| A wounded land: The sights of LotRO's West Rohan Posted: 02 Oct 2013 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Previews, Free-to-Play In past developer walkthroughs of Lord of the Rings Online: Helm's Deep, Turbine gave us a broad overview of the expansion as well as a look at the next portion of the epic story. For our third tour, we got to check out the vistas and landscapes of West Rohan. One of our concerns was that after the expansiveness of East Rohan, the wast would be, well, more of the same. Lots of fields, horses galore, and so on. While the horses are still ever-present (this is Rohan, after all), West Rohan establishes a unique identity as a land that's more developed, more diverse, and more wounded. The theme of the region is simple: War is coming -- and is in fact already here. In our tour through the five ridings of West Rohan, the developers stopped to point out how they crafted the region to do the country and its many fans justice. If you think you know it all from the movies or from base assumptions, you might want to open your mind to a richer experience that's coming soon to LotRO. Continue reading A wounded land: The sights of LotRO's West Rohan  A wounded land: The sights of LotRO's West Rohan originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 02 Oct 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Aura Kingdom offers its first installment of story Posted: 02 Oct 2013 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Lore, New Titles, Previews, News Items, Free-to-Play Let's face it, every MMO's lore is fundamentally an explanation for why there's something to kill and what you hope to accomplish by killing it. But even in the games that only need the thinnest veneer of a plot anyway, there's still some lore, and someone's going to be happy to learn about it. Aura Kingdom is aiming at having a bit more than an excuse plot, evidenced by the fact that a large piece of lore has just been placed up on the main site prior to the game's beta test commencing. The crux of the game's history hinges around the Cube of Gaia, an immensely powerful artifact that was discovered roughly 1,000 years prior to the game's present. This first bit of lore covers the first empire to control the Cube, with a normadic warchief rising to worldwide domination through careful use of the Cube's power. Take a look at the lore, and if it appeals, go ahead and sign up for beta while you're there. Aura Kingdom offers its first installment of story originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 02 Oct 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Battle and usability being improved in The Repopulation Posted: 02 Oct 2013 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-Fi, Game Mechanics, Patches, News Items, Sandbox, The Repopulation Someone always wants to play a melee character. You could give everyone in an MMO the ability to shoot something dead from two zones over and there would be at least one player rushing into melee range to smack at it. Hence why The Repopulation has made a point of upping melee's viability by improving its ability to hit a moving target; if someone's going to do it anyway, it may as well be viable. Medical abilities have also been improved, and the game's crosshairs and aiming assistance have both received an upgrade. The other two major areas of improvement for the game's past month of development has been the addition of new content near Plymouth (including a truly massive cave network) and improvements to missions and mission templates to make the game easier to jump into. The inquiry system also allows players to collect data on the game world, and the Surveying skill allows players to figure out where harvestable resources are located. Take a look at the full patch notes for an in-depth look at how the game has changed as it moves ever closer to its beta test phase. Battle and usability being improved in The Repopulation originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 02 Oct 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Phoenix Project dubs itself City of Titans and launches on Kickstarter Posted: 02 Oct 2013 07:30 AM PDT Filed under: Super-hero, New Titles, News Items, Crowdfunding, Buy-to-Play So how have you been doing since the closure of City of Heroes? If you haven't been doing so good, City of Titans is certainly meant to be your sort of game. If you've been fine... well, maybe you'll still want to check it out. One of the fan-made spiritual successors to City of Heroes, this game was previously known as The Phoenix Project but now has both a finished title and a Kickstarter project available. The game is taking aim at a modest $320,000 goal (and is already $60,000 toward it as of this writing), with the funding paying for servers and necessary production software. Developers are promising that the game is meant to focus on character attitude rather than skills or classes; players choose how a hero wishes to do something and abilities changed based upon that. Whether you're an old friend of the movement or just like the idea of a different sort of superhero game, consider throwing a few dollars toward the campaign. