| DUST 514 dev blog shows off guns, lots of guns Posted: 08 Dec 2011 10:00 AM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, MMOFPS, DUST 514, Sandbox First-person shooters are nothing without guns -- lots of 'em -- and CCP's upcoming DUST 514 is no exception. Today the company has released a new PlayStation blog update that zeroes in on a handful of infantry weapons in the far-future sci-fi opus. Said weapons are broken down into light, heavy, and sidearm classes, with one example of each detailed. Light weapons are the most common, and they fulfill multiple roles for short- and medium-range applications. They also come in four variants, each of which allows gamers to select a playstyle that features a number of trade-offs (lower fire rates for increased accuracy, etc.). Heavy weapons are more specialized, and are only available to players skilled enough to use heavy dropsuits. Sidearms are generally used as backup weapons, but they're still deadly in the right hands. Finally, today's entry continues the DUST tradition of showing off factional equipment variants, so head to the PlayStation blog to get a glimpse of some Amarr, Gallente, and Caldari weaponry.  DUST 514 dev blog shows off guns, lots of guns originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 08 Dec 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Trickster Online updates with new Chaos Tower content Posted: 08 Dec 2011 09:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Patches, News items, Free-to-play, Dungeons Did you know that Trickster Online has a story, and that story concerns Don Cavalier, "founder and former leader of [...] the world's biggest and best game company?" Yeah, we didn't either (and no, we're not kidding). Be that as it may, the real reason for this post is to inform you that Trickster has updated with some new content called The Chaos Tower. The patch includes the titular tower, which brings "hours of never before seen playable content" to SG Interactive's free-to-play title. The tower boasts 72 floors of enemies, and the rewards for running the gauntlet are plentiful. The update also introduces a new weapon forging system which allows players to combine Chaos Tower loot items with their existing gear in order to make even more powerful weapons of mass destruction. Head to the official Trickster site to learn more and to download the game. [Source: SG Interactive press release] Trickster Online updates with new Chaos Tower content originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 08 Dec 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Lord of the Rings Online's Update 5 invading Dunland next week Posted: 08 Dec 2011 08:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Patches, Free-to-play Turbine's asking you out on a very special date next week -- December 12th, in fact. That's when the studio will show up to your door dressed in a sharp-looking tux, bearing flowers, and eager for you to head out on a magical tour around Middle-earth on a carriage ride. It's December 12th that Lord of the Rings Online will be releasing its first major post- Rise of Isengard patch, Update 5. The update comes loaded with endgame activities, including a huge instance cluster, an instance finder, and a new book in the epic storyline: Volume III Book 5. You can read more about Update 5 with our Turbine interview, head over to A Casual Stroll to Mordor to listen to what questions fans have about the patch, or check out the gallery below for five new screenshots of one of the instances, The Foundry. [Source: Turbine press release] Lord of the Rings Online's Update 5 invading Dunland next week originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 08 Dec 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| World of Tanks tops its own Guinness World Record Posted: 08 Dec 2011 07:00 AM PST |
| Goblinworks CEO: 'There's a whole new way to make MMOs affordably' Posted: 08 Dec 2011 06:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Business models, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Miscellaneous, Dungeons, Crafting Pull up a chair, sandpark fans, and while you're at it you might want to grab a large cup of your favorite caffeinated beverage. Goblinworks has published the first in a series of dev blogs designed to give starving sandbox fans a peek into the world of Pathfinder Online, and it's quite a lengthy read. Goblinworks CEO Ryan Dancey introduces key members of the Pathfinder team (including industry veterans who have worked on titles including City of Heroes and World of Darkness) before moving on to a high-level view of Pathfinder's business plan. Three main strategies emerge from the wall o' text, and Dancey cites the use of field-tested middleware, sandbox design elements, and most interestingly, a hard cap on the number of new players allowed into the game each month as the factors that will make Pathfinder stand apart from the gaggle of themepark clones currently blotting out the sun. "Making a game that starts with 4,500 players and