MMO Updates |
- Firefall scoops up dozens of former BioWare and 38 Studios devs
- Lord of the Rings fan film to screen at GenCon and DragonCon
- The Secret World on sale for 50% off this weekend on Amazon
- Some Assembly Required: Directing your own Star Trek episodes with the Foundry
- Gamescom 2012: Aion will offer three new classes in 4.0
- City of Steam's final alpha weekend begins
- The Daily Grind: Which MMO has the best business model?
- Guild Wars 2 clarifies guesting, world transfers, and regions
- Ask Massively: There are better things to complain about than pandas edition
- New developer diary explores Minstrel improvements for Lord of the Rings Online
- The Guild Counsel: Five essentials of guild management
- MechWarrior Online shows off the Hunchback
- Gamescom 2012: RIFT Storm Legion walkthrough
- Gamescom 2012: Matt Higby sheds light on PlanetSide 2's factions and design
- Star Wars: The Old Republic previews new planet, new challenge, and new species
- The Perfect Ten: Stock fantasy enemies from lamest to coolest
- Pangya Tomahawk players can win in-game rewards in Treasure Hunt event
- Copernicus would have been F2P
- Koster, Vogel, Long headline GDC Online Ultima panel
- Diablo III reveals patch 1.0.4 class updates [Updated]
- Chaos Theory: The (F2P) future of The Secret World [Updated]
- ArcheAge's fifth closed beta to feature XP loss, trial system, and more
- The Summoner's Guidebook: Learning to help your jungler in League of Legends
| Firefall scoops up dozens of former BioWare and 38 Studios devs Posted: 17 Aug 2012 10:30 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-fi, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Free-to-play, MMOFPS, Firefall  While some other studios are laying off and downsizing, RED 5 is bucking the trend by recruiting top talent to add to the team working on Firefall. The free-to-play MMOFPS is gearing up for a massive summer patch that overhauls combat, removes traditional levels, and adds new crafting functionality. BioWare's and 38 Studios' loss is Red 5's gain; staff has jumped from 60 to over 100 by snatching up talent the other companies let go. Although a deluge of layoffs is bad for the gaming industry as a whole, lead class designer Dave Williams said, "The timing of 38 Studios and Star Wars dumping all their staff at the same time is really good for us. We've found some incredibly talented people who are really happy. It's allowed us to build up the team quickly." Players wishing to participate in Firefall's beta and experience the game can sign up via the official site.
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| Lord of the Rings fan film to screen at GenCon and DragonCon Posted: 17 Aug 2012 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Lord of the Rings Online, Events, real-world, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play  In the film, a fellowship of four gamers embarks on their own epic journey to fight injustice, right a wrong, expose evil, and possibly even conquer at a Lord of the Rings Online gaming competition. While noting that the film does include parody, the creators emphasize that the film is an homage to Tolkien's great works that combines their love of LOTR with their love of MMO gaming. Watch as a black rider makes the heroes dive for cover in the teaser trailer after the cut. And to learn more about the film, be sure to read Massively's interview with the creators. Continue reading Lord of the Rings fan film to screen at GenCon and DragonCon
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| The Secret World on sale for 50% off this weekend on Amazon Posted: 17 Aug 2012 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Horror, Puzzle, Sci-fi, MMO industry, New titles, News items, The Secret World  Players who prefer a box will have to lay out a little more cash as the price jumps a bit to $29.44, which is still a significant savings of over twenty bucks. However, these players will have to act quickly as game boxes are going fast. Of course, both purchases include 30 days of game time.
