General Gaming Article

---

• Giveaway: Arena of Heroes Gold Founders Pack
• Nvidia GeForce 320.00 Beta Drivers Increases Performance Up to 20 Percent
• Cooler Master's V Series PSUs Ready for Upcoming 80 Plus Titanium Spec
• Western Digital Lays Claim to Industry's First 5mm 2.5-inch Hard Drive
• Newegg Daily Deals: AMD FX-6300 CPU, Corsair TX750 PSU, and More
• CPUBoss Creators Launch SSDBoss for Storage Shoppers
• Nvidia Reportedly Prepping GTX Titan Ultra and Titan LE SKUs

Giveaway: Arena of Heroes Gold Founders Pack Posted: 23 Apr 2013 05:46 PM PDT Worth $50, the Gold Founders Pack includes access to the turn-based MOBA's closed beta and more A turn-based  multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game is an oxymoron, right? Guess what? Such a game does exist now in the form of Arena of Heroes (PC, Mac and iOS), which developer Sneaky Games recently managed to sneak into the market. An otherwise free-to-play title, the innovative title is currently in closed beta and open only to those who purchase one of the three available Founders Packages that cost between $20 and $120. Thankfully, Maximum PC has twelve Gold Founder Packs and every intention of giving them away right here, right now on a first-come, first-serve basis. So, without further ado, here's the first activation code: 43HD2ZFSAMTK3.  Hit the jump for the remaining eleven codes. The Gold Founder Pack, which costs $50, not only includes beta access (PC or Mac only), but also 500 halycite gems, gold founder in-game badge, six heroes and four skins. Now that we have apprised you of the gold pack's monetary value and contents, here are the rest of the codes: NMXU8BQ4N82K3 DM36QLGBWEHK3 P4CGMDQ75KYK3 UCMBGEA34SCK4 3368YFDA3VMK4 WMWKZGAPY56M4 B4NDTJWXHN8M4 JC9U8KMN2F9M4 S3Z6QP8JTPZM4 XMBGCQMVRVLM4 54DVEQSW75EM4 Follow Pulkit on Google+

