| MMO Family: How helpful are those ESRB ratings? Posted: 02 May 2012 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Culture, MMO industry, Opinion, Kids, MMO Family, Family, Miscellaneous Quick, what's the ESRB rating symbol of your favorite MMO of choice? And if you know that, what are the content descriptors that account for your game's rating? If you got them right, bravo! According to the ESRB's official poll, 85% of parents with children who play video games are aware of the ratings system. For those not familiar, here's the deal: The Entertainment Software Rating Board began in 1994 with the goal of providing a standard set of ratings and descriptors to help adults choose appropriate games for children. But the real question is, are ESRB ratings accurate when it comes to MMOs? The poll also claims that 65% of parents regularly check a game's rating before making a purchase, but are those ratings as helpful when choosing an MMO for your children? Read on for a look at why the E, T, and AO symbols might actually deserve an F. Continue reading MMO Family: How helpful are those ESRB ratings?  MMO Family: How helpful are those ESRB ratings? originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 02 May 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Repopulation lets players customize outfits to their hearts' content Posted: 02 May 2012 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-fi, Video, Game mechanics, Previews, Dev Diaries, Sandbox As The Repopulation is free from conventional MMO leveling and hews to skill-based progression instead, dealing with player gear is substantially more difficult than it would be otherwise. The team posted a five-minute dev video explaining how items, repair, and what it calls "fittings" work in the game. The long and the short of The Repopulation's gear system is that players will be able to pick the outfit (or "shells") that they like the best visually and then equip the stats they want on it. This is done through fittings, which is similar to socket systems found in other MMOs. As outfits take damage, the conditions of the fittings can and do degrade, reducing the stats associated with it. If it gets too bad, the fittings will either need to be repaired or replaced. You can check out The Repopulation's gear system after the break. The team is currently accepting signups for June's alpha testing. [Thanks to Halldorr and J.C. for the tip!] Continue reading The Repopulation lets players customize outfits to their hearts' content The Repopulation lets players customize outfits to their hearts' content originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 02 May 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| CCP analyzes EVE's Jita player event Posted: 02 May 2012 08:30 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Events, in-game, Game mechanics, MMO industry, News items, Sandbox If you warped into EVE Online's Jita merchant hub last week, chances are you didn't make it out alive. If you were plying your trade elsewhere in New Eden, the much-hyped "Burn Jita" campaign likely didn't even register on your radar. It registered on CCP's, though, as shown by the company's latest EVE-focused dev blog. As per usual, there are a bunch of pretty graphs and plenty of tech-speak. There's also some verbiage related to TiDi (time dilation), which is CCP's way of dealing with massive concentrations of players in its single-shard universe. It's worth noting that since the devs had advance warning of this particular player-run event, they were able to beef up EVE's server infrastructure to handle the increased load. You can read all the technical details on the game's official website. CCP analyzes EVE's Jita player event originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 02 May 2012 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Farscape MMO plans from shuttered studio go public Posted: 02 May 2012 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Game mechanics, MMO industry, News items, Miscellaneous So, Farscape fans, what would you say to an MMO based on your favorite IP that was designed by former members of Fallen Earth's dev team? If you answered yes please, we've got both good news and bad news. The bad news is that the game is dead in the water. The good news is that former Fallen Earth lead designer Lee Hammock has made a ton of information about the development process available on his blog. In a nutshell, Hammock and other Fallen Earth ex-patriots signed on with a startup company a couple of years ago. Said company claimed to have $150 million in funding, so the devs jumped into pre-production (which included a design document, over 200 pages of content iteration, and meetings with Farscape creator Rockne O'Bannon and Jim Henson Studios). After six months of work, funding dried up and the startup's CEO left the devs empty-handed. Former project lead Colin Dwan told us that the motivation behind releasing this information now is twofold. "We want people to see some of what goes into writing a design doc for a multi-million dollar MMO. We want to share the passion we had for a universe that was cut short without having a chance to see the light of day," he said. Head to Hammock's blog to see some concept art, storyline info, the project mission statement, and more. Farscape MMO plans from shuttered studio go public originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 02 May 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| SWTOR on the rise and planning more PvP, endgame content Posted: 02 May 2012 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Events, in-game, Interviews, Patches, Star Wars: The Old Republic Star Wars: The Old Republic's moon (that's no moon...) is waxing, not waning, says Daniel Erickson. BioWare's lead designer on the project said that rumors of the game's demise are incredibly premature -- and outright wrong. Following Update 1.2 and the Rakghoul Outbreak live event, Erickson reports that player activity in the game is increasing. He said that the studio is working hard to keep its customers happy: "The community has generally been excited about the direction the game is going as we finish up our last must-have quality of life features (group finder, etc) and can start concentrating full-time on creative things like the world events." Erickson said that the live event was kept a surprise to make it "feel organic" and not spoil everything in this age of instant internet sharing. He said that the team took a cue from World of Warcraft's Corrupted Blood plague that swept through the game in 2005 and tried to channel the player's actions to fun rather than griefing. He says that the team discovered that SWTOR had a huge PvP community and has since "turned