| French tanks rumble into World of Tanks looking for payback Posted: 05 Jan 2012 08:00 AM PST Filed under: Galleries, Classes, Patches, War, Free-to-play, World of Tanks Wargaming.net is allowing players to participate in a little revisionist history by unleashing French designs into World of Tanks. Will the Germans finally get what's coming to them, or will the Panzers dominate as they did back in the 40s? With today's Update 7.1, the French have arrived in the game with several new tanks available for players to drive. Light, medium, and heavy versions of French armor will present a new twist on the established gameplay, with choices like the AMX 13-90, AMX 40, AMX 50 B and Lorraine 40t that feature automatic loading systems and oscillating turrets. Later this year Wargaming.net will add French tank destroyers and SPGs as well. Lead Game Designer Mike Zhivets believes this will present a unique challenge for players who think they have it all figured out: "Our players already know how to play with the 'big three' tank nations, but the French are all-different. You'll have to reconsider the way you think tanks behave before they let you tame them. And that's what we love them for!" You can scope out these French beauties in the gallery below. [Source: Wargaming.net press release]  French tanks rumble into World of Tanks looking for payback originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 05 Jan 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| New PlanetSide 2 gameplay footage spotted in the wild Posted: 05 Jan 2012 07:00 AM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, Video, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, PvP, News items, Free-to-play, PlanetSide 2, Sandbox Sony Online Entertainment is building a little buzz around PlanetSide 2 lately. The upcoming MMOFPS revealed its beta signup process just before the Christmas holiday, and now fans at PlanetSide Universe have uncovered new gameplay footage courtesy of a couple of videos produced for Chinese publishing partner The9. The first clip serves as an intro to The9's PS2 website, and it features some quick glimpses of airborne combat, tank combat, and first-person infantry combat. The second clip is a mixture of similar gameplay footage along with some talking-head dev interview shots which you can view after the cut. Continue reading New PlanetSide 2 gameplay footage spotted in the wild New PlanetSide 2 gameplay footage spotted in the wild originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 05 Jan 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| SWTOR goes bug hunting with 1.0.2 and prognosticates PvP improvements Posted: 05 Jan 2012 06:00 AM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, Bugs, Patches, PvP, Star Wars: The Old Republic With the abundance of bugs and glitches in Star Wars: The Old Republic, fans are looking to James Ohlen's promise of weekly patches to shore up the faults. Yesterday we saw patch 1.0.2 go live with some -- but certainly not all -- of these fixes, as well as an increase in the PvP lockbox rewards and allowing players to emote while mounted. In addition to yesterday's patch, today BioWare plans to roll out an emergency fix to address a few important issues: players crashing to desktop at character select, a problem with the chat channels in which they would stop functioning for some people, and the now-infamous /getdown bug. PvP Lead Gabe Amatangelo also emerged from the BioWare fortress to chat about plans for the future of the game's PvP combat. According to Amatangelo, the team is working on level 50 brackets for warzones, vastly improving open world PvP on Ilum, a new same-faction vs. same-faction warzone, team vs. team queuing, ranked warzone matches, and more. He says that to date, over a million warzone matches have been played, with 39% of those matches played being Huttball and the Empire winning 53% of every match fought. SWTOR goes bug hunting with 1.0.2 and prognosticates PvP improvements originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 05 Jan 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Daily Grind: Should max-level characters give account XP bonuses? Posted: 05 Jan 2012 05:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest II, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Opinion, Free-to-play, The Daily Grind I recently hit EverQuest II's adventuring cap for the first time (yay!), and aside from being surprised that it finally happened, I was also in for a bit of a shock when I logged into the character select screen the following day. You see, EQII gives each character on your account a 20% XP bonus per max-level character. So all my subsequent toons will enjoy an extra 20% XP across the board, and if I were to get another guy to 90, all my toons would then have a 40% bonus (up to a maximum of 200%). While this is fantastic for players like yours truly who despise the leveling process, it seems like an odd design decision given that a lot of people like to grind. Also, EQII has more leveling content than most MMOs put together, and it's crazy to think how much of it you'll miss if you get even more bonus XP. Sure, you can chronomage down a few levels and do zones that you blew by, or you can adjust your XP/AA ratio (or turn off XP altogether if you want), but the bonuses still speed up the curve significantly. What about you, Massively folk? Do you think max-level characters should grant bonuses to the rest of your toons?  