions Posted: 06 Dec 2011 12:00 PM PST Filed under: Betas, Sci-fi, New titles, Opinion, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Hyperspace Beacon  I count myself among the lucky people who were able to play in the beta for an extended period of time. I played through the origin world of all but two classes, and three times I leveled my characters past level 20. (I usually stopped about level 28 so that I would not ruin the ending of the story.) I wanted to get a good feel for all the class stories, so most of my characters got to about about level 15. Once I found out that the beta would end well before early access began, I decided to take in all the classes I could so that I could give you a well-rounded opinion. Follow me beyond the break as I navigate the asteroid field of SWTOR. Continue reading Hyperspace Beacon: End of beta impressions
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| Conquer Online now available on iPad Posted: 06 Dec 2011 11:30 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Game mechanics, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play, Mobile, Casual  What we do know is that Conquer Online is now available in the iTunes Store, and NetDragon says that the game is "the first ever completely free MMORPG arriving on the iPad; [there's] no charge to download and no monthly subscription fee." The game is set in ancient China and features six martial arts-based classes, player housing, and plenty of questing and monster-killing. There's even a player marriage mechanic if you tire of more traditional MMO gameplay. We've got a launch trailer for you behind the break, and you'll find more info at the iTunes Store and the game's official website. Continue reading Conquer Online now available on iPad
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| Dawn of Fantasy tosses Dwarves and discounts at players Posted: 06 Dec 2011 11:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Launches, MMORTS, Promotions  This interesting MMORTS allows players to create entire armies, build up castles, and attempt to conquer the world -- and it's currently available for the masses. To promote the title, Reverie World Studios is offering the title at 33% off the normal price of $30, bringing it down to $20. Dawn of Fantasy has no subscription cost, so once you have a copy you can play indefinitely. Reverie also extended its Dwarven Invasion promotion, in which players will receive free Dwarf mercenaries and a special quest for no additional charge. These promotions are only available for the next week, so if you're interested, you might want to get a move on. We've included the launch trailer for the game after the jump if you're looking to get a feel for what's going on in this game world. Continue reading Dawn of Fantasy tosses Dwarves and discounts at players
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| First Impressions: A second look at APB on launch day Posted: 06 Dec 2011 10:30 AM PST Filed under: Screenshots, Launches, Free-to-play, Hands-on, All Points Bulletin, Crime, Massively Hands-on, First Impressions  But six weeks later, Realtime Worlds entered administration, which essentially means that the company was having financial troubles but was allowed to continue running while looking for a new owner. That new owner didn't materialize quickly enough, forcing the company to announce the game's closure during what may be the shortest MMO lifespan of all time. But who should come to save the day on November 11, 2010? None other than K2 Network, parent company of free-to-play publisher GamersFirst, which swooped in to rescue the game under the new title APB: Reloaded. Today marks the official re-launch of the crime MMO on Steam, and I've been spending entirely too much time with the game, rediscovering why I both loved and hated the original version. Follow along after the cut for our second look at a First Impressions of APB. Continue reading First Impressions: A second look at APB on launch day
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| SWTOR lead designer explains item mod changes Posted: 06 Dec 2011 10:00 AM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Crafting  Lusinchi's wall o' text is more than we can fully relate here, since it pretty much sums up the entire history of SWTOR's item mod mechanics. Lusinchi pays a little lip service to the original iteration of the system, but he also calls it "less than stellar" despite fond remembrances of it among members of the testing community. The ultimate goal of all the changes, Lusinchi says, is a polished system that preserves the concept of customization from earlier versions without sacrificing game balance. "To put it simply, we want moddable items to offer an alternate and optional loot system that allows players to customize their look and their stats with more freedom and without penalty for doing so," he explains.
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| Aeria shows off Lime Odyssey alpha screens Posted: 06 Dec 2011 09:30 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Galleries, Screenshots, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Free-to-play  Aeria says that the game, currently being developed in Korea, boasts an array of desirable features "including a dual class system, pets, mounts, farming, extensive crafting, inspired 3D visuals, and an imaginative, colorfully-rendered continent filled with whimsical beasts." While there's currently no firm release date, Aeria expects to release Lime Odyssey to English-speaking markets in early 2012. [Source: Aeria press release]
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