MMO Updates

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• Free for All: The coziest places in free-to-play
• EverQuest II announces finalists in Dungeon Maker contest
• The Secret World lowers UK sub fee, details pre-order access times [Updated]
• Firefall hits 500k member milestone, reveals system requirements
• Age of Empires Online adopts a truly free business model
• A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Upcoming Blaster changes
• LotRO releases more concept art for Riders of Rohan
• The Art of Blizzard is captured in new book
• The Daily Grind: Are black market auction houses a good idea?
• City of Heroes summer blockbuster event starts tomorrow
• Pony up $25 for TERA's new Night Mare mount
• The Soapbox: The death of AAA
• Flameseeker Chronicles: What to do when zombies chew your face off
• WildStar's Senior Community Manager focuses on fun
• Hyperspace Beacon: Nine years of Star Wars Galaxies
• Massively Speaking Episode 206: Tear harvesters
• Champions and STO lifetimers to receive Neverwinter beta invites
• Dark Legends levels up its vamps, grants them allies
• Touring Dungeons and Dragons Online's Demonweb
• SWTOR's 1.3 Allies patch goes live [Updated]
• World of Warplanes dev video talks game modes, air superiority

Free for All: The coziest places in free-to-play Posted: 27 Jun 2012 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Screenshots, Video, Culture, Ryzom, The Chronicles of Spellborn, Wurm Online, Opinion, Free-to-play, Casual, Roleplaying, Free Realms, Free for All, Family, Miscellaneous Cozy. It's a word that seems more at home in a Martha Stewart magazine than in the column for a website about MMORPGs. Cozy can mean quite a few things, but I love the way that the word can instantly make sense to almost anyone. Think about it -- think about what cozy might mean to you. It means a place that makes you feel warm or safe, a place that begs you to stay for a while. The reason I am so attracted to cozier spots in MMOs is because they can be few and far between these days, or they exist but the content pushes you through so fast that you forget to stop and relax for a while. That speedy content, in my opinion, has helped bring roleplay to its knees. I remember when it was more common to be roleplaying instead of the opposite. These special, inviting spots slow us down and help us remember that we're playing multiplayer games, games with other real people who are experiencing the same places we are at the same time. So, here is a small list of five of the most coziest places in free-to-play. In my opinion, of course. Feel free to add your own. Continue reading Free for All: The coziest places in free-to-play Free for All: The coziest places in free-to-play originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 27 Jun 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

EverQuest II announces finalists in Dungeon Maker contest Posted: 27 Jun 2012 09:30 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest II, Contests, Game mechanics, News items, Free-to-play, Dungeons EverQuest II's Dungeon Maker is a love-it-or-hate-it feature. Some love it for the story possibilities and the player-generated content; some hate it because of the number of 50 Tokens Solo Nao dungeons that infest the feature. In a move that promoted the former use of the feature, Sony Online Entertainment hosted a contest utilizing the Poet's Palace map with entries being judged on creativity, originality, and theme, meaning storytelling was just as important as design and action. So taken by the talent displayed in the 82 entries to the contest, the judges couldn't decide on just 10 finalists, so they chose a lucky 13 instead (although they will apparently be going without lunch now). The top finishers all received a set of heritage armor of their choice, the in-game title "Dungeon Maker," and 2,000 Station Cash. Congratulations to all the winners! For a list of 10 of the winners (the top three will be announced next week) and where to find their dungeons, check out the official announcement. Then tell us what you think of the dungeons! EverQuest II announces finalists in Dungeon Maker contest originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 27 Jun 2012 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Contest finalists annoucenment

