General Gaming Article

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• LastPass vs. KeePass
• Recapping Apple’s iPad Event
• Amazon Bumps Minimum Order for Free 'Super Saver' Shipping from $25 to $35
• Microsoft Surface 2, Surface 2 Pro, and Related Accessories Now Available to Purchase
• Can Your PC Replace Your Space Heater in Winter?
• Roccat's Power-Grid App Turns Your Smartphone into a Remote for PC Gaming
• Nokia Joins the Windows Tablet Club with Lumia 2520
• Newegg Daily Deals: MSI GS70 Gaming Laptop w/ Free LG 23.6-inch Monitor, and More!

LastPass vs. KeePass Posted: 22 Oct 2013 02:59 PM PDT LastPass vs. KeePass For years, we've been touting the virtues of KeePass Password Safe, a free open-source program for storing all your website passwords and associated notes behind a single master password. And to synch KeePass across multiple machines, we've been recommending that readers store the encrypted database on Dropbox. However, we got to wondering whether the popular browser-based password manager LastPass was a superior, one-stop solution. So this month, we invited the two free password trappers to duke it out for bragging rights. Round 1: Setup KeePass is a very straightforward database. After selecting your master password and/or key file, you simply start adding entries by typing or copying-and-pasting URL, user name, password, and any relevant notes into the designated fields. There are options for groups and sub-groups, as well as icons to aid in organization of your database. You can enter all of that same info into your LastPass Vault in a similar manner; but with the browser plugin installed, you're also able to capture URLs and login info as you visit your various favorite sites, via the LastPass icon that resides in your browser bar. This makes LP that much more convenient for populating a comprehensive database of all your online sites and accounts. Winner: LastPass Round 2: Security Your KeePass database is kept secure behind either a master password or a key file (that you keep on a USB drive, for instance), or both. The entire database is encrypted using AES 256-bit encryption by default, or Twofish 256-bit encryption, if you prefer. Every password is automatically measured for quality, and a random password generator will churn out a password to your specification. Finally, the open-source nature of KeePass means its code, and its integrity, can be scrutinized by anyone, adding a degree of confidence. Right-click any entry in your KeePass database and you can launch the URL and auto-fill your login info. LastPass also uses 256-bit AES, and reportedly encrypts and decrypts your data locally on your PC, so it's unusable from LastPass's servers. Like KeePass, LastPass will tell you if a password needs improvement, and generate a random password for you if you like, but that feature isn't directly tied to your Vault entry, making it a bit less convenient, so KeePass wins this round by a hair. Winner: KeePass Round 3: Auto-Fill Both KeePass and LastPass offer auto-fill options that can make launching and signing into your websites very easy. In KeePass, you first right-click a database entry to Open URL, and then right-click the entry again to Perform Auto-Type—which will insert your login credentials into the appropriate fields. By default, username and password are entered. For multi-page logins and other special instructions, it's possible to create command strings, but this obviously takes time and trial. Using the browser plugin, you can populate your LastPass Vault by saving data as you visit all your favorite sites. With LastPass, a single click on a Vault entry will take you to a URL and log you in, in one fell swoop. In theory, you can auto-fill on a site with multiple login pages by saving the data entered on each page, but we were unable to get this to work properly and also found it created confusing clutter within our Vault. We appreciate, however, that LastPass is capable of automated form filling, for, say, address and credit card info. Winner: LastPass Round 4: Use Across Multiple Devices On the surface, the browser-based LastPass might seem to have the advantage here. After all, you can access your password vault from any machine that's connected to the Internet—and any changes you make to your data are stored in a single place on the cloud. But with KeePass stored in a cloud drive, such as Dropbox, you have that same functionality, as long as you have the program installed on whatever machine you're using, or you launch it from Portable KeePass on a USB drive (incidentally, to get all of LastPass's functionality, such as Auto fill/Auto login, you need to have the browser plugin installed). What's more, KeePass offers a number of Android and iOS ports for free, so you can also access your passwords from a smartphone. To get LastPass on a smartphone you need to pay $12 a year for the Advanced version. Winner: KeePass Round 5:  Longevity As convenient as these programs make it to store your passwords, it still takes time to get your database set up just right for maximum efficiency, so it's important to consider the long-term prospects of each solution. KeePass lives on your computer, so it's not subject to the failings of a remote server. With LastPass, however, a locally cached copy of your passwords is stored on you PC by default when you use the LastPass plugin. Both programs offer export options for backup purposes and the ability to import into another program if the need arises—although, we had a much easier time importing our KeePass data into LastPass than we did importing LastPass data into KeePass, for what that's worth. We also must point out that KeePass, being an open-source utility, is less vulnerable than a business-based solution, giving it the edge over LastPass. Winner: KeePass And the Winner Is… The fact is, if you want to keep your personal info from getting into the hands of every Tom, Dick, and Sergei hacker, you must use distinct logins, of sufficient complexity, for all your various accounts, and a password manager makes that possible. LastPass offers the convenience of being tied to your browser, so you can easily save your entered data and access it from other PCs. But our loyalties still lie with KeePass Password Safe, for its open-source nature, free smartphone app, and universal access when stored in Dropbox.

