MMO Updates |
- SOE readying new EQII prestige homes
- Nexon signs agreement with Unity Technologies for development platform
- Ex-Trion SVP David Reid joins CCP for DUST 514
- Age of Conan opens up the House of Crom
- Xsyon architecture gallery shows off unique player-made structures
- LotRO Update 5.1 shoots Saruman in the knee
- Chris McDonough talks about the development of the World of Darkness
- TERA launching May 1st in North America [Updated]
- That palette is fully operational: Jeff Dobson opens up about SWTOR's artistic side
- The Daily Grind: Do you like need vs. greed loot distribution?
- First major patch and maintenance delayed for Star Wars: The Old Republic
- Not So Massively: LoL talks Sejuani, D3 drops cash AH in Korea and more
- Glitch wants to give you a free house
- Wings Over Atreia: Boss world tour -- Eltnen
- Flameseeker Chronicles: Efficient Hall of Monuments progress
- RIFT's 1.7 patch filled with content, coming soon
- Traveller AR trailer promises the galaxy
- Leaderboard: Play the game vs. play the system
- Jagged Alliance Online adds in PvP for testers
| SOE readying new EQII prestige homes Posted: 17 Jan 2012 10:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Video, EverQuest II, Game mechanics, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play  First up is the Storm Tower Isle, an evil-themed island refuge with a Tower of Bone replica and a bunch of pristine beach, salt spray, and stormy atmospherics. Next is the Secluded Sanctum, and long-time EverQuest II players will recognize it as a portion of Sullon Zek's dungeon. SOE left the canopy beds and raised dais in place, and we can't wait to see what some of Norrath's premier interior decorators do with the place. Both homes will be available in the Station Cash store very soon, and you can get a guided video tour after the cut. Continue reading SOE readying new EQII prestige homes
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| Nexon signs agreement with Unity Technologies for development platform Posted: 17 Jan 2012 09:30 AM PST Filed under: MMO industry, News items, Browser, Mobile, Miscellaneous  The Unity platform is meant to allow easier deployment of applications to alternative platforms, with the platform being in place for browsers, iOS, Android, and other systems. Nexon's agreement with Unity allows them full rights to the software for any and all subsidiaries, as well as the right to modify and alter the source code as necessary. Which projects Nexon has in the pipeline that might utilize this technology are unknown at this time, but it seems that the company is dedicated to branching out into alternative platforms. [Source: Nexon/Unity Technologies press release]
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| Ex-Trion SVP David Reid joins CCP for DUST 514 Posted: 17 Jan 2012 09:00 AM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, MMO industry, New titles, News items, MMOFPS, DUST 514  Reid helped launch Trion's RIFT MMO in 2011, and was instrumental in the development of its "we're not in Azeroth anymore" campaign. "We had a great launch with RIFT and I have nothing bad to say about it," Reid explains. "But I have kept my eye on CCP for a very long time."
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| Age of Conan opens up the House of Crom Posted: 17 Jan 2012 08:30 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Age of Conan, Patches, News items, Free-to-play, Dungeons  One of the two dungeons is an instanced dungeon, but the other one is a social dungeon, allowing multiple groups to explore it at the same time and reap the rewards for braving its perils. Players will be tasked with exploring the structure left by the ancient Atlanteans, hoping to discover the evil that befell this ancient race of people. You can check out the latest screenshots of the update in the gallery below, or you can log in and start exploring the dungeons now. [Source: Funcom press release]
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| Xsyon architecture gallery shows off unique player-made structures Posted: 17 Jan 2012 08:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Galleries, Screenshots, Game mechanics, MMO industry, News items, Xsyon, Post-Apocalyptic, Sandbox, Crafting  Notorious is intent on showing off what it calls player architecture, as Xsyon is one of the few games on the current MMO market that actually allows for unique creations in terms of buildings, structures, and even town layouts. You can see a few of the choice shots in our Xsyon gallery below, but you'll need to head to the game's official website to see them all. [Source: Notorious Games press release]
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| LotRO Update 5.1 shoots Saruman in the knee Posted: 17 Jan 2012 07:30 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Patches, Free-to-play  Some of the changes include eliminating dyes from lootboxes, a nerf to Minstrel codas, many tweaks to the Tower of Orthanc raid, the option to timestamp chat messages, and small improvements to the treasure hunt. The devs have also posted an updated list of known issues for the game. As always, it's worth going through the patch notes to try to find the funny asides. In this update? "Addressed a number of typos. Probably added some new ones."
