MMORPG Reviews

MMORPG Reviews

The migration of War Rock Global to Nexon Europe is now complete

Posted: 18 Jun 2012 10:17 AM PDT

Nexon Europe has announced that the migration of War Rock Global to Nexon Europe is now complete. War Rock boasts a huge active Community and Nexon Europe endeavor to continue supporting such a dedicated user base. War Rock is a fast-paced FPS set within the fictional Republic of Derbaran during an intense nuclear war. Players [...]

Heroes & Generals has released a new Beta Videolog

Posted: 18 Jun 2012 09:30 AM PDT

Heroes & Generals has released the Bradley Beta Videolog that shows some of the features of the new ‘Bradley‘ update for Reto-Moto’s upcoming MMOFPS. The game is currently in Beta-stage, so bear in mind that the graphics and sound shown here is still not final. The features highlighted in this Videolog are: - Weapon tweaks [...]

NGames has revealed the four professions of the pirate inspired MMORPG Pockie Pirate

Posted: 18 Jun 2012 09:00 AM PDT

NGames has revealed the four professions of the pirate inspired MMORPG Pockie Pirates that is going to be launched this summer. Doctors, Navigators, Great Swordsmen, and Snipers are this four classes. To help players decide which pirates life is best for them, publisher NGames has revealed details of the games four dual gendered in-game professions. [...]

CCP Games has released a new video of Eve Online that shows the CCP’s conquests at E3

Posted: 18 Jun 2012 05:36 AM PDT

CCP Games has released a new video of Eve Online that shows the CCP’s conquests at E3, the world’s largest and coolest gaming convention that only cool people get to go to. The video also dive into some of the features coming in Eve Online upcoming point release, Inferno 1.1. Briefly, the major additions include: [...]

Trion Worlds has released first episode of the second season its MMORTS End of Nations: Warfront

Posted: 18 Jun 2012 04:39 AM PDT

Trion Worlds has released a new video for its MMORTS, End of Nations, the upcoming online free-to-play PC title slated to enter closed beta soon. The video is the first episode of second season End of Nations: Warfront.

Combat Arms has beginned the “Spiders vs Scorpion” event

Posted: 18 Jun 2012 03:50 AM PDT

Nexon America's MMOFPS Combat Arms has opened the "Spiders vs Scorpion" event. This event splits the entire player base of the game, more than six million registered users, into two factions, fighting through four rounds in hopes earning rewards and bragging rights as "Combat Arms'" the top guns. The "Spiders versus Scorpions" event consists of [...]

Nexon America has released a new video that highlights Vindictus 10th episode

Posted: 18 Jun 2012 03:30 AM PDT

Nexon America has released a new video for its physics-based action MMORPG, Vindictus, that highlighs the features of its newest content update. The video shows off the three new dragons unleashed into the Vindictus world, including the Ice, Earth and Black dragons. The dragons are raid bosses which provide great rewards for the group that [...]

Blacklight Retribution has released a new game mode, Kill Confirmed and a new map, named Seaport

Posted: 18 Jun 2012 01:50 AM PDT

Blacklight Retribution has released a new exciting map, Seaport and a new game mode, Kill Confirmed. In this new game mode you have to neutralize enemy agents and “confirm” the kill by collecting the kill-data left behind on their corpses. To win you have to collect kill-data from fallen comrades and deny enemy agents the [...]
Posted by Shri Krishna


General Gaming Article

General Gaming Article

Microsoft Announces Own-Brand 'Surface' Tablets

Posted: 18 Jun 2012 08:39 PM PDT

Until a few hours ago, the tech media was busy speculating about an upcoming "major announcement" from Microsoft. Some said it had something to do with Windows RT, while others said the company was going to unveil its first self-branded tablets. As it turns out, both of them were right. At an invitation-only event in Los Angeles today, Microsoft unveiled not one but two own-brand tablet PCs.