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in!] The Phoenix Project dubs itself City of Titans and launches on Kickstarter originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 02 Oct 2013 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| World of Warcraft movie to premiere in 2015 Posted: 02 Oct 2013 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Culture, News Items, Subscription What's the plot of the World of Warcraft movie? We don't know. Who's starring in the film? We don't know that, either. When will we get to see the movie? That we do know. The official Twitter feed for the game announced last night that the World of Warcraft film will premiere on December 18th, 2015. So you've got a couple of years left before sitting in for opening night, or as is more likely the case before sitting at home and waiting until the film comes out on Blu-ray. It may seem a little early for a release date when so much about the film remains unknown, but considering the film has languished in development hell for seven years at this point most people involved are happy to kick things up a bit. Since 2015 is also the year that the new Star Wars movie is scheduled to hit theaters, you can at least enjoy the promise of some films to pique your interest in a couple of years. World of Warcraft movie to premiere in 2015 originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 02 Oct 2013 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Daily Grind: What colors do you wear? Posted: 02 Oct 2013 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous You know what I look at a lot these days? Color combinations. I have an abundance of toddlers in my house, and with toddlers come brightly colored toys, clothes, and kitchenware. I've become fascinated with observing which color combinations are on display, mostly because I bring that newfound knowledge into MMOs when I'm trying to figure out how to dye my outfits. A good color scheme can make or break an outfit. Deep blue and bright yellow is one of my current favorite combos, although I will never say no to black-and-white simplicity. Even brown is kind of cool if paired with pink or a bright green. So for those of you who obsess with getting "just the right look" for your character when you're purchasing dyes, what colors do you end up wearing? What are your favorites?  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 colors do you wear? originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 02 Oct 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| MMO bloggers band together to encourage new writers Posted: 01 Oct 2013 07:00 PM PDT Filed under: Culture, Massively Meta, Miscellaneous Have you heard of the Newbie Blogger Initiative? It's only the latest and greatest craze to hit the MMO circuit. Basically, several experienced MMO bloggers decided to band together to encourage and support players in trying their hand at starting up a new blog. During the month of October, the NBI will be raging across blogs, on its website, and especially on its forums. Veteran MMO bloggers have gathered to offer advice through posts, mentoring, Q&A sessions, and promoting start-up blogs. Yours truly will be a part of this, as will Storybricks' Brian Green. If you've thought about starting up an MMO blog, then this is the perfect month to do so. Sign in, peruse the forums, get posting, and enjoy the resources that the blogging community is setting up to give you the best possible beginning! The NBI should interest all MMO players, as it's a great central location to find interesting and entertaining blogs both new and old. MMO bloggers band together to encourage new writers originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 01 Oct 2013 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Jukebox Heroes: 14 MMO soundtracks you can check out on SoundCloud Posted: 01 Oct 2013 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Miscellaneous, Jukebox Heroes, Music I'm a pretty slow adopter of new technology and services, so I've only recently really started paying attention to the music-sharing service that is SoundCloud because I've started to see more and more MMO composers plopping down their work onto the site for the world to enjoy. Now that I've spent some time with SoundCloud, I've got to say just how impressed I am with what it can offer to the soundtrack community. Composers and studios can put their soundtracks up on the site for people to listen through without that annoying arbitrary 30-second limit that certain digital distribution platforms use. In addition to providing music for the ears, musicians have the option to show where these albums can be purchased -- and in some cases, offer the tracks as a free download. In return, listeners can tag portions of the songs and have back-and-forth discussions with the composers. I've done a lot of digging and have discovered quite a few MMO soundtracks that are available on SoundCloud, including some that you can legally download and enjoy today. Here are 14 to get you started, but if you see any more, please let us all know in the comments! Continue reading Jukebox Heroes: 14 MMO soundtracks you can check out on SoundCloud Jukebox Heroes: 14 MMO soundtracks you can check out on SoundCloud originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 01 Oct 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Hyperspace Beacon: SWTOR's Dread War, part 1 Posted: 01 Oct 2013 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Patches, Endgame, PvE, Opinion, Free-to-Play, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Hyperspace Beacon, Dungeons, MMORPG