MMO Updates |
- City of Heroes' Matt Miller answers our questions about the death of Statesman
- Sony, CCP 'negotiating PS3 virtual item policy' for DUST 514
- Flameseeker Chronicles: We don't need no stinkin' endgame
- MV Guide: January 23-29, 2012
- Blizzard job listing mentions 'product placement' within their next MMO
- The Daily Grind: Would you buy an advanced character?
- Guild Wars 2 confirmed for 2012, public beta coming
- MMO Week in Review: Analyst, shmanalyst
- EVE Evolved: Music to watch the stars by
- MIT developing educational MMO funded by Gates Foundation
- Pirates of the Burning Sea outlines plans for 2012
| City of Heroes' Matt Miller answers our questions about the death of Statesman Posted: 23 Jan 2012 09:00 AM PST Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, City of Villains, Events, in-game, Interviews, News items, Free-to-play  Of course, this brings up some pretty hefty questions about the future of the City of Heroes setting, since such a death is about as high-profile as in-game-deaths can be. We had the opportunity to ask Matt Miller a few questions about the ramifications of Statesman's death, the team's motivation, and what players can expect in the wake of his passing. After all, even though the hero is gone, the villain responsible is still out there... Continue reading City of Heroes' Matt Miller answers our questions about the death of Statesman
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| Sony, CCP 'negotiating PS3 virtual item policy' for DUST 514 Posted: 23 Jan 2012 08:00 AM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Business models, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Free-to-play, Mobile, Consoles, MMOFPS, DUST 514, Sandbox  The upcoming EVE Online MMOFPS tie-in will establish universal PlayStation Network microtransaction rules according to CCP CEO Hilmar Petursson. Petursson told Develop that the ongoing CCP/Sony negotiations will ultimately result in the establishment of price tiers for virtual items as well as the revenue split between Sony and third-party devs. CCP is also exploring retail options for DUST 514, despite early reports that the title would only be available as a digital download. Finally, Petursson tells Develop that the PlayStation Vita version of DUST will "give people access to more asynchronous parts of the game." While he doesn't commit one way or the other, it's possible that the portable version of the game will connect to both the PlayStation 3 and PC versions via EVE's universal ISK currency.
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| Flameseeker Chronicles: We don't need no stinkin' endgame Posted: 23 Jan 2012 07:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Endgame, Guild Wars 2, Flameseeker Chronicles  There are so many assumptions and so much speculation and so much talk about the concept as a whole and how it applies to Guild Wars 2, so let's dive on in. Continue reading Flameseeker Chronicles: We don't need no stinkin' endgame
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| Posted: 23 Jan 2012 06:00 AM PST Filed under: Massively Meta, Livestream, Miscellaneous, MV Guide  Every week, the Massively staff logs in to play various MMOs live and in person, and we'd love for you to drop by the channel and visit. We have a combination of regular weekly games and new surprises, so you'll find a variety of titles to take a look at. During our streamed events, you can participate in the live chat, ask questions to learn about the game, and simply spend some time with Massively staff and readers. (Of course, streaming is subject to the whims of outside forces like server-side gremlins once in a while.) Follow along after the jump to see what's on this week's schedule! Continue reading MV Guide: January 23-29, 2012
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| Blizzard job listing mentions 'product placement' within their next MMO Posted: 23 Jan 2012 05:30 AM PST Filed under: MMO industry, New titles, Miscellaneous  The line in question specifies that one of the duties of the position is to "work with major consumer brands to facilitate product placement and licensing within the world of Blizzard Entertainment's next-gen MMO that enhances the gameplay experience." Whether this is a sign that we'll be seeing billboards for Skittles while we raid or if players will be able to get endorsements and decorate their outfits a la NASCAR cars is anyone's guess. It's important to note that the rest of this position entails a number of efforts to promote Blizzard's "next-gen MMO" outside of the tight-knit gaming sphere, including comics, action figures, and short movies.