The "Surface" family of Microsoft-made PCs includes two devices: the Surface for Windows 8 Pro and the Surface for Windows RT. Both sport a 10.6-inch display and are made out of vapor-deposited magnesium. Microsoft has also announced Type and Touch keypad covers for those who prefer a more traditional typing experience over the one provided by an on-screen keyboard. Their specs are as follows:

Surface for Windows RT

  • OS: Windows RT
  • Light(1): 676 g
  • Thin(2): 9.3 mm
  • Clear: 10.6" ClearType HD Display
  • Energized: 31.5 W-h
  • Connected: microSD, USB 2.0, Micro HD Video, 2x2 MIMO antennae
  • Productive: Office '15' Apps, Touch Cover, Type Cover
  • Practical: VaporMg Case & Stand
  • Configurable: 32 GB, 64 GB

Surface for Windows 8 Pro

  • OS: Windows 8 Pro
  • Light: 903 g
  • Thin: 13.5 mm
  • Clear: 10.6" ClearType Full HD Display
  • Energized: 42 W-h
  • Connected: microSDXC, USB 3.0, Mini DisplayPort Video, 2x2 MIMO antennae
  • Productive: Touch Cover, Type Cover, Pen with Palm Block
  • Practical: VaporMg Case & Stand
  • Configurable: 64 GB, 128 GB

This is what the official press release says regarding pricing and availability: "Suggested retail pricing will be announced closer to availability and is expected to be competitive with a comparable ARM tablet or Intel Ultrabook-class PC. OEMs will have cost and feature parity on Windows 8 and Windows RT."

Nvidia 304.48 Beta Drivers Boost Performance and Stamp Out Annoying GTX 600-Series Bugs

Posted: 18 Jun 2012 11:25 AM PDT

Nvidia's rolled out its latest iteration of beta drivers, and these looks like a must-have for GTX 600-series owners. In addition to the usual performance tweaks and added SLI and 3D Vision profiles for GTX 400, 500 and 600-series cards, the GeForce 304.48 beta drivers pack in fixes for some troublesome problems that have been irking GeForce GTX 600 adopters.

Nvidia's GeForce blog reports that the update corrects that annoying Adaptive VSync some users were running into, as well as an issue with the Global FXAA settings that turned the text in some programs -- such as Windows Live Mail -- into an unreadable, anti-aliased mess. Finally, some overclocked GTX 600 owners were finding that the 3xx drivers were forcing their cards into constantly running at idle clock speeds; 304.48 fixes that, too.

Then, there are the performance tweaks, which Nvidia claims can boost the frame rates in some titles by up to 18 percent.

Check out Nvidia's GeForce blog for a full list of improvements, or wander over to the GeForce beta drivers page to nab 304.48 for your rig.

Intel's Brain-Like Neuromophic CPUs Provide Possible Blueprint for Future Generations of Robotic Overlords

Posted: 18 Jun 2012 10:57 AM PDT

Intel's placing its bets on more than just the company's top-notch fabrication facilities; the company apparently has a stake in creating future generations of robot overlords, as well. Less than a month ago, Intel unveiled a new research project designed to make technology that's smart enough to learn its user's personal quirks and adapt accordingly; last week, Intel researchers published a proposal for a new, neuromorphic chip design -- hardware that mimics the human brain.

Intel's technique differs quite a bit from IBM's cognitive chips, which were first announced almost a year ago. While IBM's brain chips use traditional silicon circuits containing so-called "neurosynaptic cores" with "programmable synapses" and "learning synapses," the method proposed by Intel instead uses multi-input lateral spin valves and memristors. The LSVs are itty bitty magnets that change their magnetism depending on the rotation of the electrons coursing through them, while memristors either increase or decrease their electrical resistance depending on the direction of the electrical current's flow.

The Intel researchers say that by arranging these parts into specific configurations, the LSVs can basically act as neurons, while the memristors mimic synapses. They also claim that the neuromorphic CPUs are amazingly energy efficient, using 15 to 300 times less power than current CMOS technology.

The group claims that the chip would be good for processing tasks similar to what humans do, such as "analog-data-sensing, data-conversion, cognitive-computing, associative memory, programmable-logic and analog and digital signal processing."

One big caveat; at this stage, Intel's neuromorphic CPU is entirely theoretical, while IBM's brain-clone is already a prototype. That being said, you can read all about Intel's neuromorphic chip in the company's whitepaper proposal, which you can find in entirety here. (PDF)

(In related news, scientists have taught babbling baby robots how to speak, kinda.)