Nvidia GeForce 320.00 Beta Drivers Increases Performance Up to 20 Percent Posted: 23 Apr 2013 12:17 PM PDT Free performance gain, if you don't mind beta software. If you like to live on the edge by installing pre-release software, risks be damned, and own an Nvidia-based graphics card, today's your lucky today. Nvidia just released new 320.00 beta drivers for GeForce graphics cards, and if you install them, the GPU maker says you can enjoy performance gains up to 20 percent. Most of the gains won't be quite as high, though several titles receive a shot in the arm from the new drivers. The examples Nvidia shared all pertain to GeForce GTX 660 graphics cards and include the following gains for single card setups: Up to 20 percent in Dirt: Showdown Up to 18 percent in Tomb Raider Up to 8 percent in StarCraft II Up to 6 percent in Sniper Elite V2 Up to 6 percent in Metro 2033 Up to 6 percent in Far Cry 3 Up to 6 percent in Deus Ex: Human Revolution Up to 5 percent in F1 2012 Nvidia also added several new SLI profiles, including ones for Alien Fear, Call of Juarez: Gunslinger, Dead Island: Riptide, Dragon Sword, and a bunch more. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Cooler Master's V Series PSUs Ready for Upcoming 80 Plus Titanium Spec Posted: 23 Apr 2013 11:12 AM PDT Are these the best PC power supplies in the world? We're taught from a young age that it's good to have goals, and Cooler Master's are anything but modest. The case and cooling company wants to be known as the leading power supply brand in all the world, and the way it plans to achieve that lofty goal is by introducing its new V Series PSUs. These new power supplies eschew a multiple rail design in favor a single +12V rail, but what's most impressive is the rated efficiency. Not satisfied with current 80 Plus standards, Cooler Master claims its V Series is prepped and primed for an 80 Plus Titanium tag, as soon as it officially exists, that is. "Efficiency is especially good at low system load, typical when browsing the web or watching videos. Since most PCs spend 90 percent of their uptime in this state, power savings here are much more relevant than 1 or 2 percent higher efficiency at full load," Cooler Master explains. "This is why the future Titanium spec will require 90 percent efficiency at 10 percent load, something the advanced design of the V series already reaches today." Cooler Master says its V Series PSUs use the highest grade Japanese electrolyte and solid capacitors, high quality 42mm transformers, and a custom interface PCB that aligns all rails to reduce voltage plane cross-over and minimize crosstalk, EMI, and droop. The PSUs are offered in 700W, 850W, and 1000W capacities, each with flat black-ribbon cables for easier cable management. And as far as existing standards go, each one is 80 Plus Gold certified to deliver up to 93 percent efficiency at 50 percent load. No word yet no price or availability. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Western Digital Lays Claim to Industry's First 5mm 2.5-inch Hard Drive Posted: 23 Apr 2013 10:45 AM PDT Tiny drives for ultraportables. Western Digital, a major player in the storage space, today announced it's begun shipping what it claims are the world's first ultra-slim 2.5-inch, 5mm hard drives and solid state hybrid drives (SSHDs) designed for space constrained devices, such as Ultrabooks and ultra-thin laptops. The new drives are nearly half the size of traditional mobile drives and around 35 percent thinner than the most popular smartphones, WD claims. "With the launch of our new WD Blue 5mm ultra slim hard drives and our WD Black SSHD products, currently shipping to OEMs, WD is delivering to our customers a variety of solutions that maximize storage capacity and volumetric efficiency, as well as performance and system responsiveness, for consumers," said Matt Rutledge, vice president of WD's client computing business unit. "Our engineering team took a clean-sheet approach with 5mm to deliver an ultra-thin hard drive that enables a world of possibilities and applications for mobile computing and beyond." WD's Blue 5mm ultra slim hard drives are currently available in 500GB ($90 MSRP) capacities. They offer up to a 36 percent reduction in weight compared to regular 9.5mm mobile drives and are apparently adept at handling shock due to WD's effort to maximize the mechanical sway space. The upshot of what WD's done here is to provide a means for OEM system builders to offer increasingly thin laptops without sacrificing storage space or cost. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Newegg Daily Deals: AMD FX-6300 CPU, Corsair TX750 PSU, and More Posted: 23 Apr 2013 08:01 AM PDT Top Deal: The power supply is probably the most under appreciated component. it's not a glamorous piece of equipment, though a reliable PSU can mean the difference between a PC that boots properly and one that suffers instability. Today's top deal falls into the former category and is for a Corsair Enthusiast Series TX750 V2 750W PSU for $94 with free shipping (normally $140 - use coupon code EMCXSWL36 plus additional $20 mail-in-rebate). This thing packs plenty of wattage for a high-end setup and is 80 Plus Bronze certified to boot. Other Deals: AMD FX-6300 Vishera 3.5GHz (4.1GHz Turbo) Socket AM3+ 95W Six-Core Desktop Processor for $130 with free shipping (normally $140 - use coupon code: EMCXSWM25) ASRock 990FX Extreme9 AM3+ AMD SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard with UEFI BIOS for $155 with free shipping (normally $190) MSI N660TI PE 2GD5/OC GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card for $290 with free shipping (normally $310; Free Gift: NVIDIA Coupon Metro: Last Light Game) Rosewill Blackhawk Gaming ATX Mid Tower Computer Case for $70 with free shipping (normally $100 - use coupon code: EMCXSWM45)

