| The Game Archaeologist: The PLATO MMOs, part 2 Posted: 17 Aug 2013 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: MMO Industry, Opinion, The Game Archaeologist, Miscellaneous In our last installment looking at PLATO, the educational computer network that linked a thousand terminals across the US together, I don't think I stressed enough how awesome this system was for the time. In the 1970s, most universities had computers that required punch cards for input and spat back results on printers, grade schools simply didn't have computers, and if you wanted a PC at home, you'd have to build one from a kit that ended up being little more than a box with blinking lights. To sit down at a PLATO terminal was to jump forward a decade or more: sharp plasma displays, touch screens, speech synthesizers, email, message boards, and of course, the latest games. Often brewed up by students and programmers in their off hours, the PLATO games demonstrated the potential for online gaming, even if the games couldn't be put into every home. Last time we saw some of the innovations that would fuel MUDs and MMOs in years to come: networking, persistent characters, multiplayer matches with up to 32 people at a time, 3-D gaming in a virtual world, video game bosses, chat systems, and even crafting. So let's move on to the second batch of what I'm calling the "PLATO MMOs" -- not truly MMO as we know them today but uncanny pre-echoes of what the genre would become. Continue reading The Game Archaeologist: The PLATO MMOs, part 2  The Game Archaeologist: The PLATO MMOs, part 2 originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 17 Aug 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| WRUP: Lake taunting edition Posted: 17 Aug 2013 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Massively Meta, Miscellaneous Hey there, lake. Yeah, I'm talking to you. Don't act like you don't hear me. You thought you were pretty big, didn't you? Thought you could push me around just because you outmass me by several orders of magnitude? Let me tell you something, lake, you're nothing. You're a place for ducks to fart around. Everybody thinks you look gross and you're full of leeches. They're going to drain you and replace you with a skate park. Oh, are you going to cry now? Feel like crying? Just... tell me what that looks like, I don't know how a lake cries. Baby. As you probably guessed, it's WRUP time yet again, and that means that I get to put together some random nonsense leading into the Massively staff's plans for the weekend. Check that out after the break, and let us know what you're up to down in the comments. Continue reading WRUP: Lake taunting edition WRUP: Lake taunting edition originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 17 Aug 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Daily Grind: What's the strangest AFK you've experienced? Posted: 17 Aug 2013 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Humor, Miscellaneous Sometimes, people go away from the keyboard for normal reasons. Saying that I had to go AFK from World of Warcraft for a phone call wasn't all that abnormal, even if it was a call I had never expected to get from the woman who would eventually marry me. But then there are the more unusual times, like when I had to go AFK because my house was being pelted with rocks. Or the story a friend relayed of a guildmate saying, "BRB, someone is breaking into my house." There's always a story behind these incidents, even if it's just a bluff and you're running to the bathroom. So what's the strangest AFK you've experienced? Was it a case of something weird in your own life like calling animal control to deal with the wolves in your front yard, or was it a friend suddenly leaving the raid to put out a grease fire in the kitchen?  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's the strangest AFK you've experienced? originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 17 Aug 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Betawatch: August 10 - 16, 2013 Posted: 16 Aug 2013 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, MMO Industry, News Items, Betawatch, Miscellaneous Welcome to another installment of Betawatch, ladies and gentlemen. To start the show, I'd like to note that all our audience members waiting for Final Fantasy XIV can go ahead and leave now; you're not going to pay attention and we all know it. This week's surprising beta tidbit was Aeria Games' announcement about Aura Kingdom at Otakon, not usually known as an MMO reveal venue. Hearthstone has also entered its closed beta phase and done away with the stifling power of the NDA. Beyond that, it's been a fairly quiet week, with NCsoft making noise about the Lineage Eternal beta but not actually announcing any dates or details. We also heard about the MMO-like Nether moving into early testing, though it's really not a proper MMO title. As always, you've been a great audience, and we hope to see you again next week. The full list of games we know of in testing is just past the break, of course, so you can feel free to check it out (and let us know if something slipped past us). Continue reading Betawatch: August 10 - 16, 2013 Betawatch: August 10 - 16, 2013 originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 16 Aug 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Storyboard: Getting to know you (hopefully) Posted: 16 Aug 2013 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Culture, Opinion, Roleplaying, Storyboard, Miscellaneous In real life, I'm not what you'd call a social butterfly. More of a social weevil, or a social stick insect, or a social whatever arthropod it is that hides and avoids talking to people. The point is that I'm not really grand at parties. This cannot be who I am in roleplaying terms, and not just because it's not roleplaying in the strictest sense but because a roleplaying character who never roleplays isn't. Some of my characters are incredibly gregarious, some are more insular, but all of them need to find some way to interact with others or the entire system falls apart. Some of you reading this have never had a problem walking up and introducing yourself to someone you've never met before, which is great. You might even be able to stop reading now. For the rest of us, the question remains: How do you strike up conversations with new people for roleplaying? Continue reading Storyboard: Getting to know you (hopefully) Storyboard: Getting to know you (hopefully) originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 16 Aug 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Camelot Unchained update talks Cait Sith race Posted: 16 Aug 2013 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, PvP, News Items, Races, Sandbox, Camelot Unchained, Subscription  CityState head honcho Mark Jacobs is back for another Friday afternoon update regarding Camelot Unchained. This time the topic du jour is a "possible Arthurian race" called the Cait Sith. Jacobs says that CityState's Cait Sith interpretation will avoid the well-worn