Via Technology Review

Linus Torvalds Tosses F-Bombs, Middle Fingers and General Disdain at Nvidia

Posted: 18 Jun 2012 10:12 AM PDT

Between the new GTX 600 series GPUs and its top-notch Tegra 3 mobile chips, Nvidia's been getting a lot of love from the press and consumers alike in recent months. One guy ain't so happy with the company, though: Linus Torvalds. His lack of love revolves around Nvidia's continued reluctance to show the love to the Linux operating system -- and Linus isn't afraid to express his displeasure, either with words or obscene gestures.

"Nvidia has been the single worst company we've dealt with," Linus says in the brief clip below, which is taken from a much longer talk at the Aalto Center for Entrepreneurship (ACE) in Otaniemi, Finland.  (Hit this link to see the whole, interesting thing.) The tirade is kicked off by a weary user who had to jump through hoops to try and enable her laptop's Nvidia Optimus technology while running the open-source operating system.

Linus talks about the hypocrisy of Nvidia's lackluster Linux support in the light of the company's heavy forays into Android before staring directly into the camera and extending his middle finger.

"Nvidia… Fuck you!" he says, the words slowly and pointedly rolling off his tongue, just in case the gesture alone didn't get the point across.

You gotta give it to Linus; he calls 'em like he sees 'em, and winning the prestigious Millennium Technology Prize hasn't curbed his opinionated tongue.

Via The Verge

Verizon Introduces Flippin' Fast 300Mbps FiOS Quantum Internet Service

Posted: 18 Jun 2012 07:51 AM PDT

Remember when 56.6K dial-up modems were the cat's meow? My, how we've grown up in the past couple of decades, and so has Verizon, which just unveiled new FiOS Internet tiers and pricing, culminating in FiOS Quantum with blistering fast downloads (up to 300Mbps) and scorching uploads (up to 65Mbps), which will set you back $210 per month, or $205 per month with a two-year contract.

"A revolution in speed has arrived," said Bob Mudge, president of Verizon's consumer and mass market business unit. "The new FiOS Internet speed and bundle options provide incredible value, and represent the most significant mass scale, consumer broadband speed enhancement in the nation in the past decade."

Other standalone tiers include 3/1Mbps (download/upload) for $60/$55 month (month-to-month/two-year service contract), 15/5Mbps for $70/$65, 20/25Mbps for $80/$75, 75/35Mbps for $90/$85, and 150/65Mbps for $100/$95. Verizon also offers triple-play (TV, phone, Internet) and double-play (TV, Internet) bundles at various price points for new and existing customers.

To put the new speeds in perspective, Verizon says it would take 1.4 seconds to download 10 songs (50MB each) at 300Mbps, 2.7 seconds at 150Mbps, 5.3 seconds at 75Mbps, 8 seconds at 50Mbps, and 26.7 seconds at 15Mbps. And to download a 5GB movie or upload 200 photos (250MB each), it would take 2.2 minutes and 31 seconds, respectively, on FiOS Quantum.

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Google: Number of Government Requests to Censor Internet Data is 'Troubling'

Posted: 18 Jun 2012 07:22 AM PDT

The Internet may have forever changed the way information is shared and consumed, but what hasn't changed is the fact that government agencies around the globe go to great efforts to censor certain data. Google, which now discloses government requests to remove certain links and YouTube videos, says that what it's seen over the past two years has been nothing short of "troubling."

"When we started releasing this data in 2010, we also added annotations with some of the more interesting stories behind the numbers," Google stated in a blog post. "We noticed that government agencies from different countries would sometimes ask us to remove political content that our users had posted on our services. We hoped this was an aberration. But now we know it's not."

In particular, Google is concerned about the number of take down requests it receives over political speech.

"It's alarming not only because free expression is at risk, but because some of these requests come from countries you might not suspect -- Western democracies not typically associated with censorship," Google says.

Need examples? Google claims Spanish regulators in the last half year accounted for 270 search removal requests linking to blogs and newspaper articles referencing public figures such as mayors and public prosecutors. And in Poland, Google received a request from a public institution to censor certain links that criticized the establishment. All of these were denied.