CPUBoss Creators Launch SSDBoss for Storage Shoppers Posted: 23 Apr 2013 07:45 AM PDT A quick and easy way to compare solid state drives. The same people who brought you CPUBoss and GPUBoss have now launched a similar comparison website for solid state drives. SSDBoss.com is nearly identical in form and function to the other two sites, offering storage shoppers an easy way to compare the performance and value of different SSDs. You can also look up full spec comparisons of various drives, all under the hood of a single site. "We're confident that we've created a better way to compare SSDs by enabling people to easily sort through a massive amount of product specs and benchmarks, as well as see what people are saying in reviews," CPUBoss product manager Jude Fiorillo told Maximum PC in an email. "Our goal is to make it easier for people to compare SSDs head to head and see the pros and cons of each solid state drive, as well as find the best SSD by criteria (e.g. capacity per dollar or fastest read times)." Fiorillo tells us he's seeing over a million unique visitors to his CPUBoss and GPUBoss websites since launching over the last three months. Expanding the same functionality over to SSDs was the next logical step. Give the site a glance and let us know what you think. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Nvidia Reportedly Prepping GTX Titan Ultra and Titan LE SKUs Posted: 23 Apr 2013 12:38 AM PDT Not one, but two new Titans said to be in the works With AMD's answer to the the $1,000 Nvidia GTX Titan expected to hit the market later this week, you need something special to prevent AMD's upcoming dual-chip beast, the Radeon HD 7990 "Malta", from hogging each and every ray of the spotlight that the tech media has reserved for graphics cards. The two-month-old GTX Titan has managed to do just that thanks to rumors that it is about to be turned into a mini graphics card brand. Talk of a budget version of the two-month-old GPU, dubbed the GTX Titan LE, is nothing new, but German site 3DCenter.org is now reporting that a third, more powerful SKU, likely to be called either Titan Ultra or Titan II, is also on the cards and is expected to debut during the fourth quarter of 2013. This SKU will reportedly utilize all of the GK110's 15 SMX clusters, giving it an edge over the regular Titan which has one cluster disabled with a total of 2,688 CUDA cores and 240 TMUs. As as result, the Titan Ultra will boast the full quota of 2880 shader cores and 256 texture units. Further, as opposed to the original's 837 MHz clock speed and 206-Watt power appetite, the Ultra will have a 950 MHz clock speed and a 225W TDP.  As for the Titan LE,  it will reportedly have 2496 CUDA cores, 208 TMUs, 40 ROPs, 320-bit DDR memory interface, 5 GB of GDDR5 and a 180-190W TDP. As per the German site, the Titan LE is likely to come out sometime during "summer 2013." Follow Pulkit on Google+

You are subscribed to email updates from Maximum PC - All Articles To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610

Latest Gaming and MMORPG Updates

---

• Who Are The Assassins Of Batman: Arkham Origins?
• [Updated] THQ Auction Results: Nordic Games Publishing Purchases Most, Homeworld to Gearbox
• Did Rockstar Find Religion? Only Kraff Knows What's In Store For GTA V
• Tencent Announces Partnership with Capcom to Create Monster Hunter Online
• MMOHut Weekly Recap #133 April 22nd – City of Steam, Firefall & More!
• Translation Platform Gengo Raises $12M Funding Round Led By Intel Capital
• DailyWorth Raises A $1 Million Series A2 Financing Round
• Web App Tutorial Tool Kera Heads For The Deadpool
• 3 Awesome And Inspiring Inventions From The White House Science Fair
• Microsoft's Refreshed Artist Series Mice Bring Flair to the Desktop

Who Are The Assassins Of Batman: Arkham Origins? Posted: 23 Apr 2013 09:16 AM PDT We put on our comic book fan hats and detail some of the heavy-hitter villains we hope to see in the new game from Warner Bros. Games Montreal. Batman: Arkham Origins takes us back to the early days of the Dark Knight’s struggle against the villains of Gotham. Unfortunately, on a cold Christmas Eve night, [...]

[Updated] THQ Auction Results: Nordic Games Publishing Purchases Most, Homeworld to Gearbox Posted: 23 Apr 2013 09:00 AM PDT [Update] Thanks to the official court filing, we now have additional information about how the bidding process was concluded. Nordic Games Publishing did not bid piecemeal on the IPs they eventually acquired. Rather, their accepted bid of $4.9 million was for “substantially all the IP.” Given the interest in the two assorted lots as well as [...]

