MMO Updates |
- EVE launches in Japan, adds multilingual search tool
- Trion reveals Laethys lore from forthcoming Infernal Dawn patch
- Massively Speaking Episode 195: Jokeception
- Prime World charges women less to play, 'protects' them in mixed groups [Updated]
- The Secret World pre-order packages feature beta access, lifetime sub, and more
- CCP reiterates anti-pay-to-win stance for EVE microtransactions
- The Daily Grind: Which MMO doesn't get the respect it deserves?
- Not So Massively: April fool's edition
- Take a peek at RIFT's shiny Infernal Dawn concept art
- Guild Wars 2 crosses the pond to answer questions for EU Fan Day
- Be vewy vewy quiet; we're hunting demons: A look at Diablo III's Demon Hunter
- EVE Online fixes boomerang exploit
- Wings Over Atreia: Fools and tools
| EVE launches in Japan, adds multilingual search tool Posted: 03 Apr 2012 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Game mechanics, MMO industry, News items, Sandbox  Japan boasts the world's fourth largest gaming community, and CCP has added it to an impressive list of conquests that include English-, Chinese-, Russian-, and German-speaking markets. The company is handling all of the game-related conversion tasks via its in-house localization system, while Nexon is responsible for various marketing and support initiatives. CCP has also added a multilingual search tool to the EVE client. The new functionality "helps weld the disparate language groups present in EVE into a more global and unified game experience -- truly demonstrating the impact and value of the single shard server model," says senior producer Jon Lander. [Source: CCP press release]
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| Trion reveals Laethys lore from forthcoming Infernal Dawn patch Posted: 03 Apr 2012 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, Lore, MMO industry, Patches, News items, RIFT, Dungeons  As it turns out, Laethys was the power behind the throne of a sprawling Ogre kingdom, and when her charges had bled their lands dry of wealth and riches, Laethys destroyed it and spirited them away to serve as her minions on the Plane of Earth. It's quite a touching story, complete with "child-skin books" and the decline of a great civilization. Click past the cut to read it in full, and look for RIFT's 1.8 patch "later this month." [Source: Trion press release] Continue reading Trion reveals Laethys lore from forthcoming Infernal Dawn patch
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| Massively Speaking Episode 195: Jokeception Posted: 03 Apr 2012 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Podcasts, Anarchy Online, Guild Wars, MMO industry, News items, Guild Wars 2, Massively Meta, Everquest Online Adventures, Humor, Warhammer 40k, Massively Speaking, Miscellaneous  Have a comment for the podcasters? Shoot an email to podcast@massively.com. We may just read your email on the air! Get the podcast: [iTunes] Subscribe to Massively Speaking directly in iTunes. [RSS] Add Massively Speaking to your RSS aggregator. [MP3] Download the MP3 directly. Listen here on the page: Read below the cut for the full show notes. Continue reading Massively Speaking Episode 195: Jokeception
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| Prime World charges women less to play, 'protects' them in mixed groups [Updated] Posted: 03 Apr 2012 07:30 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Culture, Free-to-play, MOBA  Nival's Creative Producer Larisa Nuretdinova hopes this will expand Prime World's potential audience: "The idea is to introduce the MOBA genre not only to hardcore players who already love it, but to their friends who might be more casual, and of course to their sisters and girlfriends who may not be as hardcore." To encourage both sexes to group up together, Nival has devised a special defensive buff that is only activated when a female playing a female character is part of the team. According to Prime World's About page, "this bonus helps encourage beginning female players, who feel more helpful when fighting in a mixed group." Prime World offers six heroes for free, three of each gender; additional heroes can be purchased with actual money. It's here, too, that real-world women have an advantage, as Nival is offering a discount for the ladies who go shopping in the game. [Update: Kotaku reports that Nival later clarified that it is offering discounts for both genders purchasing the same gendered character.]
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| The Secret World pre-order packages feature beta access, lifetime sub, and more Posted: 03 Apr 2012 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Horror, Video, MMO industry, New titles, News items, The Secret World  Pre-order customers will get automatic access to all of the game's beta weekends beginning on May 11th, and Funcom says that these weekends should run pretty much constantly through The Secret World's June 19th launch date. You'll also get a four-day head start, an in-game item that boosts your XP gain as well as an in-game t-shirt, combat pet, and a leg up on naming your character prior to launch. Clicking the pre-order button on TSW's website will kickstart the process, and it will also show you three optional packages that include extra character slots, name reservations, and even a lifetime subscription. If you're on a budget, the basic $49.99 pre-order comes with three character slots and one name reservation. Finally, Funcom has put together a pulse-pounding pre-order trailer, and you can view it after the break. [Source: Funcom press release] Continue reading The Secret World pre-order packages feature beta access, lifetime sub, and more
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| CCP reiterates anti-pay-to-win stance for EVE microtransactions Posted: 03 Apr 2012 06:30 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Video, EVE Online, Business models, Economy, Game mechanics, Interviews, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Free-to-play, DUST 514, Sandbox  Olafsson also repeats the anti-pay-to-win mantra that comes standard in just about every developer interview these days. He says that CCP will sell cosmetic items in EVE, including makeovers for your avatar, ship, and starbase. Given the fact that players will be purchasing weapons and gear in DUST 514 (which will interface directly with EVE's pre-existing economy), it will be interesting to see how CCP maintains that delicate balance. "I think we have to be very careful in introducing such mechanics into EVE. And I personally think that we shouldn't be doing it in the near future," Olafsson says. "Because it's such a vulnerable little flower in a vulnerable little ecosystem. You make minor changes to an ecosystem and you can introduce hostile things and the whole system breaks down." Check out the video interview after the cut. Continue reading CCP reiterates anti-pay-to-win stance for EVE microtransactions