Here in the U.S., Google says a law enforement agency requested that 1,400 YouTube videos be taken down due to alleged harrassment. The total number of content removal requests Google received in the past six months has more than doubled compared to the previous reporting period, the search company said.

Image Credit: Simon James (Wikimeda Commons)

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U.S. Reclaims Pole Position in Latest TOP500 List of Super Computers

Posted: 18 Jun 2012 06:37 AM PDT

November 2009 was the last time a United States supercomputer sat on top of the TOP500 list of the world's fastest supercomputers, and thanks to Sequoia, an IBM BlueGene/Q system residing at the Department of Energy's Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, the U.S. is back out in front of the pack after it achieved 16.32 petaflop/s on the Linpack benchmark. Over a million and a half cores (1,572,864, to be exact) comprise Sequoia, which TOP500 describes as one of the most energy efficient systems on the list.

TOP500 released the new list today at the 2012 International Supercomputing Conference in Hamburg, Germany. It's the 39th edition of the bi-annual list, which shows the U.S. claiming three of the top 10 spots. Mira, another system with IBM BlueGene/Q DNA, sits in third place, while Jaguar, a Cray XK6 system, resides at No. 6.

Fujitsu's K computer out of Japan held the No. 1 spot on the previous two lists and is now in second place with a 10.51 Pflop/s score on the Linpack benchmark. The system is comprised of 705,024 SPARC64 processing cores.

The list represents a staggering amount of computer power, made even more impressive by how quickly the collective performance has grown. Pooled together, the list now represents 123.4 Pflop/s of performance, up from 74.2 Pflop/s back in November 2011.

Image Credit: NNSA

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iBuyPower Saddles Up with 17-inch Valkyrie Gaming Laptop

Posted: 18 Jun 2012 06:09 AM PDT

Boutique system builder iBuyPower is launching its own line of signature series gaming laptops called Valkyrie. The first in the new series is the Valkyrie CZ-17, a 17-inch notebook with a Full HD 1080p display driven by 3rd Generation Intel Core processor (Ivy Bridge) options and Nvidia GeForce GTX 600 series (GTX 670 or GTX 675) discrete graphics, along with up to 32GB of DDR3 memory (8GB comes standard).

iBuyPower claims its Valkyrie line combines a "unique design with full configurability and maximum price-performance value." Cost of entry is $1,300, which gets you:

  • Intel Core i7 3610QM processor
  • 8GB of DDR3-1333 memory
  • Nvidia GeForce GTX 670M graphics
  • 500GB 5400 RPM hard drive
  • 8X DVD burner
  • 4-in-1 media card reader
  • Killer E2200 NIC
  • THX TrueStudio Pro sound
  • 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi + Bluetooth combo
  • 3MP webcam
  • Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit

Upgrade options abound, including meatier (and faster) storage solutions, the sore thumb in an otherwise well spec'd machine. As for the chassis, it boasts USB 3.0 support, a DisplayPort, HDMI output, fingerprint reader, and backlit keyboard.

Image Credit: iBuyPower

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Posted by Shri Krishna

MMO News

MMO News

Illyriad Introduces New User Interface And More

Posted: 18 Jun 2012 11:06 AM PDT

Illyriad has released a new update introducing a new user interface, friends lists, and more.

The user interface redesign has been developed to make it more user-friendly and introduce more features including additional navigation options, a search tool, tabbed sidebar settings, a friends list, and an interactive lore-book.

Additionally, the game has introduced the Alliance Medal system. Players can combine hundreds of pieces into a design for a medal, and then award these medals to their Alliance fellows, complete with a custom title for the player’s profile page. This new system lets the community award prizes, awards, and rankings to each other. Medals are purchased in a shared Alliance Prestige Pool system, where players can donate in-game currency into a shared Alliance bank.

A walkthrough of these changes is available in the latest Dev-chat video.

Illyriad Dev Chat: New UIv3 and Alliance Medals

Source:

Illyriad Update Introduces New UI and Alliance Medals

Illyriad, the acclaimed HTML5 massively multiplayer online strategy game, introduces a new user interface, Alliance Medal award system, friends lists and more.