grows to 16,500 players [after seven months] is much, much easier and vastly less expensive than making a game designed to accommodate a million players on day one," Dancey explains. He goes on to say that Pathfinder aims to emulate EVE Online's model of starting small and gradually building a larger playerbase over time while avoiding "a huge themepark mortgage" in terms of development and infrastructure costs. Goblinworks CEO: 'There's a whole new way to make MMOs affordably' originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 08 Dec 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Daily Grind: What game do you wish you had time for? Posted: 08 Dec 2011 05:00 AM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, Fallen Earth, Culture, MMO industry, Opinion, Free-to-play, The Daily Grind, Post-Apocalyptic, Miscellaneous There's no shortage of MMOs, and whether your tastes include big budget titles like The Secret World or EverQuest II or small-scale niche products like Glitch or Darkfall, these are the salad days in terms of choice. While you probably won't find many folks complaining about the genre explosion we've witnessed over the past few years, it is becoming harder to see it all, even though the free-to-play movement has removed many of the financial obstacles inherent in the game-hopping lifestyle. There's always one game (or two, or seven) that you never seem to have time for, despite the fact that it looks really cool and dammit you're going to make time for that starting... sometime. For me, that game is Fallen Earth, and I'm bummed out by the fact that I'm still saying that two years after its launch. What about you, Massively folk? Is there a game (or games) that you keep meaning to play?  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: What game do you wish you had time for? originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 08 Dec 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Gamebreaker's 12 Days of Smack Talkin' brings holiday cheer, WoW-vs.-SWTOR arguments Posted: 07 Dec 2011 06:00 PM PST Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Sci-fi, Video, Humor, Star Wars: The Old Republic Everybody knows that nothing says "Happy Holidays" like throwing some more fuel on the WoW-vs.- SWTOR fire. Gamebreaker.TV fully realizes this and has decided to contribute its own rendition of The Twelve Days of Christmas in the form of a World of Warcraft Rogue trading verbal blows with a Star Wars: The Old Republic Sith Assassin over whose game is better. It's a rather amusing way of mixing MMOs and holiday spirit, but let's not let it devolve into a real flame war, hm? Click on past the cut for the full video. Continue reading Gamebreaker's 12 Days of Smack Talkin' brings holiday cheer, WoW-vs.-SWTOR arguments Gamebreaker's 12 Days of Smack Talkin' brings holiday cheer, WoW-vs.-SWTOR arguments originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 07 Dec 2011 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Dragon Nest celebrates the holidays with Scarlet Snow Posted: 07 Dec 2011 05:30 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Events, in-game, Patches, News items, Free-to-play, Dragon Nest The weather is cooling down, and it's the season for fresh, white, beautiful snow. Dragon Nest, however, wants to turn that snow red with its upcoming update, Scarlet Snow. The new patch, coming sometime in December, will raise the game's level cap to 40. And of course, a raised level cap means new challenges for players to conquer. Saint's Haven will play host to two new nests and dungeons, and there will be plenty of seasonal events for players to see. For more information, check out the post on the game's official website. Dragon Nest celebrates the holidays with Scarlet Snow originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 07 Dec 2011 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Aeria Games bringing Need for Speed World to a global audience Posted: 07 Dec 2011 05:00 PM PST Filed under: Real life, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play, Need for Speed World, Miscellaneous Do you feel a need to get behind the wheel of a car and race through the city streets? Would you prefer to do so without being arrested or the risk of crashing into a building at 100 MPH? Need for Speed World fulfills that requirement, and as of today, Aeria Games is bringing the game to a worldwide audience. It's the second game that the publisher has handled from Electronic Arts following the work done on Battlefield Heroes earlier this year. Like many other releases from Aeria Games, Need for Speed World's global release comes with several different localizations. The client is available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and Polish, letting players of several different nationalities face off against one another on the mean streets of several fictional cities. And of course, the core racing mechanics of the game have remained intact so that players can enjoy the whole free-to-play racing game in