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| The Daily Grind: Which MMO doesn't get the respect it deserves? Posted: 03 Apr 2012 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Culture, Opinion, Vanguard, Free-to-play, The Daily Grind  You know, the MMO that gets no respect. It's a fantastic game, yet no one plays it. And if its devs would just pay it a little bit of attention, it would knock the socks right off the rest of the genre. So how about it, Massively morning crew? Which MMO doesn't get the respect it deserves?  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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| Not So Massively: April fool's edition Posted: 02 Apr 2012 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Video, Game mechanics, PvP, News items, Free-to-play, Not So Massively, MOBA, League of Legends, Diablo III  Heroes of Newerth launched a new art contest and released its new mobile ganker Blitz, while Bloodline Champions laid on the April Fool's mischief with its Catch the Ranid game mode announcement and plans for a tournament with cheeseburgers for prizes. Rise of Immortals joined in the festivities with the announcement of its new immortal Karapyss the Crabomancer. Blacklight: Retribution explained its datanode system and released a new troll face taunt, and Diablo III teased players with its joke Zergotchi authenticator. Diablo fansite Diablofans revealed changes to the upcoming game's Inferno mode and wrote a great April Fool's joke about releasing on the Wii. Path of Exile took a step closer to launch with a public stress test this weekend, and Torchlight II revealed the game's pets and announced that the latest build of the game will be playable at PAX East. Continue reading Not So Massively: April fool's edition
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| Take a peek at RIFT's shiny Infernal Dawn concept art Posted: 02 Apr 2012 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Previews, News items, RIFT  RIFT players have been waiting on pins and needles for the upcoming patch 1.8, which will bring a brand-new raid known as Infernal Dawn to the world of Telara. Unfortunately, they're going to have to wait just a bit longer. Trion Worlds, in hopes of making the wait more (un)bearable, has released a new blog post on the official site that shines a spotlight on the art behind the Infernal Dawn instance. This raid will pit players up against one of the biggest bads in the world: Maelforge the Flame Sire. It's kind of a big deal, ladies and gents. So it's only fitting that the concept art reflects that, and boy does it ever. I mean, look up there. Do you see that bow? Holy crap, that's a badass bow. To see what other badassery awaits you in Infernal Dawn, just go check out the official post.
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| Guild Wars 2 crosses the pond to answer questions for EU Fan Day Posted: 02 Apr 2012 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Events, real-world, News items, Guild Wars 2  Guild Wars 2's release is (hopefully) creeping closer and closer with each passing day, and now that the title has a few weekend beta events under its belt, enthusiasm for the game is growing. To help assuage the growing impatience for the game's release, ArenaNet brought some prominent members of the European community together for an EU Fan Day full of fun times and Q&As. The sheer volume of questions answered by the studio prohibits us from even attempting a complete summary in the span of this post, but if you're at all interested in the game, it's worth a read. PvP rank-specific emotes, guild features, and an unrevealed PvP map that "will be very nostalgic for GW players" are all on the table for discussion, so to get the full, juicy details, just head on over to the official Guild Wars 2 Twitter and check out today's posts marked with the hashtag #EUFanDay.
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| Be vewy vewy quiet; we're hunting demons: A look at Diablo III's Demon Hunter Posted: 02 Apr 2012 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Classes, News items, Diablo III  The world of Diablo III is a dark and dismal one indeed. Between the whole hell-leaking-into-earth thing and the utterly ludicrous number of undead monstrosities roaming the land, the denizens of Sanctuary have it rough. Thankfully, a number of survivors have risen up and established themselves as Demon Hunters who utilize grace, agility, and lots of explosives to rid the world of its demonic taint. For players planning to join the ranks of these Demon Hunters, Blizzard has released a brand-new video highlighting the many skills available to the class. If flurries of crossbow bolts, flaming shuriken boomerangs, and the dexterity of a lynx on crack appeal to you at all, then the Demon Hunter is probably right up your alley. But hey, you don't have to take our word for it; go check out the full video and decide for yourselves. Continue reading Be vewy vewy quiet; we're hunting demons: A look at Diablo III's Demon Hunter
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| EVE Online fixes boomerang exploit Posted: 02 Apr 2012 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Bugs, Patches, Sandbox  CCP considered it an official and actionable game exploit to avoid CONCORD retaliation in high-security space by attacking a target right after the aggressor warps away or within the same grid in which the player earned a Global Criminal Countdown. Those who used the exploit prior to the fix could have found themselves dealing with a much scarier force than CONCORD: game masters themselves. Now, any player with a GCC will simply be unable to warp away. Other than keeping boomerangs in the hands of kangaroos where they belong, Crucible patch 1.6.3 contains a few localization fixes, the ability to add a station as a waypoint or destination through the API, and some pesky client crashing issues.
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| Wings Over Atreia: Fools and tools Posted: 02 Apr 2012 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Aion, Business models, Events, in-game, Expansions, Opinion, Wings Over Atreia  Whoa, deja vu there for a moment. But with the launch of Aion's next big expansion just around the corner, very few phrases can capture the feeling in their air quite like that old standby. Many players are anticipating the move to free-to-play along with the introduction of new content (even if information on the upcoming changes has been less than prolific). To pass the time until the 11th, some Daevas are participating in the latest Aion event, the aptly named Fool's Day. More still are on the lookout for and latching on to every bit of information that comes out about the incoming patch. As for me, I'm a multi-tasker, so I am simultaneously checking out the event and utilizing my hooks to snag every bit of info I come across all while sharing said results with you! Continue reading Wings Over Atreia: Fools and tools
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