MMO Updates

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• The Road to Mordor: Three ways LotRO could encourge rerolls
• Defiance drops to $10 for PC version
• WRUP: Casualness and modes thereof edition
• The Daily Grind: Why do you play a tall race?
• Betawatch: July 20 - 26, 2013
• MMObility: Google's new Chromecast shows screen size does not matter
• Storyboard: Are we still having fun?
• Pearl Abyss releases new Black Desert trailer, screens
• TESO introduces the scamp
• WoW looks to the future as Blizzard stocks surge
• Second Wind: EverQuest II, part two
• Tamriel Infinium: The Elder Scrolls Online's community focus
• Hear the latest FFXIV news in next Producer's Letter Live

The Road to Mordor: Three ways LotRO could encourge rerolls Posted: 27 Jul 2013 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Classes, Opinion, Free-to-Play, The Road to Mordor You're either an altoholic or you're not, and if you're not, then you're probably not too concerned about what your next journey will look like. For those of us who love to fill up our character screens to the max and have rarely gone a week without thinking of sampling a new class, race, or approach we haven't tried before, then a game that provides excellent reasons to do so is essential to our long-term interest. I've made many a new alt in Lord of the Rings Online over the years, and some of those alts even survived the reality show-like elimination process to make it to high levels. Well, at least until Moria, after which the Balrog probably got them. In 2013 alone I've made good attempts at three alts, the highest of which is level 51. However, my enthusiasm for alting in LotRO is on the wane. I feel as though I've seen and done everything in those low levels to death, and Turbine isn't giving me good enough reasons to go back through it again. That's unfortunate because alting extends our interest in a title and gives us something to do once we've run out of new content to devour. So here are three ways that Turbine could encourage players to reroll more often in the future. Continue reading The Road to Mordor: Three ways LotRO could encourge rerolls The Road to Mordor: Three ways LotRO could encourge rerolls originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 27 Jul 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Defiance drops to $10 for PC version Posted: 27 Jul 2013 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, MMOFPS, Promotions, Defiance, Buy-to-Play Are you currently wallowing in regret that you didn't pick up Defiance when it was on sale for $13.59 on Steam earlier this month? Your hesitation has paid off, my friend, as Trion Worlds is now offering the game for even cheaper. The studio has the standard digital PC edition of Defiance on sale for $9.99 through its website. The deluxe digital PC edition is also marked down from $44.99 to $24.99. Both editions come with several in-game goodies, although the deluxe edition has more. [Thanks to Dengar and Jose for the tip!] Defiance drops to $10 for PC version originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 27 Jul 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Defiance store

WRUP: Casualness and modes thereof edition Posted: 27 Jul 2013 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Massively Meta, Miscellaneous I like Fire Emblem Awakening, but I'd really like to know what bright spark on the localization team decided to call the mode where your characters aren't constantly dying forever "casual mode." Guys, I like your games. I even like the idea that actions have consequences and throwing away three units on your flank to protect your charge might mean they don't get to have dinner tonight. But not wanting to reset the same battle dozens of times because a random generic enemy gets one of the series' trademark instant-kill critical hits out of the blue doesn't mean I'm playing casually, it means that I am a human being whose time on this planet is preciously short. Really, your game is plenty hard even without making every failure an ongoing cascade for the rest of the game. Give it a rest. Not entirely coincidentally, it's time for this week's installment of WRUP, in which the Massively staff members discuss what we'll be playing over the weekend. Check out our plans past the break, and let us know what you'll be up to down in the comments! Continue reading WRUP: Casualness and modes thereof edition WRUP: Casualness and modes thereof edition originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 27 Jul 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Daily Grind: Why do you play a tall race? Posted: 27 Jul 2013 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Races, Humor, Miscellaneous Let me put my capital-b Bias up front and center here: Tall races are awesome. From Draenei to Roegadyn, Norn to Bahmi, I'm always tempted to play a race that towers above the others. My characters in Champions Online and DC Universe Online both tend to be elevated above the crowd, which can occasionally prove problematic when attempting to slip into smaller passageways. Even the shorter characters I play are on the tall side for their races. Why do I do it? A lot of the time I just prefer the overall demeanor of the taller races, compared to smaller races that often come across as overbearing (Guild Wars 2's Asurans) or annoying (World of Warcraft's Gnomes). Aside from that, taller races have an easier time conveying a variety of attitudes from body language, posture, and dress. And I'm relatively tall myself, so there's a touch of familiarity there. There's no shortage of players who take playing diminutive races as a point of pride, but people who play taller races don't have that same sort of community. So today I say stand up, look down, and tell everyone: Why do you play a tall race? 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: Why do you play a tall race? originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 27 Jul 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Betawatch: July 20 - 26, 2013 Posted: 26 Jul 2013 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, MMO Industry, Betawatch, Miscellaneous Depending on whom you talk to, ArcheAge is either an upcoming sandbox game, the one true game that will convince everyone that sandboxes are the best thing ever (and we mean it this time), or a worse game than whatever pet game you're championing at the time. Whatever category you fall under, you can probably agree that it's taking its sweet time to get here, so fans should be happy that there's a status report available for all those waiting patiently (or not-so-patiently). Not a great deal has been happening in the beta space otherwise. The Phoenix Project is aiming at a September Kickstarter pitch, which should be welcome news to former City of Heroes players. Aeria Games has opened signups for testing F.E.A.R. Online, which follows the time-honored tradition of taking an existing franchise and adding "online" to the title. And of course, there's our usual list of games in testing just past the break, as you do. It's a time-honored tradition. Continue reading Betawatch: July 20 - 26, 2013 Betawatch: July 20 - 26, 2013 originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 26 Jul 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