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 max-level characters give account XP bonuses? originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 05 Jan 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Firefly MMO gets a possible second shot at the stars Posted: 04 Jan 2012 06:00 PM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, MMO industry, Legal While Multiverse, the development platform that was supposed to be the driving force for possible Buffy and Firefly MMOs, suffered a studio shutdown, the source code lives -- and has been snatched up by the newly formed Multiverse Foundation. Fortunately for those who were holding out hope for an online version of Joss Whedon's scifi western, it looks as though this new company wants to pick up where the previous team left off. Massively was contacted by Tristan Bacon, head of communications for Multiverse Foundation. He says that the company has acquired the source code and is "starting work full-time on the actual MMO creation platform." Bacon says that if there is still interest from fans, the team intends to use the platform to make a Firefly MMO. Don't get overexcited at the prospect of saddling up for the 'verse in your own ship, however, as this might be as long a shot as it ever was. There are substantial obstacles to overcome, including permission to use the IP. Bacon also says that the current team is just a small group of volunteers working on it in their spare time, and would appreciate more developers to sign on to the project. Firefly MMO gets a possible second shot at the stars originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 04 Jan 2012 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Choose My Adventure: How Lineage II feels to a Western newcomer Posted: 04 Jan 2012 05:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Galleries, Polls, Screenshots, Lineage 2, Opinion, Free-to-play, Choose My Adventure We're down to the wire for Lineage II's Choose My Adventure, with one more week to go. My Abyss Walker quickly rushed to the 40s, at which point leveling has slowed down considerably. I've talked about pets, explored (only a fraction of) the countryside, and touched on crafting and other features. What else could we possibly talk about? I haven't really shared a lot of my experiences with my character class or how the class-transfers and skills affect my overall enjoyment of Lineage II. My third class-transfer is set in stone thanks to your poll choices and the game mechanics; now that I'm an Abyss Walker, I'm locked-in to become a Ghost Hunter, which makes sense. Ghost Hunter is melee, like my Abyss Walker. I can't really jump ship at this point and go ranged. So let's look a little more at my character, what the future could hold for him in terms of more class-transfers, and my opinions on non-situational combat and how that makes the game feel to me. Continue reading Choose My Adventure: How Lineage II feels to a Western newcomer Choose My Adventure: How Lineage II feels to a Western newcomer originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 04 Jan 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| A Mild-Mannered Reporter: What we need on the road ahead Posted: 04 Jan 2012 04:00 PM PST Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, City of Villains, Patches, Opinion, Free-to-play, A Mild-Mannered Reporter Here we are after the kick, and I have to say, thus far 2012 feels pretty much the same as 2011 but with fewer weather effects. But it also brings the opportunity to ask for a new round of features from City of Heroes, and as I think you've all learned by now, I'm always willing to ask for new stuff for the coming year. Just look at all my requests from last year and you'll see what I'm talking about. So did I get what I wanted? Well, we got a big new dump of improved content after all, which sort of fulfilled my first request. There's been no word on any new archetypes, and we only got two full issues last year, unless you count the little half-issues in between. Let's call it an even half. But those weren't predictions, after all; they were just wishes. So what do I think we should wish for over the next year? Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: What we need on the road ahead A Mild-Mannered Reporter: What we need on the road ahead originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 04 Jan 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| BioWare's James Ohlen: Bug fixes coming weekly Posted: 04 Jan 2012 03:30 PM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, Bugs, Patches, News items, Star Wars: The Old Republic  Any new MMO, even big-budget behemoths like BioWare's Star Wars: The Old Republic, is often fraught with bugs and exploits that can keep the game from living up to its full potential. The Old Republic's game director, James Ohlen, recognizes this and has stopped by the official forums to let players know how the company will be handling the game's bugs, glitches, and exploits. Ohlen states that "almost every week [BioWare] will be releasing a new patch." These pseudo-weekly patches will be focused almost entirely on fixing bugs, exploits, and glaring balance issues within the game. Ohlen does remind players, however, that bug-fixing is not always a simple task. "There are issues that we will fix immediately," he says, with the caveat that "these are rare and not every issue can be fixed in this manner. We usually reserve these 'emergency fixes' for bugs that are stopping players from playing the game or to exploits that could unbalance the entire game if not corrected." I'm sure players have a few things in mind to which an emergency fix could be applied, but we'll just have to wait for the next patch to see what the devs have cooked up. BioWare's James Ohlen: Bug fixes coming weekly originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 04 Jan 2012 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Brad