MMO Updates |
- The Road to Mordor: Three things LotRO needs from Guild Wars 2 (and vice versa)
- WRUP: I love sprouts edition
- The Daily Grind: Should MMOs embrace item decay?
- SOE Live puts out a call for player-run panels
- Betawatch: September 1 - 7, 2012
- Star Trek Online September Ask Cryptic on future content and cosmetic updates
- PAX Prime 2012: Undead Labs' State of Decay
- MMO Blender: Karen's kid-friendly game with grown-up appeal
- Free LOVE for all!
- SWTOR expands free-to-play rewards
- DCUO video previews new Legends PvP
- Guild Wars 2 fan site compromised, 11,000 game accounts affected
- PlanetSide 2's Alpha Squad offering beta access, in-game goods
- Storyboard: Only good once
- Garriott's Portalarium partnering with Zynga for Ultimate Collector
| The Road to Mordor: Three things LotRO needs from Guild Wars 2 (and vice versa) Posted: 08 Sep 2012 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Opinion, Guild Wars 2, Free-to-play, The Road to Mordor  In our case, it's the impact of Guild Wars 2 on the industry and what it might have to teach Lord of the Rings Online. Yet I don't think it's quite fair (or true) to just look at it from the lens of "Everything GW2 has is better"; it's more productive to theorize how to swap the best of both games in order to improve them. So here are three things that LotRO could use to implement from Guild Wars 2 -- and three that Guild Wars 2 could use from LotRO. Continue reading The Road to Mordor: Three things LotRO needs from Guild Wars 2 (and vice versa)
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| Posted: 08 Sep 2012 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Massively Meta, Miscellaneous  What does that have to do with this week's installment of WRUP? Absolutely nothing. It never does. WRUP is about what the Massively staff is up to this weekend and whether or not we see MMOs as disposable entertainment. So regardless of whether you like the delicious taste of sprouts, you can check out our plans after the break and let us know what you'll be up to for the next two days in the comments. Continue reading WRUP: I love sprouts edition
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| The Daily Grind: Should MMOs embrace item decay? Posted: 08 Sep 2012 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Game mechanics, MMO industry, Endgame, Opinion, Massively Meta, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous, Crafting  Decaying items are really not all that different from items with charges that deplete (consider Guild Wars 2's and Glitch's crafting tools), but modern gamers freak out at the idea that they might lose their gear to wear, and I don't blame them since many themeparks turn gear acquisition into a huge grind. But even sandboxes like Ultima Online have hedged their original item decay systems, allowing players to repair many artifacts indefinitely. It might take a fundamental change in game design, but what do you think -- should MMOs bring back item decay?  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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| SOE Live puts out a call for player-run panels Posted: 07 Sep 2012 07:00 PM PDT Filed under: Culture, Events, real-world, MMO industry, News items, Miscellaneous  Submitted panels will be subject to an approval process, as SOE is expecting a lot of interest. Panelists who are approved will be given an all-access pass for free and will be given a refund for any previously purchased pass. There are also a number of restrictions on content and hardware available: There's space for running a PowerPoint presentation, for example, but you'll need to bring your own laptop. If none of that scares you off, get thinking about your topic and see if you can hold the interest of a room as well as you think.
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| Betawatch: September 1 - 7, 2012 Posted: 07 Sep 2012 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, MMO industry, Massively Meta, Betawatch, Miscellaneous  Steampunk fans, furbish up your browsers: City of Steam's closed beta is gearing up (pun intended) for November. Spandex more your thing? Try Marvel Heroes; its closed beta will begin on October 1st. How about sci-fi? End of Nations' third testing event began this morning, Otherland is initiating a second beta weekend, and PlanetSide 2 announced its beta promotions today as well. Finally, we added Xulu Universe last week, and now we've checked it out in person. It's in "sort of an open alpha," so you "sort of" can too. Check out the complete Betawatch list after the cut! Continue reading Betawatch: September 1 - 7, 2012
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| Star Trek Online September Ask Cryptic on future content and cosmetic updates Posted: 07 Sep 2012 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Game mechanics, Patches, News items, Star Trek Online, Free-to-play, Community Q&A  Stahl also addresses the reason that the game's featured episodes vanished for a while. He explains that the team was too short-handed for a long time to develop multiple systems and updates in parallel. As the base behind Star Trek Online has expanded, the developers have moved toward having a more robust and multi-tiered development strategy once again. Players interested in the game can find all these answers and more in the full article.