The new Alliance Medal system allows players to design a deeply customizable award from hundreds of unique pieces that can be combined to create thousands of unique design options. Players can then award the medal to a fellow member of their in-game Alliance to be displayed along with a custom title on the player’s profile page. Medals give Illyriad players an opportunity to grant prizes, awards and inter-alliance rankings for their peers in a meaningful and interactive way. Medals are purchased through a new shared Alliance Prestige Pool system that allows players to donate in-game currency into a shared bank for Alliance use.

A refreshed user interface is also now available in game. The re-designed UI gives a cleaner, more user-friendly visual appearance and adds many usability improvements including: additional navigation options, tabbed sidebar settings, a game-wide search tool, new friends list feature and an interactive lore book within the game.

Video with a walk-through of the UI changes and medal designer is available here: http://youtu.be/q8GWVMmhXGk

Illyriad’s latest update, including these and other features, goes live this weekend.

Pockie Pirates Reveals Classes And New Trailer

Posted: 18 Jun 2012 10:28 AM PDT

The four classes of Pockie Pirates have been revealed by NGames.

First up is the Doctor, a balanced class with a focus on healing and assisting (compared to Chopper of One Piece). Next is the Navigator, focused in long-ranged magic attacks (compare to Nami). This is followed up by the Great Swordsman, a phyiscal attacker (Santoryu Roronoa Zoro, Hawk-Eyes Mihawk) and the Sniper, a fast and agile attacker (Snipe King Usopp).

The game’s first CG Trailer has also been released.

NGames also publishes Pockie Ninja and Anime Trumps.

Pockie Pirates CG Trailer

Source:

Pockie Pirates Professions Revealed

Upcoming Pirate-inspired MMORPG reveals classes and a new CG trailer.

Pockie Pirates players will be given a choice of four professions (classes) when the pirate Inspired MMORPG launches this summer.

Doctors, Navigators, Great Swordsmen, and Snipers – the action-packed world of side-scrolling pirate MMORPG, Pockie Pirates, is full of them!

To help players decide which pirates life is best for them, publisher NGames has revealed details of the games four dual gendered in-game professions. Each class will be playble in the upcoming beta launch, due to hit screens later this month.

Doctor

Doctors are smart, agile, excellent all rounders with an emphasis on healing and assisting. It is a Doctor’s duty to ensure their crew maintains a high HP during battle; with all those peg legs and the risk of sea scurvy, a pirate’s life would be short without the healing hands of a nearby medical professional.

Fan of One Piece? Playing as a Doctor will remind you of the lovely pet doctor, Chopper.

Navigator

The wisest members of any ship, trained Navigators light the way for their crew along the Great Line with incredibly effective long-range magic attacks. Although they may be weak when it comes to physical defense, Navigators possess magic capable of dealing catastrophic damage to any opponent, even when they’re down to their last breath.

Fans of One Piece character, Nami, will get a kick out of playing Navigator for their crew.

Great Swordsman

There is nobody greater than the Great Swordsman when it comes to close combat. Adept in both physical attack and defense, these fearless combatants are renowned for their fast, precise and ruthless attacking capabilities. Remember: you can’t put together a great pirate crew without being able to wield a sword.

The life of One Piece pirate hunters Santoryu Roronoa Zoro and Hawk-Eyes Mihawk will spring to mind while exploring this profession.

Sniper

A long-range class with fast speed, high attack and moderate defense – the Sniper is the most flexible character choice in Pockie Pirates. Their power is matched by their agility and expert ability to dodge and hit.

Sniper experts will want to make Snipe King Usopp proud on their journey to becoming the King of Pirates.

Pockie Pirates – CG Trailer

NGames has released a new CG trailer showing how fast and furious their Pirate-inspired MMORPG will be when the beta launches later this month: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-VyhN-QY0Y

Become the King of the Pirates and join Pockie Pirates on Game321 this summer. Players can pre-register at the official website here: http://pirates.game321.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PockiePirates
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/PockiePirates
Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/playgame321?feature=mhee

New Beta Developer Videolog for Heroes & Generals

Posted: 18 Jun 2012 10:14 AM PDT

Reto-moto has released a new developer videolog for its upcoming title, Heroes & Generals.

The videolog showcases the Bradley update coming to the game’s current beta. Highlighted in the video are new weapon tweaks and balances, a showcase of the new layout of the ‘Town’ map, new player character choices and equipment and a walkthrough of the game’s weapon modification system.