McQuaid reminisces about the birth of EverQuest Posted: 04 Jan 2012 03:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest, Interviews, MMO industry, News items Maybe you're a big fan of EverQuest. Maybe you were at one point, but your ardor has cooled. Maybe you never liked it. Whatever your opinion on the game, you can't deny that it had a massive impact on the face of MMOs as a whole. In a new interview, Brad McQuaid talks about the genesis of EverQuest through development and what the game looked like from the other side, before it was a known fact that the game would be a success or even functional. And yes, according to McQuaid, there were several points at which the team was worried that the game wouldn't work at all. Between the issues of 3-D performance and network issues, it was far from a certainty that the game could be played and enjoyed by a large enough number of people. The difficulty level of the game wasn't on the list of worries -- from the design team's perspective, that was half of the enjoyment of the game. Read the full interview for more anecdotes and opinions about the early development of one of the first big MMO successes. Brad McQuaid reminisces about the birth of EverQuest originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 04 Jan 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| DC Universe Online giving players a little more R&D Posted: 04 Jan 2012 02:30 PM PST Filed under: Super-hero, Game mechanics, Patches, Previews, News items, Free-to-play, DC Universe Online There's nothing like a little crafting to spice up a game. In the wake of what appears by all accounts to be a successful free-to-play transition, DC Universe Online is giving players a new way to enjoy a little crafting in the form of the Research & Development system. A preview of the system has just arrived, showing off how to get started as well as what can be uncovered by patient research. Once a character hits level 10, he or she can begin to gather Exobits, which can in turn be forged together into Exobytes at R&D stations. Using plans either found in the world or bought from specialized vendors players can then combine Exobytes into equipment mods or consumables, both of which can help boost players beyond their current levels of power. The system is set to debut along with the other features of Game Update 8, so there's only a little more time until players can get their hands on the materials and see what develops. DC Universe Online giving players a little more R&D originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 04 Jan 2012 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Former subscribers get an early engagement to Star Trek Online's free-to-play model Posted: 04 Jan 2012 02:00 PM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, News items, Star Trek Online, Free-to-play In the universe of Star Trek Online, it's the 24th century and humans no longer make use of money. Here in the 21st century, however, you've still got a bit more time until you can play Star Trek Online without the use of said money. Or do you? Starting tomorrow, January 5th, the doors will open for players to start enjoying the game for free before the full free-to-play launch on January 17th. So what do you need to do to get this early access? Well, if you're asking now, you're a bit too late; the privilege is being extended to lapsed former subscribers, who can come back and play the game for free as Silver members. That means certain features will be restricted, but if you had played in the past and haven't had a chance to catch up with the newer features of the game, tomorrow will be your chance to log in and start trekking across the universe for free. Former subscribers get an early engagement to Star Trek Online's free-to-play model originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 04 Jan 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Enter at Your Own Rift: Of apps and patches Posted: 04 Jan 2012 01:30 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Guilds, Patches, News items, Opinion, Mobile, RIFT, Enter at Your Own Rift On the surface, things have been relatively quiet in RIFT. The Fae Yule Event moved along merrily, but there hasn't been much revealed about update 1.7 yet. Fans are so used to the rapid pace of updates that they've made a minigame out of guessing what's coming and when it will arrive. But if you're wondering whether the team took the holidays off and left behind its work, fear not! Just a few days ago, Trion Worlds revealed a new iPhone app called RIFT Mobile and held its first developer Q&A with the community, during which it provided lots of new tidbits of information for RIFT fans to look forward to. In this week's Enter at Your Own Rift, we'll look at the highlights. Continue reading Enter at Your Own Rift: Of apps and patches Enter at Your Own Rift: Of apps and patches originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 04 Jan 2012 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Conquer Online details upcoming Invasion of Pirates expansion Posted: 04 Jan 2012 01:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Classes, Expansions, Patches, News items, Free-to-play  Conquer Online, NetDragon's free-to-play fantasy MMO, is getting a taste of the high seas come January 11th as the team launches the game's newest expansion, Invasion of Pirates. The expansion will introduce the new Pirate class, which will allow players to use new weapons and abilities while also finally letting them take sides in a real Pirates vs. Ninjas battle. The Pirate class itself can utilize pistols and rapiers, and its abilities rely on stamina, "with many of the skills requiring a cooldown