whatever tongue is most comfortable. Aeria Games bringing Need for Speed World to a global audience originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 07 Dec 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Outspark announces Fiesta Online expansion, Expedition to Adealia Posted: 07 Dec 2011 04:30 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Expansions, News items, Free-to-play Outspark has announced a new expansion for its flagship free-to-play MMO, Fiesta Online. For the uninitiated, Fiesta Online is a fantasy MMORPG that puts players in the shoes of one of seven classes (such as Archer, Cleric, or Trickster) and sends them on a quest to -- what else -- save the world. More or less, anyway. The expansion, known as Expedition to Adealia, will bring players to the eponymous continent of Adealia. There, they will be tasked with battling "the evil that consumes the land." The expansion will also increase the level cap, allowing players to progress their characters' power even further. To find out more about the upcoming expansion, or to join the game yourself, head on over to Fiesta Online's official site. [Source: Outspark press release] Outspark announces Fiesta Online expansion, Expedition to Adealia originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 07 Dec 2011 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| New Star Trek Online developer diary explores the abandoned Jem'Hadar ships Posted: 07 Dec 2011 04:00 PM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, Lore, News items, Star Trek Online, Free-to-play The Dominion is, in many ways, the opposite of the Federation in Star Trek Online. Rather than being composed of several races cooperating freely for shared exploration, the Dominion features multiple races honed into single-purpose tools by the Founders. One of those tools is the Jem'Hadar, the warriors of the organization and the pilots behind the fast scarab-like attack vessels players are no doubt familiar with. And as the latest developer diary outlines, the Jem'Hadar ships are turning into a mystery -- because they're turning up empty and unharmed in the middle of Federation and Klingon space. In game terms, the ship is small and quick and mounts a heavy offensive arrangement of officers and equipment. In lore terms, however, the presence of the ships could easily be the subject of an entire set of missions (and may be in the future, in the Foundry if not from the development team). It's an interesting fictional read as well as an interesting look at a new ship type in the game, both of which should appeal to fans of Star Trek OnlineNew Star Trek Online developer diary explores the abandoned Jem'Hadar ships originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 07 Dec 2011 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| New EVE Online Chronicle provides a meeting of the minds over ships Posted: 07 Dec 2011 03:30 PM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Lore, News items, Sandbox If you're only a casual follower of EVE Online news, you could be forgiven for thinking that the game's setting is sparse at best, since most of the news about the game doesn't really touch upon it. But there is a sprawling weight of lore behind the game, with no shortage of reasons for the massive inter-player conflicts that define the game's environment. The newest installment of the EVE Chronicles is a look behind the scenes at the way the game's universe operates, with or without players. On the face of it, the piece is simply a bit of fiction about two individuals meeting to discuss a business deal. But it also shows off the labyrinthine politics, rules, and subterfuge involved in the game. Even if you're not familiar with the setting, the tale stands on its own as a piece of science fiction -- and if you are familiar, you may well find something of interest in the simple exchange of words over battleships. New EVE Online Chronicle provides a meeting of the minds over ships originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 07 Dec 2011 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Portalarium announces Ultimate Collector: Garage Sale as first title Posted: 07 Dec 2011 03:00 PM PST Filed under: MMO industry, New titles, News items, Miscellaneous Richard Garriott's recent startup, Portalarium, had many people wondering what would be the first thing to come out of this mad scientist's new studio. Well, wonder no more. Now we know that Portalarium's first title will be a Facebook game known as Ultimate Collector: Garage Sale, which focuses on -- you guessed it -- collecting things that you buy at garage sales. We couldn't make this up if we tried. Players can create an avatar and customize their houses, and then go shopping at estate sales, garage sales, pawn shops, and so forth in order to complete collections of items. These item collections can then be displayed in your house as a trophy of sorts, or you can sell them to make a quick buck. We'll just have to wait and see how this bizarre project