To find out more about Heroes & Generals, check out our First Look video.

Heroes & Generals Beta Videolog 2: Bradley

Source:

New ‘Bradley’ Developer Videolog from Heroes & Generals

Heroes & Generals – Beta Videolog 2: Bradley showing weapon tweaks, new ‘Town’ Map layout and a walkthrough of Weapon Modifications.

This videolog shows some of the features of the new ‘Bradley’ update for Reto-Moto’s upcoming Massive Online Strategic Shooter: Heroes & Generals. The game is currently in Beta-stage, so bear in mind that the graphics and sound shown here is still not final.

The features highlighted in this Videolog are:

  • Weapon tweaks
  • Walkthrough of Weapon Modifications
  • New ‘Town’ Map Layout
  • Support the development: Buy Warbonds!

We encourage all gamers to sign up for a Beta-key at www.heroesandgenerals.com and help us make the game YOU want to play!
Posted by Shri Krishna

MMO Updates

MMO Updates

Captain's Log: STO's loaded for bear

Posted: 18 Jun 2012 10:00 AM PDT

Filed under: , , , , , ,

Morn Header STO
In continued preparation for the coming release of Season Six, this week Star Trek Online players saw the reemergence of the State of Game letters from STO Executive Producer Daniel Stahl as well as the launch of the new tier five ship, the Armitage class.

We still await the official release date for Season Six; it hasn't been released to the Tribble test server, but Stahl's letter gives additional insight into what players can expect from the new season and gives a few hints at what can be anticipated in Season Seven, due out later this year.

So join me as I go over both the letter and the specs for the new ship!

Continue reading Captain's Log: STO's loaded for bear

MassivelyCaptain's Log: STO's loaded for bear originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 18 Jun 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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    SOE highlights E3, Vanu PlanetSide 2 screens

    Posted: 18 Jun 2012 09:00 AM PDT

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    PlanetSide 2

    Many fans are eagerly awaiting the release of PlanetSide 2 -- the MMOFPS promising massive warfare across the continents of Auraxis. The recent trailer of air and ground battles and hands-on demonstrations at E3 just served to whet their appetites. With the convention now in the rear-view mirror, Sony Online Entertainment continues to tempt players with more in-game screenshots, this time focusing on the Vanu Sovereignty Infiltrator, Heavy Assault, and Engineer. Other images showing off various battle vistas and bases that were previously unveiled at E3 have also been released.

    Feed your anticipation for the game by taking a look at the new screenshots along with the other images in our PS2 gallery.

    [Source: SOE press release]

    Gallery: PlanetSide 2

    MassivelySOE highlights E3, Vanu PlanetSide 2 screens originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 18 Jun 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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      Illyriad's revamp adds friends list, medal designer, and more functional UI

      Posted: 18 Jun 2012 08:30 AM PDT

      Filed under: , , , , , , ,

      Illyriad medals
      Although some might argue that "less is more," that does not hold up well when it comes to features in an MMO; who doesn't appreciate more goodies? Illyriad players were treated to just that this weekend as a major update added new features and improved existing ones. The free-to-play fantasy MMORTS now sports a cleaner, more functional UI, a friends list, and a new Alliance medal design system.

      Illyriad also released a video dev chat with Community Manager GM Luna and Art Director GM Cerberus highlighting these changes. GM Luna explains that "everything has been 'refreshed' from the ground up... to make it more user friendly." The new UI transformed the Herald into an interactive book where players can read the lore of the game. The friends list -- a precursor to private chat -- is designed so that players must approve all requests. The medal design feature allows players to create personalized awards and titles for others.

      The video then ends with a community Q&A. You can watch a demonstration of these features in the dev chat after the break. For more about Illyriad, check out Beau's inside look at the game.

      [Source: Illyriad press release]

      Continue reading Illyriad's revamp adds friends list, medal designer, and more functional UI

      MassivelyIllyriad's revamp adds friends list, medal designer, and more functional UI originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 18 Jun 2012 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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        Glitch dev Google Maps all of World of Warcraft

        Posted: 18 Jun 2012 08:00 AM PDT

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        Glitch dev Google Maps all of World of Warcraft
        What do MMO developers do on their day off? If you're Tiny Speck co-founder Cal Henderson, you engage in huge projects concerning other MMOs. The man partially responsible for the sleeper hit Glitch spent a gob of time recreating World of Warcraft in Google Maps, and the result is awe-inspiring.