period." As such, the key to winning a battle as a Pirate is, according to the press release, determined by how well a player can string the Pirate's attacks, buffs, and other abilities into an effective combo. The studio adds that while the Pirate will certainly have a steep learning curve, "with a little strategy and know-how, the new class can easily become the most deadly in PvP battles." For the full details on the new expansion, or to get in on the action yourself, head on over to Conquer Online's official site. Conquer Online details upcoming Invasion of Pirates expansion originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 04 Jan 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| MechWarrior Online fights with knowledge as well as lasers Posted: 04 Jan 2012 12:30 PM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, Game mechanics, Dev Diaries, MechWarrior Online In any combat situation it is key to be as well-informed as possible: to know where your enemy is (hopefully not right behind you), what resources you have on hand (dual Twinkies), what you're up against (spouse aggro), and so on. The makers of the upcoming MechWarrior Online have devoted their second dev blog to the importance of information -- or as they put it, "knowledge is power!" To aid with information warfare, the designers will provide to players a key tool called a BattleGrid, which will function like a pumped-up interactive map during in-game conflicts. Through the BattleGrid, players will be able to get a good idea of what's going on in the field quickly and what orders are coming through for the attack. The blog post also mentions the concept of "modules" that allow pilots to customize their 'Mechs, and it gives a brief overview of the line-of-sight targeting system and how players can work together to share battlefield information as well as how they can confuse the enemy. Hiding and seeking in the game will require a good combination of both detection and "spoofing" modules to keep your team alive while exposing the opposite one. [Thanks to Nimsy for the tip!] MechWarrior Online fights with knowledge as well as lasers originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 04 Jan 2012 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The most popular Massively stories of 2011 Posted: 04 Jan 2012 12:00 PM PST Filed under: Culture, MMO industry, Opinion, Massively Meta, Miscellaneous When you consider the most popular debate subjects or recent conversational trends, you might think about politics or religion or even pop culture. So when the bloggers of Massively looked back on the previous year to take stock of which articles and categories were the most popular by pageview, we were surprised at the results. The year 2011 was unorthodox, and the list of the most popular posts reflects that. There are some obvious topics, the ones any loyal reader of Massively would expect to see, but others represent a dramatic shift in the subjects and games readers most enjoyed reading and responding to. So what were the most popular stories and categories of 2011? Onward! Continue reading The most popular Massively stories of 2011 The most popular Massively stories of 2011 originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 04 Jan 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| EVE Templar One novel now available Posted: 04 Jan 2012 11:00 AM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Culture, MMO industry, News items, Sandbox Picture this. You're sitting in your internet spaceship, pounding space rocks or waiting for your fleet leader to assign you some hapless newb of a target. You've already caught up on the all the relevant EVE Online news courtesy of Massively, and you can't really spin your ship since you're not docked. What's a bored capsuleer to do? Read the latest EVE novel, of course. Tony Gonzales' new Templar One is now available pretty much everywhere books are sold, and in keeping with New Eden's high-tech trappings, you can pick it up in eBook form if you're loathe to consume story content the old-fashioned way. The official EVE website has more details, as does a pre-Christmas blog posting from the author himself. EVE Templar One novel now available originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 04 Jan 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Hellgate reveals 2011 stats, hints at 2012 updates Posted: 04 Jan 2012 10:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Horror, Game mechanics, MMO industry, News items, Hellgate: London, Free-to-play T3Fun has released a few statistics designed to keep Hellgate Global in the public eye. Included in the data are interesting nuggets like the gender breakdown for characters created (60/40 in favor of the guys), the most-played class (Marksman), the least-played class (Guardian), and the class with the highest growth rate in terms of character creation (also the Guardian). We're not exactly sure what that last bit means, but we can tell you that Hellgate's devs have a few new wrinkles planned for 2012 (assuming the world doesn't end in a hail of apocalyptic demon fire first). Among the improvements slated for the new year are "improved services, deeper guild engagement [...] and greater challenges for the most motivated players [via] some of the biggest events yet." Hellgate Global is free-to-play, so there's really nothing stopping you from moseying over to the game's official website and downloading the client. [Source: T3Fun press release] Hellgate reveals 2011 stats, hints at 2012 updates originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 04 Jan 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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