When I freed the Dread Masters on the prison world of Belsavis, little did I know that a year and a half after the launch of Star Wars: The Old Republic, I would not only be fighting against these amazing foes but trying to destroy them. As I mentioned the last couple of weeks, the Empire and the Republic found the secret base of the Dread Masters on the planet Oricon, where they have been hiding and experimenting on the local fauna while amassing their subjugated army. Eventually, a strike team will have to invade the Dread Master's fortress, and in the two new operations of Update 2.4: The Dread War, you will get to do just that. Although I'm still not sure where this falls on the fun scale when compared to other SWTOR operations, I can tell you that it is challenging and exciting. I'll break it down for you, and if you hadn't guessed already, there will be spoilers. That said, I will limit the story-related ones. Continue reading Hyperspace Beacon: SWTOR's Dread War, part 1 Hyperspace Beacon: SWTOR's Dread War, part 1 originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 01 Oct 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Wargaming releases new World of Warplanes flight school video Posted: 01 Oct 2013 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Historical, Video, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, War, Free-to-Play, World of Warplanes Need a video primer for turning and burning in World of Warplanes? Look no further than the clip Wargaming.net released this week. The six-minute shindig is part of the title's flight school series, and it focuses on various strategies for both air combat newbs and WoWP newbs. The video pays plenty of lip service to higher ground techniques, boom-and-zoom tactics, and making the most of the extensive info provided by the game's HUD. Have a look-see for yourself after the cut. [Source: Wargaming.net press release] Continue reading Wargaming releases new World of Warplanes flight school video Wargaming releases new World of Warplanes flight school video originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 01 Oct 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Pre-order Destiny and get beta early access Posted: 01 Oct 2013 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-Fi, MMOFPS, Promotions, Destiny Bungie is not-so-subtly nudging players in the direction of the Destiny pre-order by offering one tantalizing morsel: early access to the game's beta. By pre-ordering Destiny, players will get a code that will get them into the beta when it starts up in early 2014. Previous pre-orders will automatically receive beta codes as well. There's a bunch of fine print to this one, so keep on reading. First of all, you'll need to pre-order at a participating retailer: Amazon (US and UK), Best Buy (US), Gamestop (US), Walmart (US), Smyths (UK), Tesco (UK), or Blockbuster (UK). The studio further requires that you have either a PS4, PS3, Xbox One, or Xbox 360 as well as a bungie.net account. Pre-order Destiny and get beta early access originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 01 Oct 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Star Wars: The Old Republic Update 2.4: The Dread War is here Posted: 01 Oct 2013 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Patches, Free-to-Play, Star Wars: The Old Republic While it accidentally patched up yesterday, Update 2.4 is now live for Star Wars: The Old Republic. The update is called The Dread War and is apparently the biggest update since the game launched its expansion. Update 2.4 has a lot of "new" to it: a new planet (well, moon), new missions, new operations, new PvP options, new gear sets, new warzone maps, and new mounts. The update title refers to the Dread Masters who have taken up residence on the moon or Oricon, where a story mission series will allow players to further delve into the histories behind these happy-go-lucky folks. At the end of all this are challenging level-55 operations called the Dread Fortress and the Dread Palance. Will you be a part of the team tackling "the galaxy's greatest threat?" If so, you'll probably want to bone up on the patch notes before diving into the fray! Star Wars: The Old Republic Update 2.4: The Dread War is here originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 01 Oct 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Age of Conan dev letter outlines new dungeons, tradeskill revamp progress Posted: 01 Oct 2013 01:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Age of Conan, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, News Items, Free-to-Play, Dungeons, Crafting Age of Conan game director Joel Bylos has penned a new director's letter recapping the various happenings in Hyboria. Funcom is still hard work on AoC's long-awaited crafting revamp, and Bylos says that the "single most important part of the tradeskill system was completed earlier this week." Apparently there was plenty of work to be done converting old items and old tools into the new system -- some of the assets were originally created using Anarchy Online toolsets, for example. It sounds like there's still a long way to go, though, as Bylos mentions that UI work, content work, node placement, and tutorials still need doing. The letter also mentions Age of Conan's traditional Halloween event as well as three new dungeons that have made their way onto the game's test server. Click through the links below to read all about it! Age of Conan dev letter outlines new dungeons, tradeskill revamp progress originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 01 Oct 2013 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Cryptic eyeing single shard for Neverwinter, merge details 'coming soon' Posted: 01 Oct 2013 01:00 PM PDT |