Did Rockstar Find Religion? Only Kraff Knows What's In Store For GTA V Posted: 23 Apr 2013 09:00 AM PDT An odd video popped up on Rockstar’s website today that seems to lampoon fringe religions. The short looping film mentions something called “Epsilonism.” Fans of the Grand Theft Auto series might find something reminiscent here, as Epsilonism has been mentioned in previous installments. Those seeking enlightenment can find it in two places, the “official” Epsilonism [...]

Tencent Announces Partnership with Capcom to Create Monster Hunter Online Posted: 23 Apr 2013 06:00 AM PDT Tencent’s recent investment in Epic Games seems to have led to quite the interesting partnership with the gaming industry veterans at Capcom as news has reached us that the massively popular series Monster Hunter will now be going massively itself in a new MMORPG born from this partnership. Yoshinori Ono himself made an unexpected appearance [...]

MMOHut Weekly Recap #133 April 22nd – City of Steam, Firefall & More! Posted: 23 Apr 2013 06:00 AM PDT MMOHut Weekly Recap #133 April 22nd – City of Steam, Firefall & More!   A quick look and discussion for every major announcement and update during the week! This week we discussed updates from the following games: PlanetSide 2, District 187, SMITE, FireFall, Arctic Combat, The Lost Titans, Elsword, City of Steam, & Lost Saga [...]

Translation Platform Gengo Raises $12M Funding Round Led By Intel Capital Posted: 22 Apr 2013 04:31 PM PDT Gengo, an increasingly popular online translation service that uses a network of more than 7,500 pre-screened and rated translators to provide high-quality translations in 33 languages, announced that it has raised a $12 million funding round. The round was led by Intel Capital, with participation from returning investors, including Atomico, Iris Capital, Infocomm, NTT-IP and Saudi [...]

DailyWorth Raises A $1 Million Series A2 Financing Round Posted: 22 Apr 2013 04:10 PM PDT DailyWorth, an online community for financially minded women, is closing another strong round of funding by raising a Series A2 of $1 million. This round comes sixteen months after raising $2 million in their Series A last January. This round was led by DFJ Gotham, while additional investors include Gabriel Investments, 500 Startups, Robinhood Ventures, [...]

Web App Tutorial Tool Kera Heads For The Deadpool Posted: 22 Apr 2013 04:00 PM PDT When Kera launched out of Toronto last year, their goal was to “teach the world how to use software”. Alas, Kera has taught its last lesson. In a farewell post on their blog, the company has announced that they’ll be shuttering their products in one month. For the unfamiliar, Kera provided tools that allowed web [...]

3 Awesome And Inspiring Inventions From The White House Science Fair Posted: 22 Apr 2013 04:00 PM PDT I love that POTUS has invited these scholars here and treating them like NCAA Champs!!!— LeVar Burton (@levarburton) April 22, 2013 Some of the nation’s young brainiacs were honored today at the annual White House Science Fair. Every spring, the White House invites children to show off life-changing innovations that have mostly been constructed in [...]

Microsoft's Refreshed Artist Series Mice Bring Flair to the Desktop Posted: 22 Apr 2013 11:25 AM PDT Underneath the new designs sits a Microsoft Wireless Mobile Mouse 3500. Looking to add a little style to your home or work office environment? If so, you may find something that tickles your fancy from Microsoft’s latest batch of limited edition Artist Series mice. Microsoft said it tapped some of the best artists from the [...]

You are subscribed to email updates from GAMEFORUMER.COM To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610

MMO Updates

---

• Star Citizen's Roberts on business models, the PS4, and more
• Former SOE, Cryptic exec to lead Lionhead Studios
• More details revealed for Camelot Unchained's world-building systems
• Massively Speaking Episode 246 -- The princess and the frog in her throat
• Pathfinder producer talks player-generated content, archetypes, and more
• Flameseeker Chronicles: April's Guild Wars 2 patch brings custom arenas, spectator mode, and a living story dungeon
• The Daily Grind: What was the best random drop you ever got?
• Not So Massively: New Star Citizen column, Path of Exile Season Two, and MOBA news
• Chaos Theory: Perfecting your build in The Secret World
• Captain's Log: Romulan content in Star Trek Online
• Team-based arena combat game Panzar goes live
• Yep, it's more 38 Studios drama
• Learn about PvP in The Elder Scrolls Online's latest AMA
• ArenaNet separates Guild Wars 2 WvW reset times for North American and European servers
• Grimlands' Kickstarter cancelled, devs in talks with investors