        Henderson was inspired by an earlier attempt to provide a comprehensive map of the game, but felt that he could vastly improve upon the project. He details in his blog how he went about converting the entire world of Azeroth into Google Maps, including the dungeons and several off-the-grid areas unseen by most players. Henderson also shares a few interesting tidbits that he dug up in WoW's files, including earlier names for areas.

        World of Warcraft is a popular target for such crazy projects. We reported earlier this year that a player was working to create a Minecraft version of the entirety of Azeroth.

        MassivelyGlitch dev Google Maps all of World of Warcraft originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 18 Jun 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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        Embers of Caerus videos cover player stats and dynamic ecology

        Posted: 18 Jun 2012 07:30 AM PDT

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        Embers of Caerus videos cover player stats and dynamic ecology
        Indie sandbox MMO Embers of Caerus wrapped up its kickstarter feature week with a pair of developer videos covering player stats and something called "dynamic ecology." That sounds like a 400-level college course, if you ask us.

        Embers of Caerus has 10 player stats that are divided into two categories: physical and mental. These stats aren't just linebackers for your DPS quarterback, but highly important to the game's many sub-systems. For example, resilience is vital to help fight off infection and parasites. It's interesting to note that while stats increase as players engage in related activities, they will also decrease over time if neglected.

        The devs say that the dynamic ecology system is "one of the most ambitious sides to the project." Dynamic ecology enables the world to be alive and changing, particularly in respect to creatures. While Ultima Online attempted to do this and failed, the Embers of Caerus team is confident that it can succeed due to lessons learned. There will be few if any static spawns, and each kill will matter a lot more than as in other MMOs.

        Check out the two lengthy videos after the jump!

        Continue reading Embers of Caerus videos cover player stats and dynamic ecology

        MassivelyEmbers of Caerus videos cover player stats and dynamic ecology originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 18 Jun 2012 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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        MV Guide: June 18 - 24, 2012

        Posted: 18 Jun 2012 07:00 AM PDT

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        MV Guide June 18 24, 2012
        MV Guide is a weekly rundown of the MMO gaming events planned on Massively TV.

        Every week, the Massively Stream Team 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 each week, so you'll find a variety of titles to watch. During our streamed events, you can participate in the live chat, ask questions to learn about the game, or 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, and let us know if there's a specific game you'd like to see streamed next week!

        Continue reading MV Guide: June 18 - 24, 2012

        MassivelyMV Guide: June 18 - 24, 2012 originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 18 Jun 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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          The Daily Grind: Do you need to be the hero?

          Posted: 18 Jun 2012 06:00 AM PDT

          Filed under: , , , , , ,

          Dungeons of Dredmor
          "In the Elder Scrolls games," Matt Firor says, trying to make the case for solo story in The Elder Scrolls Online, "You're always the hero, whether you want to [be] or not, in some cases." That declaration was news to me; I've been playing cutpurses and scapegraces in the Elder Scrolls series since Daggerfall. In fact, I think the best part of sandbox RPGs (online or not) is that I don't have to be the hero -- I can ignore the main quest line and play my own way or even just lend some firepower to the actual hero NPC, as in Oblivion, which Firor seems to have forgotten.

          What about you? Is ZeniMax going the wrong route by insisting that everyone be the hero in his own little sliver of the world? Do you need to be the hero in an MMO?

          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!

          MassivelyThe Daily Grind: Do you need to be the hero? originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 18 Jun 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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            MMO Week in Review: The bold republic

            Posted: 17 Jun 2012 06:00 PM PDT

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            SWTOR
            At the end of every week, we round up the best and most popular news stories, exclusive features, and insightful columns published on Massively and then present them all in one convenient place. If you missed a big MMO or WoW Insider story last week, you've come to the right post.

            This week, Star Wars: The Old Republic stole the MMO spotlight with two waves of server merges transfers intended to unify the reduced population, which confused some players as to the fate of origin servers, was met with glee by the usual pool of TOR-haters, and left everyone else wondering what the fuss was about.

