| SOE offers triple Station Cash for one day only Posted: 17 Dec 2011 09:00 AM PST Filed under: Business models, Promotions, Miscellaneous Are you hanging onto a Sony Online Entertainment game card? Then today's the day you want to register that baby! SOE announced that for today and today only it is running one of its rare Triple Station Cash days -- but the offer ends at 3:00 a.m. EST tomorrow morning. Triple Station Cash works much like you'd imagine: Any game card redeemed or Station Cash purchased will register as three times that amount. So that 1000 Station Cash code you've got lying around is now worth 3000 points. Station Cash is SOE's multi-game currency that's used to purchase premium benefits, in-game items, and game time. This promotion is part of SOE's "12 Days of Holidays," in which the company is offering a different promotion or activity every day through Christmas Eve.  SOE offers triple Station Cash for one day only originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 17 Dec 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| WRUP: No edition Posted: 17 Dec 2011 07:00 AM PST Filed under: Massively Meta, Miscellaneous Kids, it's important to learn to just say no. Even if you don't know what's going on. Even if no one has asked you a question, much less one that could be answered with a simple "no." Even if you are completely out of your element and the offer is completely reasonable. It's an important lesson, and sometimes you have to take a stand and say "no" even if you don't know what you're taking a stand against or what you're denying. If someone tells you no, of course, scream and curse. Now that we've gotten that lesson out of the way, it's time for this week's installment of WRUP, in which the Massively staff members let everyone know what they'll be up to for the weekend. We also talk about how many MMOs we have installed on our computers and how many we've played over the last month, in case you're keeping track. See what our plans are after the break, then leave your plans in the comment section, and don't you dare refuse. Continue reading WRUP: No edition WRUP: No edition originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 17 Dec 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Daily Grind: Do you loathe third-party downloaders? Posted: 17 Dec 2011 05:00 AM PST Filed under: MMO industry, Opinion, Massively Meta, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous Every time I boot up Lord of the Rings Online or Dungeons and Dragons Online, I'm reminded that somewhere on my computer lurks Pando Media Booster. Ostensibly, Pando helps Turbine's games and MMOs like them to download, install, and update game clients, but it also optimizes bandwidth loads and tracks other information presumably of use to the game companies themselves. I've deleted it and similar bundles from my PC multiple times, but some games just don't function well without it. Players have been known to suggest the whole system of third-party installers and downloaders and launchers is nothing more than bloatware, or worse, malware and spyware. Am I alone in loathing MMO patchers that are really torrents I can't disable, launchers that lump the entirety of a company's games together, and third-party download whatever-ware that won't go away?  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: Do you loathe third-party downloaders? originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 17 Dec 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Monkey Quest goes portable Posted: 16 Dec 2011 06:00 PM PST Filed under: New titles, News items, Free-to-play, Mobile, Kids If you or your children are fond of Nickelodeon's Monkey Quest, you may have run into the unavoidable problem that the game requires you to be home. Like many other games, however, Monkey Quest is hopping on the mobile bandwagon with Monkey Quest: Thunderbow. Available now for the iPhone and iPad, the game stars a specific monkey from the world of Ook, the eponymous Thunderbow, as he seeks to dethrone the evil cat king Zotan. Gameplay is managed in a similar style as the popular Angry Birds games, with the caveat being that Angry Birds doesn't allow you to earn special items and equipment for use in the main Monkey Quest game. Regular updates are planned for the game to help keep players engaged and interested as Thunderbow continues his quest. So if you've got one of the portable devices and your child can't get enough monkey business, it's worth a look. [Source: Nickelodeon press release] Monkey Quest goes portable originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 16 Dec 2011 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Jade Dynasty: Legacy expansion goes live Posted: 16 Dec 2011 05:30 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Expansions, Patches, News items, Free-to-play, Jade Dynasty Last week we reported that Perfect World Entertainment's free-to-play title Jade Dynasty would be receiving a new update known as Jade Dynasty: Legacy. The company announced in a press release today that the update has now gone live, and players can experience all of the joys of the Legacy update on the live servers. With this new update, players can explore the mysteries of Incense Valley as one of two new classes: the pyromancy-practicing Incense Valley Mage and the melee expert Forta. Players will need to band together with their allies in order to conquer the treacherous Crimson Peaks instance, which is touted as being "one of the largest in the game." For the full details, and to get in on the action yourself, just head on over to Jade Dynasty's official site. [Source: Perfect World Entertainment