| The Road to Mordor: Classes, bounders, and leaks Posted: 07 Sep 2013 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Classes, Expansions, Free-to-Play, The Road to Mordor You know the saying: When it rains, it pours. After an almost painful period of silence as we've waited for news of the expansion, it seems as if Turbine's finally ready to pour out an information waterfall on all of us. Last time in this column we looked at the Q&A of the "big battles" system, and a week ago we were treated to a full-fledged preview of Helm's Deep. So I want to take some time to cover a few odds and ends that were sandwiched between those two mentions: the class revamp Q&A, the Bounder's Bounty event, and the leaked maps of Helm's Deep. I'll admit that my interest in Lord of the Rings Online has been flagging a bit, especially after I trudged through Wildermore. I've been hoping that the news of the expansion would put some wind in my sails, especially after waiting for the better part of the summer to hear it. So what do I make of all of this? Continue reading The Road to Mordor: Classes, bounders, and leaks  The Road to Mordor: Classes, bounders, and leaks originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 07 Sep 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| WRUP: I still hate the warehouse map edition Posted: 07 Sep 2013 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Massively Meta, Miscellaneous I miss City of Heroes. This is the opposite of news; pretty much everyone who has followed my rantings over the past several years is well aware of how much I liked the game. But even though it's been gone for a while now, let me be completely clear -- I still harbor a great deal of hatred for the warehouse map. Yes, more than the cave cake map. At least that was meant to be interesting. No warehouse maps ever again. Please. Even if the game gets a revival. But that's not what I'm playing this weekend. What am I playing? What are all of the Massively staff members playing? Why don't you find out down in WRUP? And just like every week, you can let us know what you'll be up to in the comments. Or you can just whine about the warehouse map along with me, that's all right too. Continue reading WRUP: I still hate the warehouse map edition WRUP: I still hate the warehouse map edition originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 07 Sep 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Daily Grind: What dungeons do you hate in games you love? Posted: 07 Sep 2013 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Culture, Endgame, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous, Dungeons Not every game has dungeons. It would be kind of silly to imagine a group of EVE Online starships traveling through moldy corridors and slaughtering orcs (but also kind of awesome). But the idea of having an area with paced enemy encounters and big bosses certainly isn't novel. World of Warcraft calls them dungeons, Star Wars: The Old Republic calls them flashpoints, Dungeons & Dragons Online calls them lots of different things, and they're all a chance for players to group up and enjoy some content. Sometimes it's not really enjoyable, though. The mechanics don't work or aren't fun. The fights require a lot more luck than skill. You don't have visual cues that are pretty much necessary to understand what's happening. If a game has dungeon, it always has some that aren't as good as the others. So what dungeons do you hate in a game that you otherwise love? Are they agreed by the community to be horrible, or are they usually beloved dungeons that you just can't stand personally?  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 dungeons do you hate in games you love? originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 07 Sep 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Storyboard: Nobody wants to play with you Posted: 06 Sep 2013 07:00 PM PDT Filed under: Culture, Opinion, Roleplaying, Storyboard, Miscellaneous You want to roleplay. Oh, boy, do you ever want to roleplay. You have pages and pages of character backstory, you have your character's voice down, and you can cycle through emotes like a champ. (There's no championship for that, I know. Bear with me.) Your only problem is that when you walk into the room, everyone quietly turns away and discusses how urgently he or she needs to get to the next dungeon, and well, it's late. Bye! It's just like at prom, except this time you can't assume that people were just turned off by your decision to wear Groucho Marx glasses. So why does no one want to roleplay with you? Obviously I can't tell you exactly why people don't want to roleplay with you. There are a lot of variables that I probably don't know about. But I can at least give you some ideas about why you might be encountering some problems and how you can fix them, since you deserve the same sort of fun that everyone else is having. Sit down and let's figure it out; there's no judgment here. Continue reading Storyboard: Nobody wants to play with you Storyboard: Nobody wants to play with you originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 06 Sep 2013 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Betawatch: August 31 - September 6, 2013 Posted: 06 Sep 2013 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, MMO Industry, News Items, Betawatch, Miscellaneous Betawatch only covers some of what could be considered in beta testing. We have rules about what is and isn't in beta, for example. But the fact that Anarchy Online is currently beta testing its new graphics engine is worth a mention just the same because that's just plain nifty. In more testing-related news, Ran Online is gearing up for a European beta after quite some time. CasinoRPG has gone into open testing after a successful Kickstarter earlier in the year. And Heva Clonia Online will be going into testing starting on September 19th, fulfilling a need for anyone addicted to the idea of cloning defeated monsters for pet battles without first shoving those monsters into tiny balls. As always, the full list is past the break, and feel free to let us know if you've seen something that slipped our notice so that we can check and verify. We ain't perfect, after all. Continue reading