a huge amount of resources" to developing more content for that side of the game. BioWare's also shifted several team members over to creating more endgame content as the players chew through the stories at an increasing rate. SWTOR on the rise and planning more PvP, endgame content originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 02 May 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Daily Grind: Does fighting multiple mobs at once make you feel heroic? Posted: 02 May 2012 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous One of BioWare's stated goals with Star Wars: The Old Republic was to make players feel more "heroic" by having them wade into packs of mobs more frequently than one-on-one encounters. The thinking here is that movie heroes often fend off whole groups at a time to showcase their prowess and tenacity, so why not game heroes? SWTOR isn't alone in tossing players into enemy packs and seeing how it turns out. Most of the superhero MMOs are notorious for doing this, but if a Batman can't lay waste to entire street gangs at once, why does he wake up in the morning? So we want to hear from you on this: Does fighting multiple mobs at once make you feel heroic? If you accidentally pull more than expected and live to tell the tale, does it fill your inner ego banks and make you flex and go, "Oh, I am bad, you know it, you know it!"?  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: Does fighting multiple mobs at once make you feel heroic? originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 02 May 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| League of Legends' World Championship is worth a cool three million bucks Posted: 01 May 2012 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Events, real-world, News items, Free-to-play, MOBA, League of Legends League of Legends' hold on the e-sports community appears to be going strong, especially if we're judging based on the sheer size of the prize pool up for grabs in this season's World Championships. How much money will players be competing for this time around? Something to the tune of three million bucks. The folks over at PC Gamer got the opportunity to sit down with Riot Games' Vice President of e-sports, Dustin Beck, to have a chat about the upcoming League of Legends World Championships and the competitive gaming scene as a whole. The interview includes some insight into the game's success in the e-sports circuit as well as some discussion on the various teams and strategies we can expect to see on the tournament level at this year's championships. For all of the sweet, juicy information, just head on over and check out the full article. League of Legends' World Championship is worth a cool three million bucks originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 01 May 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Diablo III offers global play, provides a guide to the auction house Posted: 01 May 2012 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, Previews, News items, Diablo III As Diablo III gets ever closer to release, you've probably moved on from the question of what you're going to play and on to the question of who you're going to play with. If your friends live across the planet, that's going to make things a little more difficult, but with the new Global Play feature, not impossible. Players will be able to play in any region, although the real-money auction house will only be accessible in your home region and your characters from the home region won't transfer to the global service. You hadn't forgotten the real-money auction house, had you? Just in case you had, a new official guide is available detailing how the service will work, what regions can use what money, and of course the actual mechanics of buying and selling. Players using the global play feature will not have access to the real money house of other regions, but will have access to the regular auction house, so even if you're planning on a global jaunt, it's worth examining the particulars. Diablo III offers global play, provides a guide to the auction house originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 01 May 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| TERA reveals launch trailers, provides update on account errors Posted: 01 May 2012 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Launches, News items, TERA  Today is a fateful day for Arboreans everywhere, as En Masse Entertainment's spankin'-new action-based MMO, TERA, is officially live. In celebration of the momentous occasion, the studio has released a shiny launch trailer for existing fans and potential players alike to feast their eyes upon. As one might expect from the game that coined the terms "big-ass monster" and "real action combat," the trailer is essentially a series of scenes of ass-kicking set to some suitably epic music, offering players a glimpse at the fast-paced combat they can expect from the title. In addition to the launch trailer, the studio has posted the two final race videos; we've included all three after the cut. But of course, MMO launch days are always fraught with at least a few issues, and TERA's launch is no different. Many players are experiencing errors that are keeping them from getting into and enjoying the game, but En Masse tells those players to rest assured that the team is "actively working to resolve them." Players experiencing those issues should keep an eye on the official TERA site as well as the game's Twitter and Facebook pages, as any updates to the situation will be posted as they happen. Continue reading TERA reveals launch trailers, provides update on account errors TERA reveals launch trailers, provides update on account errors originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 01 May 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Storybricks starts Kickstarter campaign, welcomes aboard animators Don Bluth and Gary Goldman Posted: 01 May 2012 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, MMO industry, News items, Miscellaneous, Sandbox Build-your-own-MMO toolset Storybricks is getting a major second wind today as the company's announced that it's brought on board legendary animators Don Bluth and Gary Goldman to assist in animation and character design. The two are well-known in both the film and video game industry for their work on The Secret of NIMH and Dragon's Lair (among many other projects). "We intend to bring our experience in animation and character design to help provide appealing, believable, thinking characters to Storybricks' founding partners' vision for gaming," Goldman said. The two join a dream team of advisors for the project that includes Richard Bartle, Liz Danforth, and Chris Avellone. Storybricks