Star Citizen's Roberts on business models, the PS4, and more Posted: 23 Apr 2013 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Business Models, Interviews, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Consoles, Sandbox, Crowdfunding, Star Citizen, Buy-to-Play Game Industry interviewed Star Citizen mogul Chris Roberts at last month's GDC 2013, and the resulting read features plenty of interesting nuggets for space sim fans and the Roberts faithful. He confirms a few things we already knew about SC's playable hangar demo scheduled for August, as well as the dogfighting alpha in December. He also shares how his team's shortened development schedule and modular process is adding up to a tighter, better game than could be made at a AAA studio. And if Star Citizen's ever-increasing crowdfunding totals are any indication, Roberts' audience is more than OK with the process. "We generated $800,000 in February alone, which is crazy," he said. "We don't even have a campaign going, we're not even selling new ships or anything, and we don't have a game." He goes on to guesstimate that his 150,000-odd early adopters are only five to 10 percent of Star Citizen's post-launch audience. "Ultimately that means I can make the same game for a fifth of the revenue, a fifth of the sales, and I can be more profitable, and I can exist on lower unit sales. I think that's good for gamers, because crowdfunding and digital distribution are enabling more nichey stuff to be viable." Roberts also hints at the future of SC's business model, likening it to that of World of Tanks. Finally, he has a few kind words for Sony's forthcoming PlayStation 4, and even says he'd consider putting SC on a console under the right circumstances. "The good news is that [the PS4] is essentially a PC, so that means PC owners will get much better ports of console games. I'm not a PC elitist by any means," Roberts explains. "If I could be on the PS4, and they were open, and I could do the updating and all the sort of stuff we're trying to do on Star Citizen, then I would definitely consider putting it on PS4 because it's essentially a PC with a friendlier operating system." Star Citizen's Roberts on business models, the PS4, and more originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 23 Apr 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: GamesIndustry.biz

Former SOE, Cryptic exec to lead Lionhead Studios Posted: 23 Apr 2013 09:30 AM PDT Filed under: MMO Industry, News Items Lionhead Studios has a new head honcho. The Microsoft-owned firm known for its Fable franchise has appointed John Needham to be its Studio Head. Needham boasts plenty of MMO industry experience from prominent positions at SOE, Cryptic Studios, and Gazillion Entertainment (from CEO to CFO to Senior VP of Business Development and Operations). Microsoft's official announcement states that Needham's "deep understanding of all aspects of the gaming industry, from subscription-based massively multiplayer to client-based console and free-to-play online PC and mobile experiences will be a huge benefit to Lionhead." Former SOE, Cryptic exec to lead Lionhead Studios originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 23 Apr 2013 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Announcement Via: Games Radar

More details revealed for Camelot Unchained's world-building systems Posted: 23 Apr 2013 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, MMO Industry, New Titles, PvP, News Items, Sandbox, Crafting, Crowdfunding, Camelot Unchained Talking about building the world in Camelot Unchained is not something that can be done in just one sitting, so Mark Jacobs broke it into two. In the first update, Jacobs described the building blocks, mining, and the cooperative nature of construction. The conclusion of this two-part series focused on explaining blueprints and how RvR is intertwined in the world-building system. Blueprints, which can be traded, are a way to speed up the building process -- or rebuilding, if enemies have destroyed your structure in RvR. Players with the appropriate skills can create blueprints of an already finished structure or through the architect's interface as a plan for a future structure. Through RvR, players can claim buildings built by others, either by deconstructing the entire thing or just capturing it; those structures can then be repaired or rebuilt by the new owners. Want even more information on building a fortress in Camelot Unchained? Then check out Massively's interview with Mark Jacobs. More details revealed for Camelot Unchained's world-building systems originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 23 Apr 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: World building, part one, World building, part 2