MMObility: Google's new Chromecast shows screen size does not matter Posted: 26 Jul 2013 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Screenshots, Business Models, Culture, Launches, Opinion, Browser, Miscellaneous, MMObility If you missed Google's latest press conference, go check it out here or spy on my own cute self as I attempt to explain what was covered during the event. Either way, it was a nice chance to see how dedicated Google is to the mobile lifestyle. I'd argue that this "mobile" lifestyle that I continue to love will not be referred as "mobile" soon as more and more people adopt portable computers as mainstay devices, but for now we'll keep the moniker. Despite the fantastic new Nexus 7, the real announcement for me was the unveiling of the Chromecast, a simple HDMI dongle that plugs into your television and allows the wireless broadcast of all sorts of web content. Why is this a cool idea, and how isn't it just something that we're already able to do? I'll give my take on it but would love to hear from my readers as well. Continue reading MMObility: Google's new Chromecast shows screen size does not matter MMObility: Google's new Chromecast shows screen size does not matter originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 26 Jul 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Storyboard: Are we still having fun? Posted: 26 Jul 2013 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Culture, Opinion, Roleplaying, Storyboard, Miscellaneous Roleplaying events, like any other sort of roleplaying, require a bit of give and take. The person organizing the event puts in a lot of work coming up with a plan and being ready to adapt to changing circumstances, sometimes to great effect and sometimes to... less great effect. But it's not all down to the organizer. If you're actively participating in the event, you have a certain level of obligation, just like you have an obligation to actively participate in a tabletop game. Nobody likes the guy who isn't paying attention and groans with exhausted relief when you finally get to the part that he was waiting for. Organizers are supposed to make sure that the road to the fireworks factory is neat, but what can you do as a participant to make sure that your interest stays up, even during the parts that drag before you get to the fireworks factory? As you've probably, guessed, I have several suggestions. Continue reading Storyboard: Are we still having fun? Storyboard: Are we still having fun? originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 26 Jul 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Pearl Abyss releases new Black Desert trailer, screens Posted: 26 Jul 2013 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Sandbox, Black Desert Pearl Abyss has put up a new teaser website for its upcoming Black Desert sandbox. Prior to today the fantasy title had no real web presence outside of its Facebook page, but now interested gamers can check out a selection of screenshots and a new teaser trailer on the game's official site! The catch is that the site is in Korean, but that shouldnt stop you from oohing and ahhing over the visuals. Click past the cut for the teaser trailer. [Thanks everyone who tipped us!] Continue reading Pearl Abyss releases new Black Desert trailer, screens Pearl Abyss releases new Black Desert trailer, screens originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 26 Jul 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Black Desert HQ Via: Steparu