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| The Daily Grind: Would you buy an advanced character? Posted: 23 Jan 2012 05:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Business models, Classes, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Endgame, Opinion, Ultima Online, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous, Sandbox  UO's not alone in this; other games, such as Dark Age of Camelot, allow players to jump past some of the early game on their alts once they've capped a toon and proven they know the ropes of the game. Of course, those games aren't charging for the pleasure. So what do you think: Would you buy an advanced character from a game company? Or do you think you're cheating yourself and those around you by not grinding up the old-fashioned way?  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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| Guild Wars 2 confirmed for 2012, public beta coming Posted: 23 Jan 2012 04:00 AM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Launches, News items, Guild Wars 2  Guild Wars 2 recently finished up a very small closed beta test, and now ArenaNet is planning to start opening the testing doors wider very quickly: "In February we'll invite select press to participate in beta testing, and in March and April we'll aggressively ramp up the size of our beta test events so that many of you will have a chance to participate." This all leads up to the event fans have been eagerly awaiting on the edge of their seats: a 2012 launch for Guild Wars 2, according to O'Brien. He wrapped up the blog post with words guaranteed to put a big smile on the face of every fan: "So welcome to the Year of the Dragon - the year of Guild Wars 2."
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| MMO Week in Review: Analyst, shmanalyst Posted: 22 Jan 2012 05:00 PM PST Filed under: Massively Meta, Week in Review, Miscellaneous  Star Wars: The Old Republic continued to dominate Massively's headlines this week. We were kept on the edge of our seats at the latest zombie-related patch drama, PR videos, cosmetic pets, ability delay tweaks, and subscription bugs, nevermind the prophecies of analysts whose predictions and estimations of TOR's costs sent EA's stock on a rollercoaster ride over the week. And to those of you visiting a galaxy far, far away from Azeroth, we presented our definitive guide to SWTOR for World of Warcraft players. Enjoy the rest of this week's top MMO stories past the cut. Continue reading MMO Week in Review: Analyst, shmanalyst
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| EVE Evolved: Music to watch the stars by Posted: 22 Jan 2012 03:00 PM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Culture, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Opinion, EVE Evolved, Sandbox  Very few game studios pay as much attention to music as to graphics, the user interface, or gameplay, but the right music has the power to completely transform a player's experience. Just like in a movie, music can evoke an emotional response and so alter a person's perception of events. Fighting monsters in a fantasy MMO or shooting down pirates in EVE might not be a terribly epic activity, but throw in some epic music and suddenly it feels a lot more real. I wrote about the psychological effect of music in MMOs several years ago, and the topic is as relevant today as it was then. In this week's EVE Evolved, I look at three different types of music that could improve EVE and suggest how CCP could take advantage of each type to give EVE the soundtrack it deserves. Continue reading EVE Evolved: Music to watch the stars by
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| MIT developing educational MMO funded by Gates Foundation Posted: 22 Jan 2012 01:00 PM PST Filed under: Culture, MMO industry, News items, Kids, Miscellaneous  "In contrast to the way that (STEM) is currently taught in secondary schools -- which often results in students becoming disengaged and disinterested in the subjects at an early age -- educational games like the one to be developed give students the chance to explore STEM topics in a way that deepens their knowledge while also developing 21st-century skills," the release says. The title is being developed in collaboration with Filament Games, and MIT's Eric Klopfer says that it will be a powerful educational tool. "This genre of games is uniquely suited to teaching the nature of science inquiry," he explains, "because they provide collaborative, self-directed learning situations. Players take on the roles of scientists, engineers and mathematicians to explore and explain a robust virtual world." The project is being financed by a $3 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
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| Pirates of the Burning Sea outlines plans for 2012 Posted: 22 Jan 2012 11:00 AM PST Filed under: Historical, Pirates of the Burning Sea, Game mechanics, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play, Miscellaneous  Brain "Fodderboy" Taney has offered up a lengthy dev blog detailing what's next for the nautical MMO, and he outlines two main goals: immersion and the desire to "layer" the game. Immersion is fairly self-explanatory (and in case it's not, Taney says that it entails bringing more authentic 18th century elements to the game). Layering requires a bit more verbiage, but it basically boils down to improving "the game experience for all the different kinds of players we have in our community (e.g., casual, hardcore, PvE-only, PvP-only, etc.)," Taney says. There's quite a bit more, of course, but you'll need to head to the official PotBS website to read about it.
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