The Secret World lowers UK sub fee, details pre-order access times [Updated] Posted: 27 Jun 2012 09:15 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Horror, Video, MMO industry, New titles, News items, The Secret World It's two days and counting until The Secret World's early access period. As such, Funcom is ramping up the publicity in a number of spots around the web. First up is a new interview with creative director Ragnar Tornquist at Gamespot. He talks about the title's contemporary setting as well as the crunch of last-minute adjustments before the user floodgates open on Friday. Gamespot is also showing a six-minute preview video of the Savage Coast, Transylvania, and Egypt which we've embedded for you below after the break. There have also been a couple of noteworthy updates on the official Secret World forums regarding the early release period. Firstly, Funcom notes that everyone who pre-ordered will get access on June 29th at noon EDT. However, early pre-orders and those who have purchased the Grand Master Pack will be able to log in "even earlier." Finally, Funcom has dropped the monthly subscription fee "to make it more in line with pricing in Europe." The new number is £11.49 including VAT. [Update]: Funcom has also announced server names and designations for Friday's early access launch. [Thanks to Varrakys for the tip!] Continue reading The Secret World lowers UK sub fee, details pre-order access times [Updated] The Secret World lowers UK sub fee, details pre-order access times [Updated] originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 27 Jun 2012 11:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Gamespot

Firefall hits 500k member milestone, reveals system requirements Posted: 27 Jun 2012 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-fi, New titles, Free-to-play, MMOFPS, Firefall Red 5 Studios has announced today that their MMO-ish shooter Firefall has reached the milestone of 500,000 registered members just after its first exclusive beta test. Red 5 CEO Mark Kern comments on the improvements the team is making to the game following that first beta test: "We're treating Firefall as a service, which means it's critical that we're continually adding value and fun for players. Having a large and growing community lets us know that we're on the right track. But more importantly, their feedback helps us stay on the right track." The studio also released the game's official system requirements, which you'll find after the cut. [Source: Red 5 Studios press release] Continue reading Firefall hits 500k member milestone, reveals system requirements Firefall hits 500k member milestone, reveals system requirements originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 27 Jun 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Age of Empires Online adopts a truly free business model Posted: 27 Jun 2012 08:30 AM PDT Filed under: Historical, Business models, Patches, News items, Free-to-play, MMORTS, Age of Empires Online Last month, the Age of Empires Online developers announced an aim to take the game away from its "free-to-try" business model and move to truly free. With the latest update, the real-time strategy game will not only convert to a truly free-to-play model, but it also offers new content to players in the form of Alliance Wars (a team-based competition for level-40 players) along with new purchasable vanity items and consumables. In the move to make all premium content available through gameplay, the game's currency -- Empire Points -- can now be earned through conventional play or purchased through Steam. Chris Taylor, founder and CEO of Gas Powered Games explains, "With Empire Points and this true free-to-play business model, we are giving players what they have repeatedly asked for... fewer pay walls and more ways for players to experience this legendary franchise." As the game transitions to this new model, all current players will receive a gift of 500 Empire Points automatically, while new accounts will receive 100. Current players who had Empire Points previously will see them converted into in-game coin. [Source: Gas Powered Games press release] Age of Empires Online adopts a truly free business model originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 27 Jun 2012 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Upcoming Blaster changes Posted: 27 Jun 2012 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, Classes, Game mechanics, Patches, Opinion, Free-to-play, A Mild-Mannered Reporter Not every game faces the mage problem, but a lot of them do, and it starts back in classic Dungeons & Dragons. The core of the issue is pretty simple to understand: Because mages have so much phenomenal offensive power, they need some staggering weakness to balance that out. As a result, the class is very physically weak and lacks any real defenses. But the counter to that is that this creates many situations in which the mage is just plain useless because he or she has no effective defenses to weather an initial assault. Blasters aren't mages. Unless they are, anyhow -- City of Heroes is kind of resistant to pigeonholing. Whether your Blaster is an arcane caster or just a guy with radioactive hands isn't important because the class still suffers from the mage problem. Blasters are one of the most powerful classes in the game when it comes to raw damage, but they're also one of the hardest classes to solo, and they're one that goes from hero to zero the fastest. Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Upcoming Blaster changes A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Upcoming Blaster changes originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 27 Jun 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

