| Defiance is the MMO equivalent of a popcorn movie Posted: 26 May 2013 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Galleries, Video, Business Models, Game Mechanics, PvE, Opinion, Hands-On, First Impressions, Post-Apocalyptic, Defiance, Buy-to-Play Defiance is a curious beast. One part television show and one part video game, it is as much an experiment in building a brand as it is an MMO. The game half of Defiance, developed by Trion Worlds, is a third-person action shooter with dynamic events, a persistent open world, and dozens of nasty enemy types. The television half is, well, a television show that takes place in the same universe (and occasionally, with the same characters). It has been almost two months since Defiance (the game) first hit digital shelves. In that time, it has amassed over one million registered players. The only real question, of course, is how long those players will stick around once the novelty of the "TV/game hybrid" thing wears off. In other words, beyond the concept and the experiment, is Defiance really a game worth playing? Continue reading Defiance is the MMO equivalent of a popcorn movie  Defiance is the MMO equivalent of a popcorn movie originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 26 May 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| One Shots: Home sweet home Posted: 26 May 2013 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: World of Warcraft, Screenshots, One Shots, The Secret World, Mortal Online, RIFT, Miscellaneous It's easy to forget that in all of these game worlds that we're adventuring through, some people allegedly live and work in these lands! Even in the very, very scary places! Reader Xexanos found this run-down house in a dark corner of The Secret World and found himself entranced by the mystery of it. "I stumbled upon this place during my exploration of the Shadowy Forest (the name really tells you everything)," he said. "I wonder what the history behind this is." I had just found that last week myself and was wondering that too. If any lore experts want to fill us in, please do so, otherwise head past the jump and check out all of the other great reader screenshots we have in store for you this week! Continue reading One Shots: Home sweet home One Shots: Home sweet home originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 26 May 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Daily Grind: Is automation preferable to MMO closures? Posted: 26 May 2013 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous I'm sure you've heard about this whole automating Guild Wars 1 business, yes? ArenaNet has decided to pull the plug on any further live development in favor of putting the title on autopilot. That means for the Guild Wars faithful -- and yes, people do still play that game even with the sequel out there -- that the future of the title will be more or less the same as the present. The studio says that by doing this it will have ensured that Guild Wars will be able to keep on trucking for a good while yet. I know that when faced with MMO shutdowns, players have begged for studios to put those titles on autopilot rather than close them down. Still, if an MMO isn't being updated and doesn't have a development future, is that a game worth playing? Isn't ongoing development and change one of the hallmarks of this genre? So what do you think? Is automation preferable to closing down an MMO?  Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!The Daily Grind: Is automation preferable to MMO closures? originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 26 May 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Tattered Notebook: EQ Next scoops up Emily 'Domino' Taylor Posted: 25 May 2013 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: EverQuest II, MMO Industry, Opinion, The Tattered Notebook, EverQuest Next, Sandbox, Crafting A curious thing happened as I was strolling through EverQuest II this past week. It seems there was a bit of commotion in the Norrathian community, with races good and evil cheering and dancing in the streets. Personally, I didn't even know Sarnak could move like that! What was the catalyst of this celebration? Why, didn't you hear -- there was news about EverQuest Next! And with the scarcity of that kind of treasure, it's understandable that folks went a'frolicking. But this wasn't just any old news, either. This week, fans learned that Emily "Domino" Taylor, also known as Pentapod, was returning to the EverQuest franchise as the producer for EQ Next. Can the presence of just one person really send prospective players into a tizzy of anticipation? Yes, it can. I watched as a number of EQII players, once ambivalent or on the fence about EQN, not only look twice at the upcoming sandbox but hop right on over into the newest Norrath's camp. More eyes than ever are watching the development of this game (even though there is scant little to watch at the moment). And this is why. Continue reading The Tattered Notebook: EQ Next scoops up Emily 'Domino' Taylor The Tattered Notebook: EQ Next scoops up Emily 'Domino' Taylor originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 25 May 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| TUG closes in on its Kickstarter deadline with a new video Posted: 25 May 2013 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Previews, News Items, Sandbox, Crowdfunding It's the final countdown for TUG, with less than a week to go and about $50,000 more needed as of this writing. The development team has penned a penultimate Kickstarter update for fans and would-be fans, compiling several updates and news posts for everyone to read. It covers the care and development of player characters, the use of companions, and the structure of the game servers... all questions to be asked by anyone looking to back the game. There's also a video on the page, one you can watch after the cut to see how the game is being based around science, even more so than the other games that turn your computer into virtual three-dimensional worlds. You can also take a look at our recent interview with the staff behind TUG to learn a bit more about the game's structure. If it piques your interest, now's the time to hop over and give the game a bit more funding. Continue reading TUG closes in on its Kickstarter deadline with a new video TUG closes in on its Kickstarter deadline with a new video originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 25 May 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Mog Log: Final Fantasy XIV beta phase 1 and 2 - crafting Posted: 25 May 2013 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Classes, Game Mechanics, Opinion, Consoles, Final Fantasy XIV, The Mog Log, Crafting The thing about Final Fantasy XIV's crafting is that it's always been an odd mixture of wonderful and terrible, much like the game as a whole. You had crazily interconnected crafts that could be frustrating to level, the simple difficulty of trying to find the items you need, and a minigame that made mass production maddeningly slow. But you also had a real sense of personal craftsmanship, and the complex interplay between quality, durability, and progress meant that your successes or failures were truly your own. None of these elements has been removed from the beta phases, but each has been streamlined and largely improved. The test phases allowed us to explore the two crafting classes based in Gridania, Carpenter and Leatherworker, and so I got to really dive into the heart of working with wood and dead animal hides. It was a lot more fun than that summary might imply. Continue reading The Mog Log: Final Fantasy XIV beta phase 1 and 2 - crafting The Mog Log: Final Fantasy XIV beta phase 1 and 2 - crafting originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 25 May 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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