press release] Jade Dynasty: Legacy expansion goes live originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 16 Dec 2011 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Betawatch: December 10 - 26, 2011 Posted: 16 Dec 2011 05:00 PM PST Filed under: Betas, MMO industry, Betawatch, Miscellaneous Guild Wars 2 is the king of Betawatch this week, as ArenaNet finally announced that its closed beta (for which you cannot sign up, unfortunately) begins today. Also this week, DarkEden left closed beta for launch, kid-friendly Little Space Heroes opened its doors officially, Runes of Magic rolled out the beta version of its browser client, Diablo III began another round of closed beta testing, and War of the Immortals carried characters over from open beta into its formal launch, forever departing our beta list. And though it's not quite list-worthy just yet, we did learn that Storybricks will be heading into beta this coming February. Eligium's closed beta is underway this weekend as well. If you still need a key, we have a few left! Enjoy the full Betawatch roundup past the break. Continue reading Betawatch: December 10 - 26, 2011 Betawatch: December 10 - 26, 2011 originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 16 Dec 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Storyboard: Different points of view Posted: 16 Dec 2011 04:30 PM PST Filed under: Culture, Lore, Opinion, Roleplaying, Storyboard, Miscellaneous There are blanks spots in the lore. This is not news to anyone who has been reading this column for a while. I've talked about dealing with the lore twice, both times pointing out that there are spaces for you to drive your character. Sometimes it's comfortable, and sometimes it's like wedging a needle into your gums and trying to kill a dental nerve at the root. But whether or not it has parallels to my recent dental surgery, there are places in the lore where you sort of have to just fill in the blanks. Unfortunately, this creates major issues when you intend to interact with another player, which is something that will be happening roughly all the time in roleplaying. So you might very well come up with an answer for something that isn't just different from everyone else's answer, but you might wind up with an answer that's outright mutually incompatible with someone else's. And while you sometimes can take comfort in the fact that the lore will eventually steamroll both of you, sometimes it's just the two of you trying to deal with a part of your fictional world that is now being disbelieved by someone else. Continue reading Storyboard: Different points of view Storyboard: Different points of view originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 16 Dec 2011 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| New video highlights the political system of TERA Posted: 16 Dec 2011 04:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Game mechanics, Previews, News items, TERA News about TERA has been somewhat sparse of late, but the game continues along the road to a release on US shores. Until then, you can get your excitement up a bit more with the latest preview video of the game showing off the nuances of the game's political system. It might not seem like the sort of engrossing gameplay that would fit with a more action-oriented MMO, but the process of players getting into office and enacting changes looks fascinating. As the video outlines, players can win their office through direct battle with other candidates or via popular vote, depending on which method suits each individual. Once in office, players will have a variety of powers -- taxes can be raised or lowered, important NPCs can be added or removed, town features can be edited, and a player can make a lasting impact on the game world for good or bad. Check out the video embedded just after the break, especially if you've already got your campaign pins ready to go. Continue reading New video highlights the political system of TERA New video highlights the political system of TERA originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 16 Dec 2011 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Lord of the Rings Online discusses this year's Yule Festival Posted: 16 Dec 2011 03:30 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Events, in-game, News items, Free-to-play Generally, holiday events aren't seen as content in major need of updating. Usually a game that runs an event one year will run more or less the same event the next year with a handful of extra toys. But the holiday events in Lord of the Rings Online are still an important part of the game experience, which is why the Yule Festival has undergone some serious revamping and changes to hopefully make this year the best Yule ever. As outlined in the new developer diary, the original incarnation had a lot of space in Winter-home that didn't tie together, leaving the area feeling empty despite the abundance of content. The changes were thus focused around making full use of the space as well as making the existing quests a bit friendlier to players to address some long-standing complaints. The overall effect should make the area feel more lively and the event more fun for everyone, whether you've done it for years or this is your first Yule in Middle-earth. Lord of the Rings Online discusses this year's Yule Festival originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 16 Dec 2011 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Win a free Guild Wars costume set from Massively! Posted: 16 Dec 2011 03:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Guild Wars, Contests, Giveaways ArenaNet kicked off the Guild