Betawatch: August 31 - September 6, 2013 Betawatch: August 31 - September 6, 2013 originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 06 Sep 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Star Citizen's $20 million stretch goal is planetside FPS combat Posted: 06 Sep 2013 05:30 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Video, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Sandbox, Star Citizen, Buy-to-Play Star Citizen smashed the $17 and $18 million crowdfunding barriers over the past seven days, and as per Cloud Imperium tradition, the latter milestone "unlocked" the next tier of funding rewards. In his latest letter from the chairman, Chris Roberts revealed that the sci-fi sandbox's $20 million stretch goal is "first person combat on select lawless planets." Star Citizen was already primed to include FPS combat on space stations, landing platforms, and via ship boarding actions, but the new goal takes it a step further. "Don't just battle on space stations and platforms... take the fight to the ground," the post says. Speaking of outside-the-ship environments, the post also includes a two-minute sneak preview of Terra Prime's landing zone. Check out the full video after the cut! Continue reading Star Citizen's $20 million stretch goal is planetside FPS combat Star Citizen's $20 million stretch goal is planetside FPS combat originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 06 Sep 2013 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| MMObility: Motion Twin's Mush conjures delightfully paranoid gameplay Posted: 06 Sep 2013 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-Fi, Game Mechanics, New Titles, Previews, Opinion, Free-to-Play, Browser, Mobile, Casual, MMObility If you are a regular reader of mine (thank you if you are), then you know how much I enjoy Motion Twin, the studio behind one of my favorite games, Die2Nite. I fell in love with Die2Nite over the last year or two; the game has grown into an amazing and sometimes scary experience, and it does it all with very little imagery. Motion Twin is in fact a one-stop-shop for many unique games that come from many different genres. So when I heard about Mush, the latest multiplayer title from the same developer, I was naturally excited. For the record, Die2Nite and Mush are both pseudo-MMOs or MMO- like games; make no mistake. But as I have pointed out before, the gameplay is so intriguing and smart that MMO developers would be wise to pay attention to the designs. Take Die2Nite and set it in space, tweak it, and make it more immediate, and you might begin to understand how Mush plays. Let's look into it -- just remember that in space, no one can hear you scheme! Continue reading MMObility: Motion Twin's Mush conjures delightfully paranoid gameplay MMObility: Motion Twin's Mush conjures delightfully paranoid gameplay originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 06 Sep 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Vanguard gets a development roadmap Posted: 06 Sep 2013 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, Patches, News Items, PvE, Vanguard, Free-to-Play, Dungeons Vanguard's gone and got itself a roadmap. No, really! SOE has issued an upcoming content schedule that includes "major performance upgrades" and the introduction of mentor stones. Said stones will be placed at the entrance to all of Vanguard's dungeons in order to give players the option to set their levels appropriately. The update post also touches on the Cave of Wonders raid content, which SOE says is now slated to go live via four separate installments. There's more on the schedule, too, but you'll need to head to Vanguard's official website to read it all! Vanguard gets a development roadmap originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 06 Sep 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Elite Dangerous newsletter focuses on algorithmic space stations Posted: 06 Sep 2013 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Sandbox, Crowdfunding, Elite: Dangerous Elite Dangerous' 11th newsletter likely hit your inbox this afternoon. In case it didn't, or in case it tripped over your spam filter, allow me to summarize. Much of the focus is on the sci-fi sandbox title's space stations. The dev team at Frontier is keen on variation, of course, so Elite "will be using procedural algorithms to to construct stations out of a range of modular assets." This approach will also allow players to see stations change over time "in response to player-driven events." There are also plans for game-driven station construction via the event system, which would generate missions for players, "allowing you to help or hinder the progress of a station." Frontier currently has plans for different station types (mining bases, shipyards, pirate bases, etc.), as well as numerous sub-modules that make up each type. There's a lot more to the letter, so be sure and give it a read via the links below. Elite Dangerous newsletter focuses on algorithmic space stations originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 06 Sep 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Aventurine expects Darkfall's Duelist to be 'the role of choice for experienced PvPers' Posted: 06 Sep 2013 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Darkfall, Classes, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, PvP, News Items, Sandbox, Subscription Aventurine is preparing a new skirmisher school for Darkfall. It's called the Duelist, and as you might surmise, it's heavy on damage capability. The announcement post describes it as "an ultra high mobility melee glass cannon." AV says that the Duelist will bring twitch-play "back into the equation" and will likely "be the role of choice for the experienced PvPers." The post mentions a few odds-and-ends about the Duelist's skill set, in particular abilities like Flurry, Lacerate, and Pummel. The school also features a cooldown reset that works for both Duelist skills and skills from other schools. The Duelist is due to be released in Darkfall's upcoming content patch. Aventurine expects Darkfall's Duelist to be 'the role of choice for experienced PvPers' originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 06 Sep 