| CCP still sees 'massive opportunity' on PS3 for DUST 514 Posted: 01 Oct 2013 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, MMO Industry, PvP, News Items, Free-to-Play, DUST 514 CCP is apparently content to keep DUST 514 on the PlayStation 3 for the time being, even though there's no exclusivity deal preventing it from appearing on other platforms. CEO Hilmar Petursson recently told Eurogamer that "there isn't anything preventing us from doing anything like that other than focus and prioritization." "It's easy to go and look at all the new shiny things that are coming but we don't want to be doing that. We want to stick to our guns," Petursson said. "There are 80 million PlayStation 3s and we have a free-to-play game; I think there is a massive opportunity in continuing to work on that throughout next year." If that sounds like CCP isn't quite sure whether or not it will bring DUST to the upcoming PlayStation 4, well, yes. "We just haven't decided," Petursson said. "It's just as simple as that. It can, technically, be [on the PS4]. There's nothing preventing it, it's just not what we're focusing on." CCP still sees 'massive opportunity' on PS3 for DUST 514 originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 01 Oct 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| We interviewed SOE about today's EQII Heroic Characters patch Posted: 01 Oct 2013 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest II, Game Mechanics, Interviews, Patches, Free-to-Play By now you have probably heard that EverQuest II is launching a little thing called Heroic Characters today; after all, this little thing is kind of a big deal. How often do players get the chance to jump in and experience a game as a permanent high-level character instead of just being teased with one during a brief tutorial? And for two weeks this possibility is completely free to each and every person, be they new players or veterans. Whether you are eagerly awaiting your chance to jump (back) into Norrath and see what things are like in the newest story arcs or you're eyeing the sudden influx of high level newbs with trepidation, there's no denying that EQ II is going through a fundamental shift today. This patch has the ability to change the landscape of play in the game more so than anything since the free-to-play conversion. When you couple these new Heroic Characters with the lifting of item restrictions, there are literally no more gates barring people from joining and experiencing most of what the game has to offer. In anticipation of this big change, I had the opportunity to sit down with Franchise Director Dave Georgeson and Producer Holly Longdale to talk Heroic Character shop, and they shed more light on this upcoming experience. They also revealed a little something extra coming for the raiders in Norrath. Continue reading We interviewed SOE about today's EQII Heroic Characters patch We interviewed SOE about today's EQII Heroic Characters patch originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 01 Oct 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Player-owned customs offices coming to empire space in EVE Online Posted: 01 Oct 2013 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, EVE Online, Expansions, Game Mechanics, Patches, News Items, Sandbox, Subscription Customs offices are pretty important in EVE Online. They're a link between planetside goods and the ships plying the spaceways, allowing for far more efficient transfers than shooting goods up and down while hoping for results. But in secure space, players aren't currently able to control these structures. That's changing with the Rubicon expansion, which will allow players to take out existing customs offices and build their own to control the flow of goods to and from a planet. At the start of Rubicon, all existing high-sec customs offices will be controlled by an NPC organization. Players can destroy these offices and then deploy a construction gantry. There are restrictions on transferring ownership and attacking offices owned by players, of course, but in most respects these offices function as their equivalents do in low-sec and nullsec. Players can control taxes, transfer rates, and even outright ban others from using the planet -- which can be circumvented with surface-side launches. It's another step in letting players control more of the game's infrastructure, something that should be welcomed by those looking to put a little more play into the more secure parts of the game. Player-owned customs offices coming to empire space in EVE Online originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 01 Oct 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Intel Developer Forum, Ivy Bridge-E, Microsoft's second generation Surface and more!
New beta drivers arrive just in time for the Battlefield 4 beta
There's something here for almost everyone
It takes patience to be a criminal
Don't worry Windows 8 users, the update is still free
Turned wired Internet into wireless with a wall socket