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| PAX Prime 2012: Undead Labs' State of Decay Posted: 07 Sep 2012 04:30 PM PDT Filed under: Horror, Game mechanics, Previews, Opinion, Hands-on, Consoles, MMOFPS, Massively Hands-on, Massively Event Coverage, Post-Apocalyptic  Undead Labs' upcoming MMO State of Decay might change all that. The game will take place in a persistent world where players are responsible for rounding up survivors, finding the necessary resources to build defenses and stay alive, and of course, fighting off the zombie hordes. Finally, those of you who have long debated the merits of going to the gun store vs. not going to the gun store in the event of an apocalypse can see whose plan works better. And what's more, at PAX Prime 2012, I got to sit down and play around with it myself, though not for nearly as long as I would have liked. Regardless, if State of Decay is on your radar -- and it should be -- then I'd be glad to tell you all about my 20-odd minutes with the title. Continue reading PAX Prime 2012: Undead Labs' State of Decay
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| MMO Blender: Karen's kid-friendly game with grown-up appeal Posted: 07 Sep 2012 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: MMO industry, Opinion, Kids, Family, Miscellaneous, MMO Blender  Continue reading MMO Blender: Karen's kid-friendly game with grown-up appeal
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| Posted: 07 Sep 2012 03:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Business models, Free-to-play, Love  Steenberg developed LOVE under his own steam and without funding, and he admits that both the creation of the game and its operation are costing him. To help cover the costs of this now-free title, he's asking fans to consider donations in exchange for a perked-up character. More than anything, he just hopes that players will give his creation a try: "If you take the time and have an open mind, you will find out why this is a labour of love."
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| SWTOR expands free-to-play rewards Posted: 07 Sep 2012 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Business models, Free-to-play, Star Wars: The Old Republic  The studio announced that the players voted for the Party Jawa as a special reward that all current and previous subscribers will receive when the title goes F2P. The Party Jawa is an item that unleashes a fun-loving native of Tatooine who has nothing better to do than bring the festivities to you. BioWare's also expanded its reward chart to include purchasers of SWTOR's digital deluxe edition. Those players will receive 250 cartel coins to spend on rewards this fall.
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| DCUO video previews new Legends PvP Posted: 07 Sep 2012 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Super-hero, Video, Patches, Previews, PvP, News items, Free-to-play, DC Universe Online, Dev Diaries  DC Universe Online is getting ready for its fifth DLC pack, Hand of Fate. Along with utility belt attachments, new operations in the open areas of Gotham City and Metropolis, and new side quests, Hand of Fate will be bringing Doctor Fate and Felix Faust to Legends PvP. These inimitable fellows will bring sorcery to the Legends PvP character pool, and change things up with the ability to summon pets and minions. While not quite so offensively aggressive as other characters, these characters focus on a control-based, tactical approach to gameplay. Skip below the cut to get a shiny video introduction to heroic Doctor Fate and nefarious Felix Faust. Continue reading DCUO video previews new Legends PvP
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| Guild Wars 2 fan site compromised, 11,000 game accounts affected Posted: 07 Sep 2012 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, MMO industry, News items, Guild Wars 2, Free-to-play  ArenaNet is emailing account holders who log in from new locations, and the company says that it received 8,500 hacking-related support requests last weekend and another 2,500-plus by Monday. The firm is also dishing out plenty of common sense advice, like "don't use the same email address and password for Guild Wars 2 that you've used for another game or web site."
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| PlanetSide 2's Alpha Squad offering beta access, in-game goods Posted: 07 Sep 2012 12:30 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-fi, MMO industry, New titles, PvP, News items, Free-to-play, MMOFPS, PlanetSide 2, Sandbox  Sony Online Entertainment has put together a pre-launch promotional package called Alpha Squad that will grant you instant beta access, a founder's title, and in-game exclusives (including XP boosts and guns, lots of guns). The pack will set you back $39.99, but it also comes with 4,000 Station Cash to use in SOE's item shop. Your account will be flagged for beta access immediately upon purchase, so if you absolutely can't wait to tour Auraxis, Alpha Squad is your best bet.
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| Posted: 07 Sep 2012 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Culture, Opinion, Roleplaying, Storyboard, Miscellaneous  So I've tried to port her over to other games. And it has never worked. To date, I've created about a dozen different Truces in different games, and absolutely every one of them has tripped at the starting gate. Or imploded on the launch pad. So as I sift through the wreckage of yet another incarnation of the character, it seems apropos to discuss characters that only work in a single incarnation no matter how hard you try. Continue reading Storyboard: Only good once
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| Garriott's Portalarium partnering with Zynga for Ultimate Collector Posted: 07 Sep 2012 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Free-to-play, Browser, Casual, Humor  Garriott's Portalarium company will use the Zynga Platform to launch its Ultimate Collector game, which is currently undergoing a limited Facebook beta. "Ultimate Collector is really three games in one," Garriott says via press release. "It's a collecting game where players go on a major hunt for collectibles ranging from toys, gadgets, historical weapons, novelties and famous art and display those collections in their homes. It's a shopping game where players can visit shops and stores in our game, some of them from national retailers, to purchase items and add to their collections. And it's a world building game that allows players to outfit a home, show off their collections to their friends, sell virtual items to other collectors and make in-game money to upgrade their house and grow it even larger."
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