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| WildStar webcomic endears us to the plight of the Mordesh Posted: 06 Sep 2013 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-Fi, Lore, Humor, WildStar, Subscription Don't call them space zombies. The Mordesh do not like that, not one little bit. If you do, you might find yourself injected with something glowing and green that does unpleasant things to your body. These are the lessons that we're taking from today's WildStar webcomic, which picks up with Mordesh alchemist Victor Lazarin giving us a glimpse into the mindset of this space zo... technologically undead race. It's amusing, it's colorful, and it's going to leave you hanging until part three. Discussion question for the whole class: After reading parts one and two, which race do you sympathize with the most? Do the ends justify the means? Should fictional animal rights organizations get involved after witnessing these experiments? WildStar webcomic endears us to the plight of the Mordesh originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 06 Sep 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Camelot Unchained contemplates a Berserker race Posted: 06 Sep 2013 12:30 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Classes, Lore, PvP, Races, Dev Diaries, Camelot Unchained, Subscription Would the Beserkers make a better race than a class? That's the big question that City State Entertainment's Mark Jacobs is mulling over in today's Camelot Unchained update. The CEO delivers a rundown of what the team's accomplished recently and what the team has next on the list, but he quickly transitions into a story about the Viking warriors and asks the community if they might be better served as a race. "I've always loved these guys and initial plan was to have them as a melee class within the game," Jacobs writes. "However, it might be a heck of a lot of fun if they were their own race. I thought about it and I decided that the idea of a Berserker Mage or Berserker Healer was just way too much fun." Jacobs is soliciting feedback from the community on the topic and wrapped up the update post with an early look at the Dvergr model. Camelot Unchained contemplates a Berserker race originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 06 Sep 2013 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Secret World's new outfit a deal for impulse buyers only Posted: 06 Sep 2013 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Horror, Real-Life, Events (In-Game), MMO Industry, News Items, The Secret World, Buy-to-Play So, we already know about The Secret World's new Gilded Rage event that starts today. We also know that the special AP bonus is only for this weekend only. But did you know that the event has a special semi-exclusive outfit available to players in the item shop? Well now you do! And if there is any chance at all you want to get this shiny new ensemble, you'd better put aside your leisurely shopper ways and jump on it ASAP. What makes this outfit semi-exclusive? Style and Gilt is currently being sold for 90% off (lining it up with the cost of all others in the store); however, apparently once the weekend is over, the original price will be implemented and the cost will skyrocket up to the ranks of EVE's infamous monocle. How many will be willing to spend 12,000 points ($90) on a little golden sheen? Tell us your thoughts: Do you appreciate the fact that an event-exclusive outfit will actually be available after the fact even (at an exorbitant cost), or would you prefer the outfit to just retire from the store? Let us know in the comments below. [Thanks to Rachel for the tip!] The Secret World's new outfit a deal for impulse buyers only originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 06 Sep 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| PAX Prime 2013 and FFXIV relaunch event in pictures Posted: 06 Sep 2013 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Galleries, Events (Real-World), MMO Industry, Massively Meta, Humor, Events (Massively's Coverage), Miscellaneous  This year's PAX Prime has come and gone, but during my trip I snapped a bundle of pictures we're pretty sure you're going to love. Enjoy some booths, crowds, games, and quite a bit of the Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn launch event. Even Jesus showed up for my photo shoot! Continue reading PAX Prime 2013 and FFXIV relaunch event in pictures PAX Prime 2013 and FFXIV relaunch event in pictures originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 06 Sep 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| TERA: Rising unleashes Dungeon Assault on September 10 with all new dungeons Posted: 06 Sep 2013 10:30 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Galleries, Screenshots, Trailers, Video, Patches, News Items, Free-to-Play, TERA, Dungeons If you've been yearning for a new experience in TERA, you've only got to wait until next week to get one. On September 10th, the free-to-play fantasy game is launching four brand-new dungeons, complete with new game modes, epic bosses, and of course elite gear. Dubbed Dungeon Assault, this update adds content for various group sizes and allows players to upgrade the Conjunct, Visionmaker, and Bloodrave armor sets. Wonderholme, a 10-player co-op adventure, is a lethally whimsical castle. Channelworks is a series of aqueducts maintained by automatons (basically the sewers) deep beneath the Veritas District is explorable by groups of three. Kezzel's Gorge is a tower defense scenario built for seven participants. And Shattered Fleet, a five-player BAM beatdown, takes place on a ship run aground off the Jagged Coast. Can't wait until the 10th to see what's in store? Then check out screenshots of these new dungeons in the gallery below and watch a teaser trailer for each, one right after another, after the break.  [Source: En Masse press release] Continue reading TERA: Rising unleashes Dungeon Assault on September 10 with all new dungeons TERA: Rising unleashes Dungeon Assault on September 10 with all new dungeons originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 06 Sep 2013 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Could Amazon's smartphone be given away for "free?"
Toubourg jumps from one hit game to another 