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| Some Assembly Required: Directing your own Star Trek episodes with the Foundry Posted: 17 Aug 2012 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Game mechanics, Opinion, Star Trek Online, Free-to-play, Guides, Some Assembly Required  Luckily for fans of player-generated content, the Foundry has recently come back online. And with the revelations the in the July state-of-the-game letter and the recent Foundry Season 6 dev blog, it appears the system is getting some real attention from the developers. Soon players will have more tools and better customization to compose their missions and tell their own stories. Do you have a story you want to tell? Keep reading for quick guide to the nuts and bolts of this feature that allows you to create your own bit of personal Star Trek lore. Continue reading Some Assembly Required: Directing your own Star Trek episodes with the Foundry
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| Gamescom 2012: Aion will offer three new classes in 4.0 Posted: 17 Aug 2012 07:30 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Aion, Classes, Game mechanics, Patches, News items, Free-to-play  Atreia is about to become more interesting. After some talk about patch 3.5 and Tiamat at Gamescom 2012, NCsoft let fly the announcement that Aion will offer three brand-new classes in the 4.0 update. This will be the first time the free-to-play fantasy game will introduce new classes beyond the ones the game launched with. What will these new additions be? While NCsoft isn't revealing too many specifics yet, Daevas wanting to experience something new will be able to choose between wielding a gun or a musical instrument as weapons with two of the classes. Currently, mum's the word on details about the third class, but we'll keep you updated as more information is released.  Every summer, the gaming industry descends on Cologne, Germany, for Gamescom, the world's largest trade fair for interactive games and entertainment. Massively's on the scene in 2012, bringing you all the best scoops, impressions, and interviews from the MMOs at the show!
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| City of Steam's final alpha weekend begins Posted: 17 Aug 2012 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Sci-fi, Free-to-play, City of Steam  Mechanist Games said that its priority for the weekend is to stress test the game, so the team wants as many players as possible to dive in and give it a whirl. You can sign up for testing on the game's website. For this final alpha test, Mechanist Games has spotlighted Orcs in its most recent racial dev journal. The Orcs were former barbarians that are trying hard to integrate into this increasingly civilized world. Massively has a new hands-on tour of City of Steam coming to you shortly, but in the meanwhile you can check out our pre-alpha visit to this industrial fantasy playground. [Source: Mechanist Games press release]
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| The Daily Grind: Which MMO has the best business model? Posted: 17 Aug 2012 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Business models, Opinion, The Daily Grind  With so many existing MMOs making that F2P conversion, it's safe to say that the market hasn't really figured out the perfect business model yet. Or has it? Let us know which MMO has the best business model in your opinion, be it subscription, free-to-play, or any combination.  Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
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| Guild Wars 2 clarifies guesting, world transfers, and regions Posted: 16 Aug 2012 07:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, News items, Guild Wars 2, Dev Diaries  The launch of Guild Wars 2 is drawing ever nearer, which means there's an ever-diminishing amount of time to disseminate information to the writhing hordes. A news post today shed light on some of ArenaNet's policies and technomagics that go into supporting the game's accessibility. To begin with, there are three main regions recognized by the game: North America, Europe, and Other. Digital versions of the game are automatically entered into the correct region based on the purchaser's location, while physical retailers give out a serial code to register in account creation. Players must register a code that matches their location (a customer in Europe has to register a European code), but after that one-time check, they can access the game from anywhere in the world. Home worlds are automatically displayed by region, but players can opt to join the servers of another region. Once a home world has been chosen, all characters on an account belong to that server, and a gem transaction has to be made to switch to a new home world. That won't be implemented at launch, however, in order to facilitate the spread of a stable and healthy population across all servers. At launch, transfers between worlds will be free. After the populations have settled, world transfers will be restricted to a once per week and cost gems. At the same time, the guesting feature that allows players to visit their friends' worlds will be implemented. Check out the news post for all the gory details, or hit up the Guild Wars 2 knowledge base if you've got some burning tangential questions.
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| Ask Massively: There are better things to complain about than pandas edition Posted: 16 Aug 2012 07:00 PM PDT Filed under: Culture, Launches, Opinion, Humor, Ask Massively, Miscellaneous  You want a list of what is worth being upset over? Sorry, but this week's installment of Ask Massively isn't about that; it's about the onrushing specter of the Guild Wars 2 launch and the continual scourge of the comment system bugs. If you've got a question you'd like to see in a future installment of the column, send it along to ask@massively.com or leave it in the comments below. Questions may be edited slightly for clarity and/or brevity. Continue reading Ask Massively: There are better things to complain about than pandas edition
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| New developer diary explores Minstrel improvements for Lord of the Rings Online Posted: 16 Aug 2012 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Classes, Expansions, Game mechanics, News items, Free-to-play  Small changes rule the day here, with improvements to buffs and a new area attack mimicking a single-target debuff. A few mechanical shifts, such as ensuring that Minstrel attacks which apply buffs to allies will always apply those buffs even if the attack itself is unsuccessful, should also help the class. Players looking for all the details on how their instrument-playing life is going to get just a little bit easier should look at the full diary for the fine details.