LotRO releases more concept art for Riders of Rohan Posted: 27 Jun 2012 07:30 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Galleries, Lord of the Rings Online, Expansions, News items, Free-to-play, Miscellaneous When anticipating a new area like many Lord of the Rings Online players are anticipating Rohan, it's hard to get enough, whether it be music, information, or visual peeks. Every little bit helps to ease the wait until the September release date, which for eager players feels more like forever. Helping to satisfy (or fuel) this desire for more, Turbine just released a new batch of concept art for the upcoming expansion, Riders of Rohan. The new art shows off some of the NPCs players will see in Rohirrim, from random everyday townsfolk to notable names like Eomer and Gleowine. And of course, what fan won't recognize the twin statues of Gondor's first rulers? Check out the new images in the gallery below. [Source: Turbine press release] Gallery: LotRO: Riders of Rohan LotRO releases more concept art for Riders of Rohan originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 27 Jun 2012 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Art of Blizzard is captured in new book Posted: 27 Jun 2012 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, MMO industry, News items, Diablo III While some might argue the artistic merits of games themselves, few can deny the artistry of the concept art and sketches behind their development. And those who love the artistic style of Blizzard games will now be able to enjoy the inspiration behind their favorite games in a new hardcover book. The Art of Blizzard offers an exclusive look at many of the ideas and images that influenced and defined the various game universes, including World of Warcraft and Diablo III. It spans the company from its origins as a three-person console-game development studio to its present day success. It is comprised of almost 800 pieces of concept art, paintings, and sketches as well as commentary from VP of Art and Cinematic Development Nick Carpenter, Senior Art Director Sam Didier, and Senior VP of Story and Franchise Development Chris Metzen. The 352 page book will retail at $75.00 US and pre-sales will be available at San Diego Comic-Con July 12th through the 15th. The book can also be pre-ordered on Amazon.com for a discount. [Source: Blizzard press release] The Art of Blizzard is captured in new book originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 27 Jun 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Daily Grind: Are black market auction houses a good idea? Posted: 27 Jun 2012 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: World of Warcraft, Culture, Economy, Expansions, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous With World of Warcraft's upcoming Mists of Pandaria comes an interesting addition to the game: a black market auction house. This new type of auction house will allow Blizzard to post rare items from the game for bidding only (no buyouts), and is obviously intended to be a massive gold sink for those who have more money than sense on their hands. While the intent of the black market auction house is understandable, what it's selling has players hotly debating over whether this is a good idea or the spawn of Evil and Mrs. Evil. Raid gear, ultra-rare pets, and other hard-to-attain goods could become easily available for those with large pocketbooks. So let's put it to the bright minds at Massively Labs (that's you): Are black market auction houses a good idea? Is Blizzard setting a trend here or cutting its own feet out from under 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: Are black market auction houses a good idea? originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 27 Jun 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

City of Heroes summer blockbuster event starts tomorrow Posted: 26 Jun 2012 08:00 PM PDT Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, Events, in-game, Free-to-play We're in the thick of the summer movie blockbuster season, so you can't blame the folks at Paragon Studios from trying to get in on the fun. The devs are so on board with this concept, in fact, that City of Heroes will kick off its Summer Blockbuster Double Feature event starting tomorrow. As the name implies, this event features two movie-like adventures. The first one is called Time Gladiator, and it features an over-the-top fight in a Roman coliseum. The second one, Casino Heist, is a robbery-gone-awry as the superheroes take on the tough security forces. Each movie event has a different mechanic as well: Time Gladiator will have players filling up a favor meter to unlock a bonus stage, while Casino Heist divvies up your team into specialized roles. Paragon's even made a movie theater lobby for players as they wait. It's here that winning submissions from the player-designed poster contest are displayed. Players are welcome to kick back with this double feature as long as they're level 15 or higher. If a player completes both movies, they'll be treated to a new universal damage IO enhancement. One enhancement can be earned every 20 hours. City of Heroes summer blockbuster event starts tomorrow originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 26 Jun 2012 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Intrepid Informer