TESO introduces the scamp Posted: 26 Jul 2013 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Video, New Titles, News Items, The Elder Scrolls Online, MMORPG The world of Elder Scrolls is filled with colorful, fantastical creatures, and The Elder Scrolls Online is no exception. In the latest edition of Creating ESO, the team at ZeniMax Online details the mischievous and dangerous scamp, a small Daedra who will be familiar to players of Morrowind and Oblivion. Scamps can cast fire-based spells and have their own special language. And despite their small size, they are menacing foes for Tamriel explorers caught with their defenses down. You can see the scamp in action after the break. Continue reading TESO introduces the scamp TESO introduces the scamp originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 26 Jul 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Creating ESO

WoW looks to the future as Blizzard stocks surge Posted: 26 Jul 2013 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Interviews, MMO Industry, Subscription Blizzard might be weathering the sting of a 600,000 subscriber loss in World of Warcraft this quarter, but the studio's separation from Vivendi could be the salve to soothe the hurt. Following the news that Activision Blizzard is buying back shares to take away Vivendi's controlling stake, stocks have surged 18% in pre-market trading this morning. Baird Analyst Colin Sebastian says this is nothing but good news: "This looks like a win, win, win for Vivendi and Activision shareholders. It's a better outcome than a special dividend to Vivendi, and I expect Activision will function even better as an independent company without the overhang of a struggling parent." Blizzard is also taking steps to counter its subscriber drop. VentureBeat reports that the studio has increased its WoW development team, "lowered the barrier" for returning players to catch up to friends, and created an in-game proving ground so players can learn to heal or tank. We also have word that a new buff-centric class is being considered, although no specifics have been revealed. WoW looks to the future as Blizzard stocks surge originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 26 Jul 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: WoW Insider, VentureBeat, Forbes

Second Wind: EverQuest II, part two Posted: 26 Jul 2013 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest II, Opinion, Free-to-Play, Second Wind Hello again, friends, and welcome back to another installment of Second Wind. You might remember that last time around, I decided to jump into the world of Norrath by way of EverQuest II and found the experience to be more than a little bit... mind-boggling, let's say. The game is so immense, in fact, that it couldn't be contained in a single feature, so I had to split it up into two parts. In part one, I took a look at some of the game's basic features and systems, such as progression, questing, and combat (which I thought were solid, lacking flow, and a bit clunky, respectively), but I didn't have the opportunity to tackle some of the game's deeper features, such as dungeons and crafting. So now that everyone's up to speed, let's get down to business. I've spent a great deal of time in Norrath at this point, and I believe I'm finally starting to get a feel for the game. Of course, the fact that it's taken me this long to get to that point should tell you something, but I'll leave that for later. For now, how about jumping past the cut to find out what I've discovered during my recent adventures? Continue reading Second Wind: EverQuest II, part two Second Wind: EverQuest II, part two originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 26 Jul 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Tamriel Infinium: The Elder Scrolls Online's community focus Posted: 26 Jul 2013 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Culture, Interviews, New Titles, Opinion, The Elder Scrolls Online, MMORPG, Tamriel Infinium When interviewing developers for Massively over the last three years, I've taken many opportunities to chat up multiple community managers. And when I was running my own community, I read article after article about how to gauge the health of a community. Although I don't remember who said it or where I might have read it, I learned that one of the best ways to measure a healthy community is the amount of artwork that players make about your particular theme, or in the case of The Elder Scrolls Online, the game. Of course, all game creators like to see players having fun and being inspired by what they are doing. The Elder Scrolls brings with it an existing community inspired by games like Skyrim and Morrowind. The community has already fallen in love with ESO and has drawn inspiration from everything that ZeniMax has released about the game so far. One of these inspired individuals is Lisa Green, known as Aloucia on TESO-RP.com. She told me a bit about herself and the inspiration behind her painting that was featured in the latest Tamriel Chronicle. Continue reading Tamriel Infinium: The Elder Scrolls Online's community focus Tamriel Infinium: The Elder Scrolls Online's community focus originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 26 Jul 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Hear the latest FFXIV news in next Producer's Letter Live Posted: 26 Jul 2013 10:30 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Events (Real-World), News Items, Final Fantasy XIV, Livestream, Dev Diaries Sometimes words on a page (or screen, obviously) just can't convey the spirit and feeling behind a message. Even all caps or a series of !!1!1 can't adequately express some sentiments -- for that, you need visual cues and tone of voice. Final Fantasy XIV fans will be treated to those when Producer Naoki Yoshida livestreams the next Producer's Letter on August 8th at 8:00 a.m. EDT. The topic: beta and the official release. Questions for the show can be submitted to the designated thread before airing and via the game's official Twitter account during the stream; just be sure to attach #XIV to all tweeted inquiries. If you miss the stream live -- or don't understand Japanese -- you can still catch the answers to all the questions addressed in both real time on Twitter and a Q&A summary to be posted on the site shortly afterward. Hear the latest FFXIV news in next Producer's Letter Live originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 26 Jul 2013 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Producer's Letter Live announcement

