MMO Updates |
- The Game Archaeologist: Anarchy Online turns 12
- WRUP: Freedom edition
- The Daily Grind: How stat-heavy do you like your game mechanics?
- Betawatch: June 15 - 21, 2013
- Some Assembly Required: Five ways MMOs should support player events
- How ArcheAge's Korean F2P model works
- Take a tour of RIFT's free-to-play store
- Path of Exile introduces Descent Events
- Cryptic: Neverwinter 'not trying to compete with World of Warcraft'
- Guild Wars 2 introduces the Aetherblades
| The Game Archaeologist: Anarchy Online turns 12 Posted: 22 Jun 2013 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Anarchy Online, Free-to-Play, The Game Archaeologist, Anniversaries  Anarchy Online, however, is not angling to molder in some nursing home. As the 2001 sci-fi MMO turns 12 this month, it's looking back at a year full of exciting developments, scary moments, and hopeful visions. It might be the smallest arrow in Funcom's quiver right now, but I see it as a scrappy underdog that isn't willing to lie down and be ignored. So what happened this past year and what do Anarchy Online players have to look forward to? Glad you asked! Continue reading The Game Archaeologist: Anarchy Online turns 12
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| Posted: 22 Jun 2013 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Massively Meta, Miscellaneous  Also more time to sit in a panic whilst fearing I made a horrible mistake, but I've been struggling to fit that into my schedule anyway. Too personal for you? Then you're going to hate the rest of WRUP, because it's nothing but myself and the other Massively writers discussing our plans for the weekend. Very personal stuff. If you can stomach that, you can check our plans out past the cut, and you can let us know what you'll be up to down in the comments. Continue reading WRUP: Freedom edition
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| The Daily Grind: How stat-heavy do you like your game mechanics? Posted: 22 Jun 2013 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Game Mechanics, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous  Is that a good thing? Well, some players will be quick to point out that the game is doing with four stats what could really be done with one. Others like to have that amount of fine control over a character. So today we ask: How stat-heavy do you like your game mechanics? Do you want even the simplest character to be looking at seven or eight different numbers at all times, or are you happiest when you've got a choice between three stats at most?  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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| Posted: 21 Jun 2013 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, News Items, Betawatch, Miscellaneous  Beyond that, Neverwinter launched again (but this time for real, you guys) and Final Fantasy XIV rolled out a beta version of the community site in addition to the game's beta. Turn-based MOBA Arena of Heroes also found the time to hit open beta, so if you feel like something with a bit slower action there's that option. And, of course, we've got a whole list of games in testing just past the cut. Check it out, and if there's something egregious that we missed, feel free to point that out in the comments. Continue reading Betawatch: June 15 - 21, 2013
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| Some Assembly Required: Five ways MMOs should support player events Posted: 21 Jun 2013 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: World of Warcraft, Age of Conan, Aion, EverQuest II, Events (In-Game), MMO Industry, Warhammer Online, Vanguard, RuneScape, The Secret World, Miscellaneous, Some Assembly Required  From Age of Conan to Warhammer Online, a few of the events I've been able to catch are festivals, races, plays, fishing contests, tavern storytelling nights, quests (yes, quests), treasure/scavenger hunts, trivia contests, arena duels, gambling nights, musical concerts, war games, horse races, weddings, dance-offs, terraforming challenges, auctions, jousts, fashion shows, tournaments, funerals, crafter fairs, and more contests than can even be mentioned. These examples aren't restricted to any one genre, either; creatively concocted events run the gamut and include themeparks like Aion, MOBAs like SMITE, and more -- and not just sandboxes. As you might have noticed, that's quite a bit of content, content that comes at no cost to the the studio! So why is it these events can be so hard to find? With so much free content at their fingertips, it would behoove studios to make it the norm to support and promote these events. And the tools they need to do so are already at their disposal. Continue reading Some Assembly Required: Five ways MMOs should support player events
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| How ArcheAge's Korean F2P model works Posted: 21 Jun 2013 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Business Models, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Free-to-Play, ArcheAge  Korean F2P customers may advance to level 50, but may not own homes or regenerate labor points (labor points are a pool much like traditional health and mana pools, but set aside for the game's numerous non-combat activities). There are other restrictions too, most of them contingent upon whether or not Korean users are playing from home or from their local PC Bang internet cafes. [Thanks Dengar!]
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| Take a tour of RIFT's free-to-play store Posted: 21 Jun 2013 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Free-to-Play, RIFT, Guides  You can watch the full video after the break, but be warned: You might come away from it with your pockets a little lighter. Continue reading Take a tour of RIFT's free-to-play store
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| Path of Exile introduces Descent Events Posted: 21 Jun 2013 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, MMO Industry, News Items, Free-to-Play  Next week, Grinding Gear Games is set to announce the next series of events for Path of Exile players and an all-new mode known as Descent Events. Descent Events are completed alone and boast a unique array of monsters and loot. When the event ends, the characters and items are deleted. The idea to create a host of solo, standalone experiences that give players a chance to play with builds and step outside of regular Path of Exile gameplay. Descent Events will last one hour, with roughly 50 of them being scheduled for the duration of season three.
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| Cryptic: Neverwinter 'not trying to compete with World of Warcraft' Posted: 21 Jun 2013 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Interviews, MMO Industry, Free-to-Play, Neverwinter  "Frankly, we're not trying to compete with World of Warcraft. Anyone whose goal is 'lighting in a bottle' is not being realistic," the executive producer said to Red Bull UK. "Don't get me wrong, we'd love to have the success WoW earned over years of hard work. But, our immediate goal is simple and attainable: operate a fun game people like to play and want to come back to. We make that game free so, if it is fun, there's no reason not to play and come back." Zinkievich said that Cryptic's research into the market revealed that eliminating box sales and subscriptions was the necessary zag to World of Warcraft's subscription-focused zig. "This is the first AAA MMO to be free-to-play at launch here in the west, built from the ground up to be free," he boasted. [Thanks to Ben for the tip!]
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| Guild Wars 2 introduces the Aetherblades Posted: 21 Jun 2013 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Events (In-Game), Lore, Guild Wars 2, Dev Diaries, Buy-to-Play  The devs struggled with how to make a new pirate faction that wasn't quite like all of the other pirates in an already piratetastic title. The solution, the article says, was to combine steampunk, lightning, and airships to make a dashing group of electric buccaneers: "We imbued the Aetherblades a lightning aesthetic: They arrive in a bolt of lightning and their skill effects, traps, and weapons are all laced with electrical effects." The article also outlines some of the mobs players will face when they tangle with the Aetherblades, from the basic minions to the razzle-dazzle officer corps.
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