Pony up $25 for TERA's new Night Mare mount Posted: 26 Jun 2012 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Business models, MMO industry, News items, TERA Remember when everyone was a lot of gamers were outraged that Blizzard dared to charge 25 bucks for a cash shop item in a subscription game? Well, times have changed, folks, because now such behavior is generally expected. Sony Online Entertainment jumped on the bandwagon shortly after the sparkle pony tipping point, Funcom followed suit, and dozens of other companies have done the same in recent years. The newest member of the double-dippers club is En Masse, which is offering up a fiery-hooved TERA Night Mare steed for $24.99. Frugal players can take solace in the fact that their half-the-price-of-the-whole-game mount is available to all the characters on their account, and you can read further details about the beast at the official TERA website. Pony up $25 for TERA's new Night Mare mount originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 26 Jun 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Night Mare announcement

The Soapbox: The death of AAA Posted: 26 Jun 2012 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, City of Heroes, EverQuest, Business models, Culture, Economy, Opinion, Second Life, RuneScape, Free-to-play, Free Realms, Wizard101, Star Wars: The Old Republic, RIFT, Vindictus, The Soapbox 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. I think we're all pretty familiar with the tragic story of 38 Studios by now. If not, take some time to familiarize yourself with it. Essentially it is a tale of massive dreams, botched plans, and hundreds of job losses. I'm not yet sure exactly what went wrong, but I have a feeling that the lackluster response to the studio's stand-alone title might be to blame on top of the poor performance in the high-end of the company. Either way, I have seen many comments exclaiming the end of the big-budget title or at least more trepidation from governments that feel the need to get into a game (no pun intended) they were unfamiliar with. If we could take a poll of the several million "AAA" MMO players in North America, it's my bet that most of them simply go from one title to the other. The RIFT players who are now enjoying Star Wars: The Old Republic came from World of Warcraft, and before that (if they played MMOs before WoW) they might have been City of Heroes fans and EverQuest players before that. For a long time, large studios held all of the players. Then, AAA started rolling down the steep hill to where it is now. Continue reading The Soapbox: The death of AAA The Soapbox: The death of AAA originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 26 Jun 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Flameseeker Chronicles: What to do when zombies chew your face off Posted: 26 Jun 2012 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Guild Wars, Opinion, Guild Wars 2, Flameseeker Chronicles I've been having something of a Guild Wars renaissance of late. Part of it has to do with a few friends getting into the game again (mostly for Hall of Monuments reasons), and part of it has to do with having time to breathe, which means time to play Guild Wars. Mostly, I feel, it has to do with the sound of time's wingèd chariot hurrying near: I know that after Guild Wars 2 releases, the likelihood of going back to the home I've made in Guild Wars is pretty slim. Sure, it'll still be there, and diehards like me will still be logging in, but the stage will have a new star (if, in fact, it doesn't already), and that's kind of sad. So I'm taking what time I have to enjoy Guild Wars as thoroughly as possible. And that's how I found myself dashing madly through the Shards of Orr. Continue reading Flameseeker Chronicles: What to do when zombies chew your face off Flameseeker Chronicles: What to do when zombies chew your face off originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 26 Jun 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