anthropomorphic path trod by the Thundercats and untold numbers of fantasy video games. Instead, CU's cats must be "badass," and "must look like the meanest, scariest, top of the food chain beings in the Realm." Unfortunately there's no concept art on display as of yet, but Jacobs says that CityState is working on it. Other potential racial attributes include shapeshifting abilities and a uniquely feline society. Finally, there's an extensive bit of Cait Sith lore. Read all about it by clicking through to the links below. Camelot Unchained update talks Cait Sith race originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 16 Aug 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| CM James Nichols leaves Trion as part of studio shakeup Posted: 16 Aug 2013 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, MMO Industry, Free-to-Play, RIFT RIFT CM James "Elrar" Nichols is no longer with Trion Worlds, according to Director of Community Elizabeth Tobey. "As we mentioned last week, we are undergoing some changes here at Trion and that also includes changes among your community team," she wrote. "In addition to all the names you already know on the dev tracker, you'll want to keep an eye out for me, OverloadUT, and Morgana -- we'll be around a lot more from here on out. I'll also be your main point of contact for all things community as Elrar is no longer with the company." The former community manager's departure is part of the recent shake-up of Trion's organization. Tobey said that this is according to the new plan that CEO Scott Hartsman has put into place: "I'm not going to be able to give you the exact details, but I want to let you guys know that this is part of a plan helmed by Scott, and one I believe in. That doesn't mean it's always easy, or fun, but it will result in something better and greater than ever before." "We all love RIFT," Tobey assured players, "everyone on this team, Scott -- everyone. It's not going anywhere or getting worse if we have anything to say about it." She concluded by promising the community more communication and details of the future of the game in the coming weeks. CM James Nichols leaves Trion as part of studio shakeup originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 16 Aug 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Hearthstone begins closed beta testing Posted: 16 Aug 2013 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Free-to-Play, Trading Card Games Shuffle the deck of your hopes and dreams because Hearthstone has just started its closed beta testing and sent out the first wave of invites from the applicant pool. To make matters more interesting, Blizzard is not holding an NDA for the duration of the beta process, so expect to hear a lot of feedback from people trying out this online card game as the beta progresses. To get into the beta, you'll need to have a Battle.net account and choose to opt in to the test from there or through the website. Blizzard will be notifying beta participants via email, but cautions players to watch out for scams. The studio said that it will invite more waves of players as needed and confirmed that it will be wiping all collections and progress partway through the beta period. Blizzard does not expect to do another wipe after this one, however. Hearthstone begins closed beta testing originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 16 Aug 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Hands-on with Infinite Crisis' new Coast City Marina map Posted: 16 Aug 2013 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Super-hero, Game Mechanics, Previews, PvP, Opinion, Hands-On, Events (Massively's Coverage), Miscellaneous, MOBA, Infinite Crisis Superheroes always seem to find a reason to start throwing punches. In fact, their instinctual need for violence is a perfect fit for the MOBA genre. Endless arena battles with little or no consequences make for a description divined for tight-loving super beings. Infinite Crisis, the new DC Comics-based MOBA from Turbine and Warner Bros. Entertainment, is introducing its closed beta to a new map: Coast City Marina. The map is a mixture of massive-urban jungles, capture points, and even a giant-AoE doomsday device. It's as though every type of MOBA gametype were mashed into one large, everything-on-it burger. And then Batman beat you up with it. Continue reading Hands-on with Infinite Crisis' new Coast City Marina map Hands-on with Infinite Crisis' new Coast City Marina map originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 16 Aug 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Get an advance look at Neverwinter's Fury of the Feywild details Posted: 16 Aug 2013 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Patches, Previews, Free-to-Play, Neverwinter Neverwinter's module 1 update, also known as Fury of the Feywild, will hit the game next Thursday, August 22nd, but you don't have to wait until then to read up on all of the specifics. Cryptic has posted many of the patch's details today, although they are of course subject to tweaking. Expect to see a lot of changes with module 1, including many class balance adjustments, a reduction in cost for some astral diamond purchases, a new passive power for non-augment companions, better inventory management, foundry tag searches, and LFG and trade chat channels. Fury of the Feywild will also include the new high-level zone of Sharandar, the ability to upgrade companions with astral diamonds, the salvage feature, and the new professions of artificing and weaponsmithing. The patch will also lay the groundwork for the Summer Festival to begin on August 29th. Get an advance look at Neverwinter's Fury of the Feywild details originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 16 Aug 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Tamriel Infinium: Why I will play Elder Scrolls Online Posted: 16 Aug 2013 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, New Titles, Opinion, The Elder Scrolls Online, MMORPG, Tamriel Infinium With all the new kinds of MMOs hitting the market, and with the splintering directions that MMO communities seem to take, I wanted to take a cathartic moment and really explore the reasons why I want to play the Elder Scrolls Online. The MMORPG market is growing astronomically. If we look at the games that are already out there, we see a wide variety of thematic differences between MMO games. The mechanics and the target audiences are vastly different from what they were even a few years ago. When I started playing MMOs, the number of existing MMOs could be counted on one hand, but now the number of MMOs being released in a year dwarfs that number. Why would I chose to play ESO when there are so many other choices out there? Continue reading Tamriel Infinium: Why I will play Elder Scrolls Online Tamriel Infinium: Why I will play Elder Scrolls Online originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 16 Aug 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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