            Adding to the drama this week, the game's representatives made noise about possible changes to its business model: EA's head honcho proclaimed an intent to "embrace" free models for the title in the long-term, while BioWare's lead developer suggested that the studio is already investigating free-to-play.

            Want a few more of this week's top MMO stories? To the cut-mobile!

            Continue reading MMO Week in Review: The bold republic

            MassivelyMMO Week in Review: The bold republic originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 17 Jun 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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              EVE Evolved: Building stronger communities

              Posted: 17 Jun 2012 04:00 PM PDT

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              EVE Evolved: Building stronger communities
              When I first started playing EVE Online at the start of 2004, only 40,000 players inhabited the game's 5,000 assorted solar systems. Despite having a peak concurrent user record of under 10,000 players, the game somehow didn't feel empty and desolate. Players built communities all across the map, and the purpose of the game became all about interacting with other players. I've played a lot of MMOs since then, but none has drawn me into its community as deeply as EVE has.

              I think that's because most MMOs today are aimed more at casual and solo play, and most guilds are glorified chat channels with shared bank space. There's plenty of room for solo players in EVE, but most of the gameplay is aimed at groups with purpose and ambitions larger than any individual can reasonably accomplish on his own. Holding territory and building supercapitals are jobs for large alliances, PvP is rarely a solo affair, and even grinding ISK is more fun in a group. This focus on group activities is usually seen as the driving force behind EVE's cohesive communities, but I think there's more to it.

              In this week's EVE Evolved opinion piece, I look at what drives EVE to create stronger in-game communities than you typically find in other MMOs.

              Continue reading EVE Evolved: Building stronger communities

              MassivelyEVE Evolved: Building stronger communities originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 17 Jun 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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                One Shots: Building character

                Posted: 17 Jun 2012 02:00 PM PDT

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                One Shots
                This week's One Shots is all about characters -- your characters, to be precise. Kicking it off is One Shots veteran EuchridEucrow, who delivered this sultry pic of his Guild Wars 2 beta character giving the camera... The Look. He wrote us with this lovely bit of description:
                Disturbed from a moment of contemplation, she gives you "the look." As her face turns your way, trailing the mist from her breath on the cold air, you find your own breath catching in your lungs. Is it the cold that has frozen your lungs? Her beauty? Or is there something else? Something behind the beauty, a kind of casual, indifferent grace that seems to promise violence? You see a snowflake drift onto the soft black bars of her eyelashes, but she doesn't blink it away. Perhaps it would be a good idea to go inside where it is warm.
                We've put a few more of your characters on display past the break!

                Continue reading One Shots: Building character

                MassivelyOne Shots: Building character originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 17 Jun 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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                  Mechwarrior Online system requirements, founder's program teased

                  Posted: 17 Jun 2012 12:00 PM PDT

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                  Mechwarrior Online system requirements, founder's program teased
                  The latest MechWarrior Online dev update features details on the game's founder's program. Piranha Games says that the deal is "a lifetime award and recognition opportunity." You'll get exclusive in-game mechs, a founder's forum tag, and more, details of which will be revealed on June 19th.

                  The dev blog also outlines a tentative closed beta testing schedule for the rest of the summer as well as MWO's system requirements. "Right now a duo core system is our minimum spec machine but it is also our main focus of concern," Piranha says. "It's obvious that a quad core system is the key as even the earliest Core 2 Quad systems run the game very well and it is our goal (since there are still so many out there) to optimize the Core 2 Duo systems to run much faster."

                  MassivelyMechwarrior Online system requirements, founder's program teased originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 17 Jun 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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                  Posted by Shri Krishna

                  MMORPG News

                  MMORPG News

                  Darkfall: New Promotion Incentives Detailed

                  Posted: 18 Jun 2012 05:30 AM PDT

                  New Promotion Incentives Detailed

                  The Darkfall team has announced that a new promotion will be rolled out to entice former players to return to the game. Beginning June 27th, players will be able to take advantage of substantial skill gains. Any players having purchased the client in the past will be able to play for free from June 27-29.
                  Posted by Shri Krishna
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