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| Chris McDonough talks about the development of the World of Darkness Posted: 17 Jan 2012 07:00 AM PST Filed under: Horror, Video, Interviews, News items, World of Darkness, Miscellaneous  McDonough also talks in depth about turning the game into an MMO, claiming that a pen-and-paper game naturally translates into an MMO better than other properties because of the lack of iconic characters who players wish to play. The challenge, of course, is bringing over some of the feel of a tabletop setting into an online environment, with McDonough explaining that several of the computer games such as Vampire: The Masquerade -- Bloodlines have been used as a point of common reference. Click past the break to see the full interview. Continue reading Chris McDonough talks about the development of the World of Darkness
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| TERA launching May 1st in North America [Updated] Posted: 17 Jan 2012 06:18 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Launches, MMO industry, New titles, News items, TERA  In the meantime, En Masse is accepting beta applications and the company also promises "lots more in store" for the month of January. TERA was originally developed by Bluehole Studio, and the title launched in Korea in early 2011. The game is a high fantasy MMORPG focused around action combat and featuring an endgame political system. [Update]: Frogster has also announced that the EU version of TERA will be available on May 3rd.
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| That palette is fully operational: Jeff Dobson opens up about SWTOR's artistic side Posted: 17 Jan 2012 06:00 AM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, Interviews, Star Wars: The Old Republic  It might astound you to realize just how many different type of artists work on MMOs such as SWTOR. Dobson said the team has "concept artists, character artists, environment artists, VFX artists, GUI artists, animators, and technical artists. The world design team is worth a mention here as well, because they participate a lot in the initial visual development of an area." And that doesn't include the separate teams that did the cinematic cutscenes or pre-rendered cinematics! Dobson said that the biggest challenge for the art team was the scale of the project. "The Old Republic has too many assets to even really take stock of how much there is. It is a lot of work to simply track this many assets as they go through the creation pipeline," he said.
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| The Daily Grind: Do you like need vs. greed loot distribution? Posted: 17 Jan 2012 05:00 AM PST Filed under: Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous  OK, maybe not all about it, but there sure is a lot of thought and angst devoted to the items that fall from various AI-creature piñatas -- who got the best stuff, who didn't get any stuff, and how it's not fair that he got better stuff than you did. Different games may offer different methods of loot distribution, like a round-robin option or Guild Wars' pre-assigned drops, but need before greed is still a long-standing and familiar method. So what do you think? Does the system, which relies largely on players rolling fairly, still work well, or has its time passed?  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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| First major patch and maintenance delayed for Star Wars: The Old Republic Posted: 17 Jan 2012 04:30 AM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, Patches, News items, Star Wars: The Old Republic  While the announcement doesn't go into details about the rationale, it notes that there were late-surfacing issues uncovered by players on the test realm that required additional maintenance to correct, forcing the team to bring the patch back and polish it a few more times. A definite time will be posted to the community as soon as it's available. It's disappointing, certainly, but the idea of putting out the game's first major patch before the game had even been out of retail release for a month may have been overly ambitious.
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| Not So Massively: LoL talks Sejuani, D3 drops cash AH in Korea and more Posted: 16 Jan 2012 05:00 PM PST Filed under: Betas, Video, Game mechanics, New titles, Previews, PvP, News items, Free-to-play, Dev Diaries, Not So Massively, MOBA  The big news is that Diablo III has finally solved its dispute with the South Korean rating agencies by removing the cash auction house in that country only. Bloodline Champions celebrated its first birthday, and Heroes of Newerth's HoNWars tournament fired up its second season with a $10,000 prize pool. Blacklight Retribution talked tactics in its latest developer diary, highlighting tactical use of the HRV that lets you briefly see enemies through walls. Finally, the latest Wrath of Heroes beta has been extended until tomorrow morning, and End of Nations talked capture points in a new Warfront video devblog. Continue reading Not So Massively: LoL talks Sejuani, D3 drops cash AH in Korea and more
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| Glitch wants to give you a free house Posted: 16 Jan 2012 04:00 PM PST Filed under: Betas, News items, Free-to-play, Browser, Community Q&A, Sandbox  This week, in a question-and-answer session on the official forums, Butterfield explains just how the new housing system will work. For starters, everyone will now begin the game as a homeowner. Existing players will be transitioned from their current, static homes into new base models, which can be upgraded (horizontally, vertically, and thematically) as players invest Imagination and undertake crafting projects. Players will even decide which types of gardens and animal pens will surround their abodes. There's a whole lot more to the Q&A, including bits about economy overhauls, player-generated content, and the end of Lord of the Rings Online-style neighborhoods, so sandbox aficionados should review it or the summary in person. [Thanks to Saucelah for the tip!]