Wars Wintersday celebration yesterday in a familiar way: by adding new costumes to the NCsoft store for Guild Wars fans. There are two costume sets, each available individually or -- for a limited time -- as a discounted bundle containing both sets for a total of $9.99 US. If that's a little much for your wallet during the holiday spending season, Massively's riding to the rescue. We've got 15 codes for the costume bundle packs to share with you guys! All you've got to do in order to enter is leave a comment here wishing us a Happy Tyrian Wintersday. We'll pick out our 15 favorite Wintersday wishes as soon as the entry deadline hits, and then we'll send the codes on their way. When is the deadline, you say? That would be tomorrow, December 17th, at noon EST. Check out the contest rules below for eligibility, leave those Wintersday wishes, and good luck! Win a free Guild Wars costume set from Massively! originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 16 Dec 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Star Wars: The Old Republic's Smuggler and Sith Warrior fight it out Posted: 16 Dec 2011 02:30 PM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, Video, Classes, News items, Star Wars: The Old Republic We know you're all busy, Star Wars: The Old Republic fans, but try to pry your eyes away from the shiny new game for just a minute because it's time for the final Choose Your Side video. This time, the match-up is between the wily, conniving Smuggler and the vicious, rage-driven Sith Warrior. So who will emerge the victor and who will be left eating the pavement? That's ultimately for you to decide, but if you'd like a little bit of help formulating your argument, just give the video a look and see what the game's developers have to say. All you have to do is click on past the cut. Continue reading Star Wars: The Old Republic's Smuggler and Sith Warrior fight it out Star Wars: The Old Republic's Smuggler and Sith Warrior fight it out originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 16 Dec 2011 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Aventurine shows off Darkfall 2.0 visual test video Posted: 16 Dec 2011 02:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Darkfall, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Patches, News items, Sandbox, Dungeons Well, it seems as if Darkfall hasn't fallen off the face of the earth even though Aventurine's game updates have been pretty sporadic of late. As of today there's a new video on the official site that gives us an early glimpse of Agon 2.0. It's worth mentioning that Aventurine has been slaving away on a completely retooled Darkfall client for months now, and even though today's clip clocks in at a relatively paltry 47 seconds, it's good to see some of the fruits of that labor. Hop past the cut for a look at new water effects, dynamic lighting, a human NPC city, and a new dungeon. Aventurine's Tasos Flambouras also notes that the team plans to issue a development update sometime next week. Continue reading Aventurine shows off Darkfall 2.0 visual test video Aventurine shows off Darkfall 2.0 visual test video originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 16 Dec 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Randall Bills talks about shaping the future of MechWarrior Online Posted: 16 Dec 2011 01:30 PM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, Interviews, Lore, MechWarrior Online For die-hard MechWarrior fans, it must be a relief to know that the upcoming MechWarrior Online is in good hands of people connected with the board game. One pair of hands in particular belongs to Catalyst Game Labs' Randall Bills, who is deeply involved with the MechWarrior and BattleTech franchises, and he emerged to participate in a very lengthy interview about the game and his love of multi-ton mechs. Currently, Bills says that he fills two roles on the team: continuity editor and fiction content manager. In the former, he helps to inspect what the developers are working on and give them feedback and notes from his well of expert knowledge on the subject. In the latter, he's spearheading the team responsible for writing the lore behind the online game universe. So what would Bills like to see happen in MechWarrior Online? Orbital insertions ("That's a level of action and immersion that would take MechWarrior Online to a whole new level.") and physical attacks ("It shouldn't work very well and be hard to pull off... but when you do pull it off it should be a move everyone in the game talks about for some time to come."). As for what he's most excited about in the upcoming MMO, he's just glad that he'll be able to emulate the board game in a virtual environment: "To know that I can jump in a light 'Mech and do exactly what you can pull off in the board game (and just as important, what the fiction depicts for the universe) with a true melding of multiple tactics to achieve victory... that'll be a truly spectacular geek-out moment to experience." Look for our own upcoming interview with the MechWarrior Online team coming soon. Randall Bills talks about shaping the future of MechWarrior Online originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 16 Dec 2011 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Secret World unveils new horrific creatures Posted: 16 Dec 2011 01:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Horror, Lore, Previews, News items, The Secret World  More creepy-crawlies are emerging from the shadows to join the ranks of Funcom's upcoming horror-inspired title, The Secret World. The studio revealed today three new creatures that players will face in-game: the