Massively Speaking Episode 246 -- The princess and the frog in her throat Posted: 23 Apr 2013 08:30 AM PDT Filed under: Podcasts, MMO Industry, Massively Meta, Massively Speaking, Miscellaneous Bree's sick, but does that mean that her voice has just become 50% more awesome? We think it does. On this week's episode of Massively Speaking, we deal with cash shop trickery, the ups and downs of relaunching an MMO, and plenty of mailbag topics sent in by listeners! 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: [RSS] Add Massively Speaking to your RSS aggregator. [MP3] Download the MP3 directly. [iTunes] Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. [Stitcher] Follow the podcast on Stitcher Radio. Listen here on the page: Read below the cut for the full show notes. Continue reading Massively Speaking Episode 246 -- The princess and the frog in her throat Massively Speaking Episode 246 -- The princess and the frog in her throat originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 23 Apr 2013 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Pathfinder producer talks player-generated content, archetypes, and more Posted: 23 Apr 2013 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Classes, Game Mechanics, Interviews, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Sandbox, Crowdfunding, Pathfinder Online Goblinworks' CEO Ryan Dancy recently guested on the DM Fiat podcast. The Pathfinder Online producer had plenty to say about the tabletop RPG that's invading the MMO space, including nuggets about Pathfinder's extensive guild/settlement system, the River Kingdoms and expanding beyond them, and player-generated content. Dancey says that Goblinworks would like for players to create their own PvE content modules and sell them to others, likely via some sort of app store format. He also mentions Pathfinder's archetype system and its numerous advantages over traditional class mechanics. Head to DM Fiat to listen to the podcast. [Thanks Mark!] Pathfinder producer talks player-generated content, archetypes, and more originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 23 Apr 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: DM Fiat