WildStar's Senior Community Manager focuses on fun Posted: 26 Jun 2012 03:30 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Culture, Interviews, New titles, Massively Interviews, WildStar Hot on the heels of yesterday's interview with WildStar's Jeremy Gaffney, we sat down with another Carbine Studios rep: David Bass, the game's new Senior Community Manager. We stopped David from running around the studio like a madman for 15 minutes, forcing him to let us in on the secrets of why WildStar and Carbine Studios are worth watching. Granted, he couldn't tell us everything -- there has to be a bit of mystery, right? But David did reveal his in-depth plans for the WildStar community and what will set this community apart from any other MMO community you've seen. Continue reading WildStar's Senior Community Manager focuses on fun WildStar's Senior Community Manager focuses on fun originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 26 Jun 2012 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Hyperspace Beacon: Nine years of Star Wars Galaxies Posted: 26 Jun 2012 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Culture, Events, in-game, Opinion, Star Wars Galaxies, Roleplaying, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Hyperspace Beacon, Housing As you might have guessed from the title, I'm taking a tiny break from writing about Star Wars: The Old Republic this week. Although it might seem like odd timing to change the pace of my articles with Update 1.3 releasing today, I figured that the update will be here next week, but Star Wars Galaxies' birthday comes around only once a year. Last weekend, the first Star Wars MMORPG would have celebrated its ninth year in service. Being the first Star Wars MMO will always be an honor Galaxies will hold. But that's not the only thing that drew so many people to the game. I often find myself thinking back wondering what could have been. Besides my love for Star Wars, that game held a lot of significance in my life. It was my first serious MMO and my first step into MMO roleplay. If Star Wars Galaxies were still around, would I still be playing? More importantly, what would I be doing in that game that I really can't do in the current Star Wars MMO? Continue reading Hyperspace Beacon: Nine years of Star Wars Galaxies Hyperspace Beacon: Nine years of Star Wars Galaxies originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 26 Jun 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Massively Speaking Episode 206: Tear harvesters Posted: 26 Jun 2012 02:30 PM PDT Filed under: Podcasts, Dungeons and Dragons Online, EVE Online, Final Fantasy XI, MMO industry, News items, Massively Meta, The Secret World, Massively Speaking, RIFT, Miscellaneous, Diablo III It's expansion week here on Massively Speaking, as we tackle numerous additions to our favorite games (as well as a brand-new one launching this week)! Bree's back with her acerbic charm, and Justin's positively bouncing with the desire to relay all of this in a giant showtunes number. The MMO news train stops for nobody, so hop aboard and pull that whistle! 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 206: Tear harvesters Massively Speaking Episode 206: Tear harvesters originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 26 Jun 2012 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Champions and STO lifetimers to receive Neverwinter beta invites Posted: 26 Jun 2012 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Sci-fi, Super-hero, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Star Trek Online, Free-to-play, Champions Online, Neverwinter Lifetime subscriptions get a lot of flak in MMO comment threads (likely including this one), but they do occasionally feature fringe benefits. In Cryptic's case, one of those fringe benefits is a beta invite for its upcoming Neverwinter title. If you're a lifer for either Champions Online or Star Trek Online (or both!), look for an invite via the email address associated with your account, as Cryptic will be doling them out "over the course of the test." Neverwinter is a new MMORPG set in the Forgotten Realms. It features traditional fantasy combat as well as Cryptic's Foundry player-generated content tool suite. Champions and STO lifetimers to receive Neverwinter beta invites originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 26 Jun 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: STO announcement

Dark Legends levels up its vamps, grants them allies Posted: 26 Jun 2012 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Patches, Free-to-play, Mobile A vampire's life isn't just about torrid teen romance and counting from one to 10; it's a full-time career to battle back the other forces of the night and keep all of the goodies to yourself. Fortunately, Spacetime Studios is helping out the fanged population by increasing the level cap in Dark Legends to 26 and removing the energy requirement for 3-D missions. Dark Legends' most recent update doesn't just stop there. The game now has two additional campaigns, a cool flame aura for level 23-plus characters, and nightly rewards for regular players. Spacetime's added an allies system to the game as well. Allies are computer companions that are unlocked during the campaign. These characters can then be ordered to do one of three different jobs, each of which has a time requirement and a reward attached. Jobs do need to be collected by players within a certain window, otherwise some of the reward will be taken away. Dark Legends levels up its vamps, grants them allies originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 26 Jun 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Spacetime Studios