Bogeyman, Jack O'Lantern, and the mud golem. The first of the three, the Bogeyman, should be familiar to anyone who was once a child (if any of you weren't, please let us know). He is "a being of pure evil" who feeds on fear, and considering that terrible visage up there, we doubt he ever goes hungry. Meanwhile, Jack O'Lantern, is some poor sod who fell under a wicked curse, and is now driven only by vengeance and bloodlust. To take advantage of his pumpkin head, Jack O'Lantern tends to bury himself beneath the ground in pumpkin patches in order to take passers-by by surprise. And finally, we have the mud golem, which is pretty much what it says on the tin. A being of pure earth, the mud golem is created for one purpose: to perform the (almost certainly nefarious) will of its master. For the full details on each of these creatures, head on over to the official site. The Secret World unveils new horrific creatures originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 16 Dec 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| This Week in MMO: Oh hey, it's Star Wars edition Posted: 16 Dec 2011 12:30 PM PST Filed under: Video, Warhammer Online, News items, Opinion, Humor, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Miscellaneous It's time for another episode of This Week in MMO, and the focal point of this week's episode is none other than the freshly launched Star Wars: The Old Republic. Gary Gannon, Mike B., and Mike Schaffnit share a conversation about the staggered launch, the early start, the newly announced grace period, and much more. Of course, the world does not revolve only around SWTOR, so the guys also take some time to highlight other goings-on in the MMO world. Warhammer Online will be merging servers once again, which does not forecast a sunny outlook for Mythic's PvP-focused title. Also on the table is talk that the gradually less sane Richard Garriott will be returning to work on the Ultima universe. What could this mean to MMO players? Well, click on past the cut and find out for yourself. Continue reading This Week in MMO: Oh hey, it's Star Wars edition This Week in MMO: Oh hey, it's Star Wars edition originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 16 Dec 2011 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Some Assembly Required: One last jump to lightspeed Posted: 16 Dec 2011 12:00 PM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, Events, in-game, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Opinion, Star Wars Galaxies, Some Assembly Required, Sandbox Eulogizing Star Wars Galaxies is difficult. In fact, I've written some 2,200 articles since signing on with Massively a couple of years ago, and none of them has come close to being as painful as this particular wall o' text. The fact that I even used the word eulogy in reference to a video game says it all, really. Join me after the cut for as brief a remembrance as I can manage. Continue reading Some Assembly Required: One last jump to lightspeed Some Assembly Required: One last jump to lightspeed originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 16 Dec 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| SWTOR brings up six new servers to match demand Posted: 16 Dec 2011 11:30 AM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, Launches, News items, Star Wars: The Old Republic As more players flood through the gates of Star Wars: The Old Republic, the team is keeping busy behind the scenes. On the game's Facebook page, BioWare has announced that it has brought up another six servers to accommodate the new players. The new servers are all PvE, and three cater to the East coast, while the other three cover the West coast. For those interested in rolling on a new server, the servers are Kathol Rift, The Constant, and Krayiss Obelisk on the East coast and Wall of Light, Darth Sion, and Kaiburr Crystal for the West coast. Good luck, and may the Force be with you. SWTOR brings up six new servers to match demand originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 16 Dec 2011 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Gameforge offers a few Aion F2P details Posted: 16 Dec 2011 11:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Aion, Business models, Game mechanics, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play Gameforge has released a few details relating to Aion's impending free-to-play conversion. As you know, the business model switch is reserved for the game's European community (for now), so none of these changes will affect the American shards. Essentially there will be two access levels when the transition occurs in February. New players (or Starters, in Gameforge lingo) get free access to the entire game. Limitations on free play include "reduced access to functions such as the chat and the auction house," though Gameforge has not specified exactly what that means as of yet. Aion veterans will also enjoy free access to the complete game as well as reduced instance cool-down times and increased PvP coin rewards. There is a cash shop, of course, which will include avatar customization items that may be used to individualize your character. Gameforge's press release also mentions a Gold Pack option that will grant time-limited bonuses, and we'll have more details for you as they become available. In the meantime, check out the official Aion free-to-play website for more on the game's move to F2P. [Source: Gameforge press release] Gameforge offers a few Aion F2P details originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 16 Dec 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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