shapes up in the coming months. Portalarium announces Ultimate Collector: Garage Sale as first title originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 07 Dec 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Star Wars: The Old Republic opens up pre-loading for early players [Updated] Posted: 07 Dec 2011 02:45 PM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, Launches, Patches, News items, Star Wars: The Old Republic It's almost the time that many players have been waiting for -- the opening of the gates for Star Wars: The Old Republic. According to the most recent news posts, mail will be sent out starting on December 13th to notify players of when their early access period will begin. But why wait that long when you can download the client now, making sure that you're patched up and ready to go when your early access goes live? The pre-order page for player accounts now includes a link to download and install the client, assuming that you've entered the code you received when you ordered. Curiously, this latest announcement says that players can receive up to seven days of early access, although that may well be a typo. If you'd missed previous announcements, players who took part in a beta weekend prior to November 24th will need to reinstall the game, so go ahead and download the updated client and get ready for the early launch in a few days. [Update: Darth Hater has collected several forum and Twitter posts that confirm the December 13th date is not a typo and is "different from previously advertised." Early-early-access, here we come!]Star Wars: The Old Republic opens up pre-loading for early players [Updated] originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 07 Dec 2011 17:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Final Fantasy XIV previews in-game achievement system Posted: 07 Dec 2011 02:30 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, Patches, Previews, News items, Consoles, Final Fantasy XIV Final Fantasy XIV has had a method for tracking achievements since launch via the Lodestone site, but they were treated largely as milestones for characters and provided no tangible rewards. The upcoming patch 1.20, however, is bringing the system into the game proper, complete with a full set of benefits for players. And the system comes with more than a few rewards for players to pick up along the way, as you might expect. Each achievement category starts out locked, but once players speak with a specified NPC, the category will be unlocked for viewing. Both titles and special items can be unlocked, and the system will also reward achievement points to help give you an idea how much you've accomplished through the game. Bringing the system off the site and into the game might produce a few hiccups, but it looks as if the implementation will give Final Fantasy XIV players some interesting goals to chase. Final Fantasy XIV previews in-game achievement system originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 07 Dec 2011 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| World of Warcraft's holiday sale includes $10 sparkleponies Posted: 07 Dec 2011 02:00 PM PST Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Events, real-world, News items The holidays are here, and you know what that means: holiday sales! Blizzard is joining the fun with a number of (rather good) deals. The World of Warcraft Battle Chest, which includes vanilla WoW and The Burning Crusade, is on sale for a measly $5 US. Wrath of the Lich King is on sale for $10, and Cataclysm's price has been reduced to $20. And as if that's not enough, Blizzard is also providing discounts for two of its cash shop items. Players can get their hands on a sparklepony for $10 or a Pandaren Monk non-combat pet for $5. The sale lasts until December 19th, so act now. For the full details, check out the news on WoW's official site. World of Warcraft's holiday sale includes $10 sparkleponies originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 07 Dec 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Enter at Your Own Rift: The casual revolution in RIFT Posted: 07 Dec 2011 01:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, MMO industry, Opinion, RIFT, Enter at Your Own Rift The Fae Yule world event has arrived in Telara, and there's one part of the event in particular that really captures the holiday feeling. It's not the daily quests but the festive "shinies" that players can harvest around town, like mistletoe and the holiday candle. At first I enjoyed the fun of clicking and getting nice little rewards, but by the third shiny, I was cursing other players who were racing me to the spot and grabbing the goods before I could! Talk about a Black Friday flashback! Twenty minutes later I was in the middle of the most intense, knock-down brawl for shinies that could rival a top-tier PvP Warfront. You wouldn't think that harvesting little festive oddities could be turned into a hardcore game, but that is exactly what I and a few other players ended up doing. And