Flameseeker Chronicles: April's Guild Wars 2 patch brings custom arenas, spectator mode, and a living story dungeon Posted: 23 Apr 2013 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Events (In-Game), Game Mechanics, Patches, Previews, PvP, News Items, PvE, Guild Wars 2, Flameseeker Chronicles, Dungeons It is time to start talking about Guild Wars 2's April update for reals. I've got some serious knowledge to drop on you regarding the Flame and Frost: Retribution update, so let's get right to it. Retribution will be the final installment of the Flame and Frost living story arc. To tie everything off, we're getting a new story dungeon that'll take us deep underground into the Molten Weapon Facilities. Structured PvP is getting some love in the form of custom PvP arenas and spectator mode. Guilds are getting more missions and new rewards. The gem store will be getting new stuff. Let's dive in and look at some specifics, shall we? Continue reading Flameseeker Chronicles: April's Guild Wars 2 patch brings custom arenas, spectator mode, and a living story dungeon Flameseeker Chronicles: April's Guild Wars 2 patch brings custom arenas, spectator mode, and a living story dungeon originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 23 Apr 2013 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Daily Grind: What was the best random drop you ever got? Posted: 23 Apr 2013 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous The Skinner Box design to MMOs and the random nature of loot tables means that an absolutely epic piece of gear could conceivably drop with the next kill. Or the kill after that! Or after that! Or... yeah, you know the drill. The unpredictability of corpse looting is like a little slot machine built into our games, mostly giving us trash while once in a while paying off in incredible dividends. It's the latter that I'd like us to discuss today. Every once in a while I do a double-take when I see that I just looted an ultra-rare item. I didn't even know text that color existed in the chat window, to be honest! And getting that incredible drop can make my evening (not to mention give me bragging rights to my guild). So what was the best random drop you ever got in an MMO -- and what did you do when it happened? 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: What was the best random drop you ever got? originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 23 Apr 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Not So Massively: New Star Citizen column, Path of Exile Season Two, and MOBA news Posted: 22 Apr 2013 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Video, Bugs, Game Mechanics, Launches, New Titles, Patches, PvP, News Items, PvE, Free-to-Play, MMOFPS, Dev Diaries, Not So Massively, Sandbox, MOBA, League of Legends, Diablo III, Firefall, Crowdfunding, Star Citizen, Path of Exile If you've been following the development of upcoming crowdfunded sci-fi sandbox Star Citizen with interest, Massively has a brand-new column you might enjoy. The Diablo III test realm hinted at upcoming boosts to life regeneration and the damage output of a few spells, but Blizzard also suggested that a nerf to the Wizard Archon Form might be on the way. Path of Exile started its second season of race events, with over 200 events to take part in and massive prizes to be won. Third-person MOBA SMITE added the 34th god to its roster this week with acrobatic assassin Ne Zha entering the fray, and Guardians of Middle-Earth released new DLC character Kili the Dwarf. Rise of Immortals added support for game replays and introduced and interesting new White Knight feature that lets players take over from characters who have disconnected or quit in the middle of a game. Heroes of Newerth announced a huge upcoming balance patch that may finally get rid of the paid-for early hero access and promises to rebalance much of the game's expansive roster of characters. Dota 2's streamlined abuse report update backfired when players discovered they could use the report feature itself to abuse other players. And Firefall may finally be edging toward release with the announcement of a date for the start of open beta. Continue reading Not So Massively: New Star Citizen column, Path of Exile Season Two, and MOBA news Not So Massively: New Star Citizen column, Path of Exile Season Two, and MOBA news originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 22 Apr 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Chaos Theory: Perfecting your build in The Secret World Posted: 22 Apr 2013 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Horror, Real-Life, Game Mechanics, Opinion, The Secret World, Guides, Chaos Theory, Buy-to-Play After discussing last week that build creation was on the minds of many a Secret World fan, I promised to provide some hints and tips on how to better maximize your performance in game. It truly is a topic relevant to all players, even those who aren't focused on or interested in endgame. After all, even folks (like yours truly) who are in it mainly for the awesome story may find their ability to continue with said story hampered at some point by an insufficient build. With a limit of only seven active (eight if you have an auxiliary weapon) and seven passive skills available to use at any time, creating a build in The Secret World is not quite like most other MMOs, so you can't just automatically throw on gear of a higher level and call it good. Sure, you can eventually pound your way through many things, but you can save yourself some time and frustration by understanding a bit about how the gear works together with your skills. That's where today's Chaos Theory comes in. What better way to inform and entertain you than to open myself up for some theorycrafting by someone who has a better knack for it? Using my little Illuminati as our guinea pig, I've bared her gear for all to see and learn what can be done to improve. With that, I welcome you to the first episode of "What Not to Wear in TSW"! Continue reading Chaos Theory: Perfecting your build in The Secret World Chaos Theory: Perfecting your build in The Secret World originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 22 Apr 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Captain's Log: Romulan content in Star Trek Online Posted: 22 Apr 2013 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-Fi, Expansions, Opinion, Star Trek Online, Free-to-Play, Hands-On, First Impressions, Captain's Log Jolan tru! This week I've had the pleasure of jumping onto the Tribble test server in Star Trek Online again. But this time it wasn't just to check out the new UI or the overhaul of Drozana Station. Nope, this week I was one of several hundred (if not a thousand or so) regular Tribble players offered the opportunity to test out the first several levels of the new Romulan faction! So here's a big warning: Thar be a few spoilers ahead! If you don't want to know anything about the story of the Romulan Republic, then you might want to avoid looking past the jump, but if you're not bothered about seeing some of Star Trek Online's upcoming content before it's released, then press that big button right down there and let's get to it. Continue reading Captain's Log: Romulan content in Star Trek Online Captain's Log: Romulan content in Star Trek Online originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 22 Apr 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Team-based arena combat game Panzar goes live Posted: 22 Apr 2013 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Launches, New Titles, News Items, Free-to-Play Do you enjoy crushing your enemies, seeing them driven before you, and all that fun stuff? Then Panzar just might be the game for you. The newly launched title from Moscow-based Panzar Studio is described as "a third-person action game in the spirit of modern competitive multiplayer games" with an emphasis on team-based play. Players can choose from one of eight classes and clash in fierce team-based combat on a number of different maps in gametypes such as King of the Hill and Domination. While it's not an MMO in the purest sense of the word, Panzar does feature persistent character progression. After each match, players are granted experience and resources that can be used to level up their class of choice and craft spiffy new equipment, respectively. The game is free-to-play, so if it sounds like your cup of tea, you can head on over to the official site to give it a spin for yourself. Alternatively, click on past the cut to check out the game's official cinematic trailer. [Thanks to SKURVEL for the tip!] Continue reading Team-based arena combat game Panzar goes live Team-based arena combat game Panzar goes live originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 22 Apr 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Panzar official site