Touring Dungeons and Dragons Online's Demonweb Posted: 26 Jun 2012 12:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Screenshots, Dungeons and Dragons Online, Expansions, Previews, Opinion, Free-to-play, Hands-on To be honest, I haven't delved very deep into Dungeons and Dragons Online, and I have lost count of how many times I've gone through that first introductory dungeon. The reason isn't the game itself. It seems great, and Turbine has done a lot of work on it over the years. What always gets to me is the setting. For me, "Dungeons and Dragons" is synonymous with Forgotten Realms, and while Eberron seems interesting, it causes a mental disconnect. So when Turbine finally got its hands on the Forgotten Realms-license and offered Massively a tour of some of the areas in the now-released expansion Menace of the Underdark, I jumped at the opportunity. Even if I'm not Chaotic Evil in real life, my inner Drow couldn't resist a trip to the Demonweb. Continue reading Touring Dungeons and Dragons Online's Demonweb Touring Dungeons and Dragons Online's Demonweb originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 26 Jun 2012 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

SWTOR's 1.3 Allies patch goes live [Updated] Posted: 26 Jun 2012 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Patches, News items, Star Wars: The Old Republic Star Wars: The Old Republic's 1.3 patch is officially here. We've been looking forward to it for some time now, mostly on account of the adaptive gear upgrades, group finder, and ranked warzones. The Legacy system is also due for an update, so BioWare is allowing players to focus on the portions of the game they like best to customize their alt character leveling. In terms of gear, BioWare says it expects to see "more eccentric-looking groups tackling high-level operations" thanks to the adaptive mechanics. These changes allow players to wear their favorite social gear into combat while still enjoying the bonuses gained from their best combat gear. Check out the full 1.3 patch notes at the official SWTOR website. [Update: BioWare's James Ohlen has now posted a Welcome to GU 1.3 blog post to the official site.] SWTOR's 1.3 Allies patch goes live [Updated] originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 26 Jun 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Patch notes

World of Warplanes dev video talks game modes, air superiority Posted: 26 Jun 2012 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Historical, Video, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, PvP, News items, War, Free-to-play, Dev Diaries, World of Warplanes Wargaming.net continues to dive-bomb media outlets with material on its World of Warplanes title. The free-to-play flight shooter, which is a follow-up to the firm's uber-successful World of Tanks, is currently in closed beta testing. The company has released its third developer video, which features several dev personalities talking at length about game modes and advancing your virtual pilot. Wargaming.net says that initially WoWP was a riff on World of Tanks' capture-the-base mechanics. Due to the higher speeds involved (and the resulting "boring and awkward" gameplay), the concept was scrapped in favor of superiority. Superiority is now the main game mode in World of Warplanes, and in a nutshell the objective is to either destroy all 15 of the opposing team's planes or destroy a certain percentage of ground targets. Check out the full clip after the break. [Source: Wargaming.net press release] Continue reading World of Warplanes dev video talks game modes, air superiority World of Warplanes dev video talks game modes, air superiority originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 26 Jun 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

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General gaming

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• OP-ED: Mass Effect 3: Extended Cut Strikes a Satisfying Balance
• Game Music Roots: Yellow Magic Orchestra
• Help 1UP Assemble the Ultimate Podcast Tribute to the Metal Gear Series
• The Amazing Spider-Man Review: 2012's Biggest Misnomer
• iMUSE and the Secret of Organic Music
• Interview: A Conversation with Go Shiina
• Etrian Odyssey IV Eases the Pain of the Hardcore RPG

OP-ED: Mass Effect 3: Extended Cut Strikes a Satisfying Balance Posted: 26 Jun 2012 07:12 PM PDT After a three-month wait, BioWare has presented the final version of the endings to Mass Effect 3. This is due entirely to the outcry that took place following the release of the game in March. Many players wanted more details and felt the game left things too vague after they had invested 100-150 hours into the trilogy; others were of the opinion that the endings needed to be replaced outright. Executive producer Casey Hudson warned gamers recently that today's free downloadable content release would not satisfy everyone, and with good reason: The Extended Cut doesn't provide a bunch of new endings so much as it provides expanded, more differentiated versions of the existing ones, and I for one am perfectly okay with how it worked out. Spoilers follow below -- if you wish to experienced the Extended Cut for yourself, read no further.