that got me thinking about Jesper Juul's book A Casual Revolution. In it, he looks at how video games have gone back to their roots and reinvented themselves, leading, for example, to the rise of the Wii. His book focused more on console gaming and didn't address MMOs that much, but in this week's Enter at Your Own Rift, I'd like to look at how his ideas apply to RIFT, particularly with recent changes to the game. Continue reading Enter at Your Own Rift: The casual revolution in RIFT Enter at Your Own Rift: The casual revolution in RIFT originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 07 Dec 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Free for All: Checking out Rosh Online Posted: 07 Dec 2011 12:00 PM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Screenshots, New titles, Previews, PvP, Opinion, Free-to-play, Hands-on, Free for All Recently I was asked to take a press tour for Rosh Online, a new "massive war" MMO from Ignited Games. Press tours can be a lot of fun. You get to chat with the developers and ask direct questions about specific things that are happening right then in front of you, and you get to hear detailed explanations about systems that might normally take a while to figure out while you explore deeper parts of the world. The problem with jumping right into a game that you have never played before is that you can't really get an exact sense of what it is like to be a real, brand-new player. It's important to know how that feels so that it can be passed on to potential newbies. Either way, I enjoyed my time with Rosh Online, but I did have quite a few issues with it. I'm sure a lot will change over time, especially since this game is brand-new, but in the meanwhile I'll tell you all about it. Click past the cut! Continue reading Free for All: Checking out Rosh Online Free for All: Checking out Rosh Online originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 07 Dec 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Choose My Adventure: Lineage II by a landslide Posted: 07 Dec 2011 11:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Polls, Lineage 2, Classes, Opinion, Free-to-play, Races, Choose My Adventure, Miscellaneous It was no contest from the get-go. Lineage II took an early lead in last week's poll and firmly held on to it. Color me shocked. I really thought that a few of the entries would be closely tied. Some contestants recently added some juicy content releases, but Lineage II crushed them, and all the others, by getting 1,320 votes. The runner-up, Black Prophecy, only managed to secure 299 votes. All its servers going F2P and the release of Age of Discovery weren't enough to put EverQuest II in the running. The F2P population boom in DC Universe Online's and its recent Lightning Strikes update weren't enough to create competition. Nope. The allure of Lineage II's F2P mode and the launch of the Goddess of Destruction expansion were just too much for voters to pass up. Now it's your turn to start steering my course in the lands of Lineage II. Race, class, gender and my first class-transfer are all on the table. I've tried to make voting as easy and clear as possible, but given how each race, and gender determine which classes you can choose from, you should make an effort to understand how all the choices work. Here's one example: Voting Dwarf and then Mystic is wasting a vote because Dwarves can only be Fighters, and it skews the results for those who are voting for a race that can be Mystics. You'll see what I mean. Continue reading Choose My Adventure: Lineage II by a landslide Choose My Adventure: Lineage II by a landslide originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 07 Dec 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Anarchy Online gets its own convention in 2012: AO Con Posted: 07 Dec 2011 10:00 AM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, Anarchy Online, Events, real-world, Free-to-play, Massively Event Coverage Most MMO communities can only dream that their game would be as popular and supported as to get their own convention. A rare few see either studio- or fan-based efforts make this dream a reality. In 2012, Anarchy Online gamers will finally -- after 11 years -- join these revelers with their own convention: AO Con. GridStream Productions is putting on the first-ever Anarchy Online convention in Grand Rapids, Michigan on August 10th through 12th, 2012. The convention will take place at the Grand Rapids Airport Hilton, and is scheduled to have DJs, costume contests, panels, and meet-n-greets. Registration is affordable -- it's only $25 to attend the three-day convention, but you have to be 18 by August 2012 in order to go. GridStream Productions is an in-game organization that primarily focuses on putting out Anarchy Online broadcasts. Anarchy Online gets its own convention in 2012: AO Con originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 07 Dec 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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