is also tapping the Kickstarter well to help fund the project. The team hopes to raise $250,000 in pledges by June 1st. "Though we have found the right people who share our mad (or perhaps inspired) vision of role-playing and storytelling in computer RPGs, we haven't been able to find enough people willing to write us a check," the team explains on the page. Sponsors can get copies of the game, beta keys, and even digital versions of themselves inserted into the final version. [Source: Storybricks press release] Storybricks starts Kickstarter campaign, welcomes aboard animators Don Bluth and Gary Goldman originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 01 May 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Hyperspace Beacon: Six things SWTOR and GW2 can learn from each other Posted: 01 May 2012 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-fi, New titles, Previews, PvP, PvE, Opinion, Guild Wars 2, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Hyperspace Beacon As I'm sure most of you can guess by the title of this piece, I spent a little time in another MMO this weekend. That doesn't mean that I will be trading in my Jawas and Wookiees for Asura and Charr. However, I will admit that Star Wars: The Old Republic does not contain everything I want from an MMO. That's also not say that Guild Wars 2 has all those missing elements. But I believe there are quite a few things that both of these great MMOs can learn from each other to make the overall MMO experience better for everyone. Before I begin this breakdown, I should state that this is not a comprehensive list of everything that I liked and disliked from either game. At the same time, I want to also state that, besides the 20 or so minutes at trade shows I had with the game, this weekend marked the first time I've spent any serious time in Guild Wars 2. My opinion here is far from complete, and my experience is really based on the first 10 levels of GW2. Lastly, I'd like to say that Wookiees will always be cooler than Charr! Continue reading Hyperspace Beacon: Six things SWTOR and GW2 can learn from each other Hyperspace Beacon: Six things SWTOR and GW2 can learn from each other originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 01 May 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Game Archaeologist: When dead MMOs come back to life Posted: 01 May 2012 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-fi, The Matrix Online, Star Wars Galaxies, Hellgate: London, Tabula Rasa, Shadowbane, Mythos, Free-to-play, All Points Bulletin, LEGO Universe, The Game Archaeologist, Faxion Online Maybe I'm alone in this, but my jaw just dropped when I came home this past week to see that Massively posted the news that Shadowbane is coming back to life. Granted, it's only going to happen in China, but still, that's pretty incredible. Shadowbane's been in the ground for three years now, and if I had to pick an MMO that deserved resurrection, this particular one would be farthest from my mind (no offense if you liked the game; it's just that there are so many others that are even more worthy). But how can this not give you hope? Many of us have lost an MMO we loved or at least had a decked-out character populating the character select screen, and the thought of that game coming back against all odds is a goosebump-rising one. It may also smack of justice served, as some MMOs fail not because of faulty gameplay but because of mismanagement by the studio, complex legal wrangling, or bad marketing. Today let's look at a few examples of dead MMOs that were brought back to life and what this may mean for the future of the industry. Zombie MMOs! Not, you know, MMOs with zombies. Continue reading The Game Archaeologist: When dead MMOs come back to life The Game Archaeologist: When dead MMOs come back to life originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 01 May 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Soapbox: The perils of passive gaming Posted: 01 May 2012 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest, Business models, Culture, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Opinion, Free-to-play, The Soapbox, Miscellaneous Disclaimer: The Soapbox column is entirely the opinion of this week's writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Massively as a whole. If you're afraid of opinions other than your own, you might want to skip this column. My folks don't really understand my infatuation with video games (and MMORPGs in particular). "How can you sit there and play a game for two or three hours at a time?" my mom is fond of asking. Ironically, this usually happens on a visit that ends where most of our visits do: on the couch in front of the television. Don't get me wrong; she's no couch potato, and in fact she has the meanest green thumb you'll ever see. When the sun goes down, though, my parents (like most of their generation, I'll wager) park their butts in front of the TV. That I should park my own posterior in front of the computer is exceedingly strange to them even though online gaming is to the 21st century what television was to the 20th. I wonder, though, if games are starting to become more passive forms of TV-like entertainment. Continue reading The Soapbox: The perils of passive gaming The Soapbox: The perils of passive gaming originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 01 May 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Elsword celebrates first anniversary with cake Posted: 01 May 2012 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Events, in-game, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play, Anniversary It seems like every other day is an MMO anniversary around these parts. Next on the list is Elsword Online, the free-to-play side-scrolling manga actioner from Kill3rCombo. "As with any new business venture in North America, we were both apprehensive and hopeful that online gamers would receive Elsword as well as audiences overseas have," says Kill3rCombo CEO Ben Colayco. "Now, as we celebrate Elsword's first anniversary, we are proud that the game continues to grow and has found its niche within the gaming community." The firm is not only proud but in a giving mood if the in-game anniversary festivities are any indication. Players can enjoy reward-filled anniversary cubes, hit point recovery cake, limited edition coins, play-time bonuses, and increased drop rates. All of this is ongoing through May 8th, so log in now to join the celebration. [Source: Kill3rCombo press release] Elsword celebrates first anniversary with cake originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 01 May 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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