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| The Guild Counsel: Five essentials of guild management Posted: 16 Aug 2012 05:30 PM PDT Filed under: Guilds, Opinion, The Guild Counsel, Miscellaneous  There are lots of issues to deal with when it comes to running a guild, and there's a lot of nuance that factors into whether a guild is successful in the long run. We've looked at many of them in this column, but in this week's Guild Counsel, we'll highlight five of the essentials that must be considered when you're leading a guild. Continue reading The Guild Counsel: Five essentials of guild management
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| MechWarrior Online shows off the Hunchback Posted: 16 Aug 2012 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Trailers, Video, Previews, News items, Free-to-play, MMOFPS, MechWarrior Online  Solidly in the middle of the spectrum of weights, the Hunchback boasts a sizable amount of armor for its frame and a respectable speed as well. Its armaments might seem light at first, but the AC/20 mounted in its shoulder provides a great deal of punch, and the lasers on its arm and head can carve opponents up in short-range engagements. Take a look at the trailer just after the break to see the machine in action -- even if it's not pretty in stills, its performance more than makes up for looking a little ungainly. Continue reading MechWarrior Online shows off the Hunchback
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| Gamescom 2012: RIFT Storm Legion walkthrough Posted: 16 Aug 2012 04:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Events, real-world, Expansions, Game mechanics, Lore, News items, PvE, RIFT  At Gamescom 2012 this week, Trion Worlds revealed further details of the new expansion with a full walkthrough. The expansion aims to add even more customisation options to the already expansive game, with one new soul per calling and all existing souls being extended up to the new level cap of 60. Check out the walkthrough video after the cut to see the new Harbinger soul in action and several of the new game zones. [Thanks to Rehlik for the tip!] Continue reading Gamescom 2012: RIFT Storm Legion walkthrough
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| Gamescom 2012: Matt Higby sheds light on PlanetSide 2's factions and design Posted: 16 Aug 2012 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Video, Culture, Interviews, Previews, News items, Free-to-play, PlanetSide 2  Another major issue that Higby brings up is ensuring that new players can get into the game without removing anything that old players enjoyed about the original. That means new mechanics to help players drop in if they've never played before, but the same core design of gathering hundreds of players to accomplish sweeping tactical objectives. Check out the full video after the break for more of Higby's insights into design; the video starts off in German, but the interview itself is in English. Continue reading Gamescom 2012: Matt Higby sheds light on PlanetSide 2's factions and design
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| Star Wars: The Old Republic previews new planet, new challenge, and new species Posted: 16 Aug 2012 03:30 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Trailers, Video, Patches, Previews, News items, Free-to-play, Star Wars: The Old Republic  The addition of Cathar to the list of playable species has been known for some time, but this video shows a Cathar Smuggler in action. It also shows a small taste of what players can expect from the upcoming addition of the planet Makeb and the Operation Terror from Beyond. It's a brief trailer, to be sure, but it shows off plenty to look forward to, whether you're a long-time fan or you're just waiting for the business model switch in the fall. Continue reading Star Wars: The Old Republic previews new planet, new challenge, and new species
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| The Perfect Ten: Stock fantasy enemies from lamest to coolest Posted: 16 Aug 2012 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Humor, Perfect Ten  Today we're going to carefully unpack our ancient collector's edition of stock fantasy enemies. Blow off the dust and smell that nostaglia, mhmm. Sure, they've seen better days, but they're still good, right? Still solid. Still capable of entertaining us, even if we've slaughtered their kin a thousand times over. Let me show you my collection of 10 stock fantasy enemies that we encounter all the time in MMOs. Just for fun, I'm going to order them from lamest to coolest. I would be number 11, by the way. Continue reading The Perfect Ten: Stock fantasy enemies from lamest to coolest
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| Pangya Tomahawk players can win in-game rewards in Treasure Hunt event Posted: 16 Aug 2012 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Sports, Galleries, Screenshots, Events, in-game, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play  Joan Kim, Pangya producer, stated that SG Interactive wanted to treat players to something a little different. The result? A board game powered by the golfing gameplay in Pangya. Players can earn chances for Treasure Hunt dice just by playing either nine or 18 rounds of golf on any of the game's courses, then use the dice rolls to move the caddy around the online game board. Every space on the board has a chance at winning in-game rewards, but there is also a chance of losing progress if defeated in the mini-games lurking on some spaces. Check out the gallery below for a look at the prize outfits. [Source: SG Interactive press release]
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| Copernicus would have been F2P Posted: 16 Aug 2012 01:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Business models, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play  With that out of the way, did you know that 38 Studios' shuttered MMO was going to be the first mega-budget title to launch with a free-to-play model? We didn't either until Curt Schilling confessed as much to Boston Magazine. "We were going to be the first AAA, hundred-million-dollar-plus, free-to-play, microtransaction-based MMO. That was one of our big secrets," Schilling said. "I think when we eventually showed off the game for the first time, the atom bomb was going to be free-to-play. When we announced that at the end, that was gonna be the thing that, I think, shocked the world."