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| Wings Over Atreia: Boss world tour -- Eltnen Posted: 16 Jan 2012 03:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Aion, Wings Over Atreia, Guides  That's right: Lurking about all corners of Aion, powerful monsters beckon (lure?) Daevas with promises of tantalizing loot and illustrious glory. Who doesn't like the rush of downing a powerful foe or nabbing a coveted item? Previous tours of Heiron and Inggison scouted out said monsters and offered some tips as to who was worth fighting and who should be avoided when hunting alone. Those lands focused on higher-level players. However, with double XP weekends throughout January, there will undoubtedly be an influx of players in the lower levels. What better time to take stock of the bosses available to this crowd? This week, Wings Over Atreia takes a tour of Eltnen to expose the available bosses to treasure-hungry Daevas. Be warned, though: The opportunity to take on these behemoths may be short-lived during a time of double XP, especially when combined with mentoring. So before you move on to bigger, brighter lands, take a moment to stop and smell the roses -- or kill the bosses, as it were. Continue reading Wings Over Atreia: Boss world tour -- Eltnen
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| Flameseeker Chronicles: Efficient Hall of Monuments progress Posted: 16 Jan 2012 02:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Guild Wars, Guild Wars 2, Flameseeker Chronicles, Guides  The Hall of Monuments in GW might only award titles and cosmetic goodies, but we gamers do love our shinies, so lots of people are diving into present-day Tyria to make some HoM progress while they wait for GW2. I posted a series of Hall of Monuments guides almost a year and a half ago, and while most of it has stood the test of time very well, I want to revisit it. The reason I want to do this is to smooth the path a little more. So many people are still coming into Guild Wars for this reason, and starting from scratch with such an enormous goal can make a lot of them throw in the towel. Thankfully, ArenaNet has added some features into the game in the past few years that can make your Hall of Monuments progress more "hare" and less "tortoise," with the same prizes at the end. They all work together so you can get the most of your travels through Tyria in a much shorter time. This one's for the min-maxers, so follow along to read about three simple things you can keep an eye on to speed up your HoM progress! Continue reading Flameseeker Chronicles: Efficient Hall of Monuments progress
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| RIFT's 1.7 patch filled with content, coming soon Posted: 16 Jan 2012 01:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Patches, News items, RIFT, Dungeons  A new master mode dungeon is coming too, as is an expert dungeon overhaul with more options and better loot for endgame avatars. Finally, there's a free weekend coming your way on January 19th, and you can return to Telara (or check it out for the first time) for no charge through January 22nd.
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| Traveller AR trailer promises the galaxy Posted: 16 Jan 2012 12:00 PM PST Filed under: Betas, Sci-fi, Trailers, Video, New titles, Mobile  Just as in EVE Online, players in Traveller AR will hop in a ship and fly out into the cosmos looking to make their fame and fortune. There will be three races and three classes (Scout, Spacer, Trader) to choose from at the start and well over 40,000 unique solar systems to explore and plunder. According to the game's trailer, Traveller AR space cadets can choose their own path to glory, including trading, missions, combat, and exploration. It looks like a crossbreed of a board game with a rudimentary space combat simulator, and the trailer gives a good overview of the UI and functionality in store for us. Hop past the break to see the future... today! Continue reading Traveller AR trailer promises the galaxy
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| Leaderboard: Play the game vs. play the system Posted: 16 Jan 2012 11:00 AM PST Filed under: Opinion, Miscellaneous, Leaderboard  "These are also two ways to play a game. You can come to it as purely a math puzzle to solve, or you can come at it as an experience. And ironically, with all the advances we have made in terms of presentation, it feels like more and more games are less about the experience and more about the acronyms and mechanics."So in today's Leaderboard, we're going to have it out: immersion versus statistics, the love of the game versus the love of the numbers. Do you play MMOs more for the experience of it -- to be immersed in its game world, reveling in the stories, characters, locales, and feel? Or do you find yourself gaming the system more and more, min-maxing to win at the numbers game while seeking the most efficient path through content? Vote after the jump and let your voice be heard! Continue reading Leaderboard: Play the game vs. play the system
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| Jagged Alliance Online adds in PvP for testers Posted: 16 Jan 2012 10:00 AM PST Filed under: Betas, Real life, Game mechanics, PvP, News items, War, Free-to-play  The three modes consist of Deathmatch (self-explanatory), Bounty Hunter (a race to fight to a target and be the first to kill said target), and Search and Destroy (destroy three targets while protecting your own). Players will be matched via a matchmaker system based upon levels and position in the overall rankings, preventing unfair matches (in theory) and giving good players more substantive rewards for success. If you've got a need for some online turn-based strategy, it might be well worth keeping an eye on these features at they develop. [Source: gamigo press release]
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Mass Effect 3 won't be release through Valve's digital download service. "During initial release Mass Effect 3 will be available on Origin and a number of other 3rd party digital retailers, but not on Steam at this time," Bioware confirmed on 