Game Music Roots: Yellow Magic Orchestra Posted: 26 Jun 2012 06:15 PM PDT Feature Share it: Tweet 1UP COVER STORY 1UP COVER STORY | WEEK OF JUNE 25 | VIDEO GAME MUSIC FESTIVAL Game Music Roots: Yellow Magic Orchestra Cover Story: A brief look back at the band that created the sound of video games 30 years ago. F irst things first, watch this video. Don't worry, it won't take very long, and you'll probably end up tapping your fingers to it.

Help 1UP Assemble the Ultimate Podcast Tribute to the Metal Gear Series Posted: 26 Jun 2012 05:55 PM PDT For the past 25 years, the Metal Gear series has defined the stealth action genre, as each successive entry gave fans more tools and sneaking abilities to conquer the harrowing nuclear threats present in Solid Snake's world. But there's more to Snake's adventures than explosions and Bruckheimer-esque production values. Each entry also encouraged players to experiment and uncover dozens of hidden easter eggs. It's obvious that series director Hideo Kojima has always had Hollywood-level ambitions for his games -- especially after the series successfully transitioned from 2D to 3D -- but his work has done so much more than celluloid ever could by constantly challenging the barriers between the player and the TV. We decided to challenge ourselves to come up with another way to celebrate Metal Gear's 25th anniversary and that's where you come in. 1UP wants to put together an ambitious podcast tribute to celebrate Metal Gear. This special episode will feature guests appearances along side user recorded commentary on the series. We're asking our readers to head over to Soundcloud.com and record a 90-second Metal Gear testimonial. Tell us what you love about the series? You can focus on a specific moments, or look at the series as a whole.

The Amazing Spider-Man Review: 2012's Biggest Misnomer Posted: 26 Jun 2012 04:11 PM PDT Aside from the obvious answer of "to make money," it's tough to say why Marvel chose to reboot the Spider-Man franchise a mere decade after Sam Raimi's trilogy launched. Regardless, credit has to be given to the powers that be for taking the series in a new direction by choosing helmer Marc Webb, whose only feature film is the amazing, but decidedly not action-packed, 500 Days of Summer. With this decision, Marvel has proven that the reboot will focus on the social aspect of the hero just as much as the spectacle. Sadly, a similar penchant for risk-taking seemed to be ignored by Beenox with The Amazing Spider-Man, their third outing with the franchise. After playing through this wholly derivative game, I vowed to conduct a full investigation in order to understand the ten hours that I had just experienced. I didn't want this to be a witch hunt, but I was genuinely curious as to why this game is the way it is. You see, ASM isn't a complete travesty, but rather that kind of bland, uninspired slog that's almost worse than an utter mess. There's a lot of blame to go around when it comes to ASM's poor quality, with the first dose being directed at the industry's continued mandate to rush out licensed games to coincide with the release of their cinematic counterparts. This has been a major problem of countless movie-based games over the past few decades, and there's really no end in sight for this quality-hampering scramble. Frustrations like spastic controls and exceedingly long load times are the types of elements that could've been smoothed over with another round of polish, but that would've meant losing out on the boost in sales that result from riding the cultural wave of a major film release. After a woefully bland introduction (I'll get to that later), it becomes evident that the finger of guilt has to next be pointed directly towards the folks at Rocksteady due to the immensely high bar they set with their pair of Arkham-based Batman titles. After completely redefining the superhero genre of gaming, every other costumed adaptation has exerted all their effort in an attempt to replicate Batman's phenomenal formula. I noticed this first with last summer's Captain America: Super Soldier, and now ASM has once again proven that if imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then Rocksteady must be straight up wheedled.