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| Koster, Vogel, Long headline GDC Online Ultima panel Posted: 16 Aug 2012 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Events, real-world, MMO industry, News items, Ultima Online, Sandbox  Original UO team members Starr Long, Rich Vogel, and Raph Koster will discuss how a "combination of insane ambition and idealistic cluelessness can sometimes result in creating something that changes people's lives and the course of an industry," according to the GDC website. If you'll be in Austin, Texas, from October 9th through the 11th, stop by and learn a thing or two about MMOs and the folks who make them.
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| Diablo III reveals patch 1.0.4 class updates [Updated] Posted: 16 Aug 2012 12:30 PM PDT Filed under: Game mechanics, Patches, News items, PvE, Diablo III  The popular Wizard Critical Mass build is due for a nerf, with Energy Twister's spell coefficient being cut in half. Venom Hydra has emerged as the most powerful variant, but rather than nerfing it, Blizzard will be buffing the alternative versions. Barbarians will be seeing a buff to fury-generating abilities Bash and Cleave and huge increases in the damage output of fury spenders. Finally, Monks will enjoy a huge damage boost to Wave of Light and Seven-Sided Strike, and all players will see improvements to make two-handed weapons more competitive. [Update: The Demon Hunter preview has also just gone live.]
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| Chaos Theory: The (F2P) future of The Secret World [Updated] Posted: 16 Aug 2012 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Horror, Business models, MMO industry, News items, Opinion, Free-to-play, The Secret World, Chaos Theory  Scott Jennings ended a blog entry about The Secret World with a telling phrase this past week. "This is why we can't have nice things," he said. This was preceded by what can only be called a lament, as Jennings laid out how Funcom did something that most MMO developers are loath to do these days: It made an original game. And the reward for such was a dismal quarterly report and a round of layoffs. That The Secret World attempts to break from the putrid post-World of Warcraft MMO mold is not up for debate. What is debatable is whether breaking from said mold can be profitable. Continue reading Chaos Theory: The (F2P) future of The Secret World [Updated]
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| ArcheAge's fifth closed beta to feature XP loss, trial system, and more Posted: 16 Aug 2012 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, ArcheAge  For one, there seems to be a form of XP loss on death (though not for avatars below level 10). CBT5 also marks the introduction of the game's trial system, so all you naughty-by-nature folks will likely find out what sort of crime and punishment await you in XL's fantasy sandbox. Finally, there are bits about crop growth and how climate affects it as well as some verbiage about certain regional tradeskill specialties. Massively's got a couple of folks patching up CBT5 as we speak, so look for some up-to-the-minute ArcheAge impressions in the coming weeks. [Thanks to Dengar for the tip!]
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| The Summoner's Guidebook: Learning to help your jungler in League of Legends Posted: 16 Aug 2012 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: PvP, Opinion, Free-to-play, MOBA, League of Legends, The Summoner's Guidebook  I'm not a pro jungler. Out of all of LoL's myriad roles, jungling is my second weakest (after mid lane). Rather than give advice on something I'm really bad at, I'd rather talk about jungling from the lane perspective. This week in The Summoner's Guidebook, we'll talk about the jungler's role and how you can help your jungler out. It isn't a simple matter, but I've been taking notes over the week about things that frustrated me and things that worked out for the best. Continue reading The Summoner's Guidebook: Learning to help your jungler in League of Legends
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