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MMORPG News

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• Defiance: Price Break to $9.99
• General: HearthStone: See The Game In Action
• Tynon: Strategic Sloth
• Prime World: Open Beta Begins
• Elder Scrolls Online: Creating the Scamp
• General: When Power Diminishes Us
• PlanetSide 2: Player Studio Comes to Auraxis
• General: How to Comic-Con
• EverQuest Next: Our EverQuest Next Wish List

Defiance: Price Break to $9.99 Posted: 26 Jul 2013 02:15 PM PDT Trion has reduced the price of Defiance to a mere $9.99 on the game's official site. As yet, online retailers such as Amazon have yet to reflect the price change so, if you have yet to try out Defiance, head to the official site to grab yours at a bargain price.

General: HearthStone: See The Game In Action Posted: 26 Jul 2013 02:10 PM PDT The HearthStone team has released a live stream of the game that focuses on The Forge. It will no longer be called The Forge and will henceforth be known as The Arena. The Arena is a competitive 1v1 location. The stream shows players taking part and how to build a hero's team.

Tynon: Strategic Sloth Posted: 24 Jul 2013 07:44 PM PDT Tynon was originally released about a year ago but has since undergone a complete reworking. Did the new look and feel improve the game or not? Find out in our latest review before heading to the comments to talk.

Prime World: Open Beta Begins Posted: 26 Jul 2013 11:23 AM PDT Nival has announced that the open beta for its newest game, Prime World, has kicked off effective today, Friday, July 26th. Currently the site is down for maintenance but will be up, according the announcement, soon.

Elder Scrolls Online: Creating the Scamp Posted: 26 Jul 2013 11:18 AM PDT The Elder Scrolls Online site has been updated with a new article that details how the team created the Scamp. The team calls them "small but malevolent" and by the looks of them, it certainly seems to be the case.

General: When Power Diminishes Us Posted: 24 Jul 2013 05:52 PM PDT Rich and poor are facts of human existence. It's something we all know. But does that same disparity factor into the games we play? In this week's Devil's Advocate, we examine the notion and offer a few ideas. See what you think before lending your voice to the conversation in the comments.

PlanetSide 2: Player Studio Comes to Auraxis Posted: 26 Jul 2013 03:51 AM PDT Today, SOE is pulling the veil off a brand new feature for MMOFPS Planetside 2: the Player Studio. Already present in EverQuest, the Player Studio will allow enterprising and creative gamers to create and sell cosmetic items in Planetside 2 for real world money. Read on for our conversation with Art Director Tramell Isaac to find out what you can make, how it works, and how you can make some cash from your creations.

General: How to Comic-Con Posted: 25 Jul 2013 04:51 PM PDT Any city's Comic-Con is a unique breed unto itself. Comic-Cons aren't just another gaming convention either. In our latest Fair Game column, we take a look at the best way to "Comic-Con". See what you think before heading to the comments to discuss the article.

EverQuest Next: Our EverQuest Next Wish List Posted: 25 Jul 2013 04:39 PM PDT EverQuest Next will finally debut into the light next week during the annual SOE Live convention in Las Vegas. As we try to contain our own budding excitement, we have The List to offer today of the things we would like to see featured in EQN. See if you agree before adding your own list to the comments.

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