iMUSE and the Secret of Organic Music Posted: 26 Jun 2012 03:54 PM PDT Feature Share it: Tweet 1UP COVER STORY 1UP COVER STORY | WEEK OF JUNE 25 | VIDEO GAME MUSIC FESTIVAL iMUSE and the Secret of Organic Music Cover Story: How one of gaming's greatest achievements went mostly unnoticed. S pecial effects work best when we don't realize their presence; when we don't see the strings, models, or CGI that make us aware of a fictional universe's contrived construction. As filmgoers, we regularly hold up movies like Star Wars and Back to the Future as showcases of special effects technology, but rarely do we notice the many illusions and technical tricks that try to sell something less fantastical than a flying DeLorean or an underwater Rastafarian bunny-lizard that everyone hates. It's doubtful that something like Citizen Kane would be nearly as notable if not for the dozens of optical effects that make it such a visually striking and symbolic film, but cinematographer Gregg Toland didn't set out to create the 1940s equivalent of Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland or Transformers with his cinematography; he simply used the limited technology and budget available in order to best portray the larger-than-life figure of Charles Foster Kane in the provocative grammar of formalism.

Interview: A Conversation with Go Shiina Posted: 26 Jun 2012 12:37 PM PDT Feature Share it: Tweet 1UP COVER STORY 1UP COVER STORY | WEEK OF JUNE 25 | VIDEO GAME MUSIC FESTIVAL Interview: A Conversation with Go Shiina Cover Story: We profile the talented composer of Namco classics Tales of Legendia and Mr. Driller. G o Shiina's name hasn't exactly become a household word, but fans of Namco's core games know his work well. As one of the key composers of the company's sound team, his work has graced works as diverse as Tales of Legendia, Gods Eater, Ace Combat, and Mr. Driller. As a long-time fan of his work, I was happy to have the opportunity to meet Shiina a few months back to discuss his career and his approach to composition. 1UP: I first became aware of your work with Mr. Driller. How long had you worked with Namco before that came out?

Etrian Odyssey IV Eases the Pain of the Hardcore RPG Posted: 26 Jun 2012 10:12 AM PDT Etrian Odyssey IV, as the name on the box suggests, marks the fourth iteration of Atlus' portable dungeon crawler series. Some people speculated, based on the fact that it was initially announced simply as "Etrian Odyssey 3DS" more than a year ago, that EOIV would effectively reboot the series by serving as a remake of the 2007 DS game. Based on the Japanese eShop demo that debuted after last week's Nintendo Direct session, that's turned out not to be the case -- but in a lot of ways, EOIV does represent a sort of fresh start for the series. It brings massive improvements in both aesthetics and playability over the already excellent Etrian Odyssey III, revamps the structure of the adventure, and tweaks the character class system. At heart, it's still the same old Etrian Odyssey: You begin in a town where you define your party and create a guild, accept a mission to explore a softball portion of the dungeon, sell vendor trash to earn cash and unlock new gear, and gather quests at the bar. Your team of five explores the dungeon in a first-person perspective, clearing out wildlife and collecting resources while avoiding deadly F.O.E.s. This time, however, the action is far more accommodating to both newcomers and veterans alike. Your party enjoys a rapid leveling curve at the game's beginning -- your reward for completing the opening mission is enough experience to bump your team up by two levels -- to help get you up and on your feet with the skill tree (which still grants you one perk point per level). And enemies can now appear in rows, leaving monsters located in back row out of reach for your own back row (unless you employ a long-ranged Sniper or Dancer back there). This sequel also looks considerably prettier than previous Etrian Odysseys. Although the series has always featured a verdant sort of beauty, it's always been low-resolution and kind of primitive thanks to the DS hardware's limitations. The 3DS is no mind-blowing powerhouse, but Atlus has refused to take the lazy approach in moving to the new hardware. The dungeon-crawling portions look about as pretty as you could expect from a grid-based first-person RPG, and battles enjoy considerable visual upgrades. The static hand-drawn enemy illustrations have given way to polygonal beasts that move while idle, when attacking, and to denote low health. F.O.E.s no longer appear on the map as indistinct balls of colored light but rather as actual monsters, which makes them seem much better integrated into the world. You can see the improvements when you meet a massive creature in the second dungeon area that freaks out at the party and smashes through environmental obstacles in its pursuit. Despite the move to 3D animated opponents, the monsters you encounter still retain the look of their hand-drawn counterparts thanks to thoughtful design and texturing.

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