Yep, it's more 38 Studios drama Posted: 22 Apr 2013 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: MMO Industry, News Items Ah, 38 Studios. What would we do without the dried husk of your long-dead corpse to kick around the sanctified halls of American journalism, both actual and gaming? The latest drama from Curt Schilling's former studio comes courtesy of the New York Times, which reports on Rhode Island governor Lincoln Chaffee's latest attempt to distance himself from the fiasco surrounding 38's inability to pay back state loans. "I had so many reservations about this being a bad deal, that I was reluctant to micromanage, to have it be 'Chafee screwing this up,'" he told the Times. "And don't forget, we had our hands full in this state." Yep, it's more 38 Studios drama originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 22 Apr 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: NYT Via: Polygon

Learn about PvP in The Elder Scrolls Online's latest AMA Posted: 22 Apr 2013 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Game Mechanics, PvP, News Items, Community Q&A, The Elder Scrolls Online The Elder Scrolls Online team waded through an AMA about PvP recently. Are you ready for some knowledge? Because we are so about to drop some. Alliance Points will be tied to the PvP ranking system. Siege weapons can be obtained and created by anyone who has enough Alliance Points to purchase them; there are no other resources necessary to buy and deploy them. Players can effectively starve out an enemy area by depriving them of resources from surrounding lumber mills, farms, and mines. Seizing those resources before laying siege has a double advantage of also switching off various enemy patrols. Villages in Cyrodiil are Alliance-neutral, but if you control nearby keeps, you'll have NPC patrols in their surrounding villages and towns. The team isn't quite ready to talk about some features like territory ownership perks and large team sizes. You can delve into full detail over on the official post. Learn about PvP in The Elder Scrolls Online's latest AMA originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 22 Apr 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: PvP AMA

ArenaNet separates Guild Wars 2 WvW reset times for North American and European servers Posted: 22 Apr 2013 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Game Mechanics, PvP, News Items, Guild Wars 2 ArenaNet has been searching for a solution to Guild Wars 2's WvW reset problem for a while now. See, thanks to the way that not everybody is on the same time, finding a unified reset time for players in both Europe and North America has been a real pain in the Alpha Siege Golem. The solution? ArenaNet is simply separating the reset times. Starting with the next matchup, North American WvW matches will reset Fridays at 9:00 p.m. EDT, while European matches will reset at 2:00 p.m. EDT (7:00 p.m. GMT). This is meant to lead to a smoother (and more sleep-friendly) experience for everyone. ArenaNet separates Guild Wars 2 WvW reset times for North American and European servers originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 22 Apr 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Forum post

Grimlands' Kickstarter cancelled, devs in talks with investors Posted: 22 Apr 2013 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Free-to-Play, Post-Apocalyptic, Crowdfunding Would you like the good Grimlands news first or the bad Grimlands news first? That's nice, but you're getting the bad news first because this isn't a democracy. The post-apocalyptic shooter's Kickstarter campaign has been cancelled. The good news is that DRAGO is apparently in talks to secure more substantial funding from an unnamed group of backers. Grimlands' project page updated this morning with the following announcement: "We have been contacted by several investors and are in active discussions to finish the game with them. This would not have been possible without this campaign and without your support! Of course we will keep you up to date on any development!" [Thanks Zach!] Grimlands' Kickstarter cancelled, devs in talks with investors originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 22 Apr 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Announcement

You are subscribed to email updates from Massively To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610