Recapping Apple’s iPad Event Posted: 22 Oct 2013 02:35 PM PDT Apple announces the iPad Air, Mavericks OS X, and more We may not be the biggest Apple fans, but we still think it's important to keep up with the competition. Apple's San Francisco event ended earlier today with the announcement of two new iPads, two new Macs, and Mavericks OS X. The biggest news is undoubtedly the announcement of the iPad Air. It's the fifth-generation of 9.7-inch iPads and is lighter, slimmer, and faster, weighing one pound, measuring 0.3 inches thick, and running a 64-bit A7 chip. It'll be avilable on Nov. 1 at $499 for the 16GB Wi-Fi-only model and $629 for the LTE-enabled 16GB version. The second generation iPad mini will be packing a 7.9 inch screen with a 2,048x1,568 resolution. Set to release in November for $70 more than the original at $399, the non-Retina iPad mini will continue to sell at the lower price of $299 for the 16GB model. After announcing the cylindrical Mac Pro last summer—get our first impressions on episode 205 of the No BS Podcast—Apple has finally announced the price of the base model: $2,999. Pony up and you'll get an undeniably small machine with 256GB of storage and a 3.7 GHz quad-core Xeon processor sometime before the end of the year. Mavericks OS X will release alongside the updated Retina MacBook Pros as a free upgrade which Apple claims will speed up Macs and increase battery life. The Retina MacBook Pro laptops will be available on Tuesday. They've got beefed up processors, larger batteries, and cheaper prices.  What do you guys think about the announcements? Tell us in the comments.  Follow Ben on Twitter.

Amazon Bumps Minimum Order for Free 'Super Saver' Shipping from $25 to $35 Posted: 22 Oct 2013 12:30 PM PDT 'Free' shipping just got a little more expensive If you're shopping on Amazon's website and hoping to score free shipping, you may have to increase your order size. Previously, Amazon offered its customers free "Super Saving" shipping on qualifying orders of at least $25, but for the first time in over 10 years, the e-tailer decided to bump up the minimum order amount. You must now spend $35 on qualifying items to receive free shipping. "Amazon's minimum order size for free shipping has changed to $35. This is the first time in more than a decade that Amazon has altered the minimum order for free shipping in the U.S.," Amazon said. "During that time, we have expanded free shipping selection by millions of items across all 40 product categories. Look for 'FREE Shipping' on product pages to discover eligible items." That's a bit of a bummer if you're used to making small orders that barely qualify, though $35 is still a relatively low amount compared to what some of its competitors charge for free or reduced shipping. Alternately, Amazon Prime members receive free two-day shipping on more than 15 million qualifying items, plus access to unlimited streaming of over 41,000 movies and TV shows, and access to over 350,000 books to borrow through the Kindle Owners' Lending Library. Amazon Prime members run $79 per year, or $39 per year if you're a student. Image Credit: Flickr (LordFerguson) Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Microsoft Surface 2, Surface 2 Pro, and Related Accessories Now Available to Purchase Posted: 22 Oct 2013 09:45 AM PDT Surface gets a second chance to impress Microsoft's original Surface and Surface RT are officially a memory at this point, having now been moved aside to make room for the Surface 2 (Windows RT 8.1) and Surface 2 Pro (Windows 8.1), both of which are now available to purchase at Microsoft retail stores and authorized commercial resellers in 21 markets, including the United States. For people living in China, the new Surface products will launch next month. We've covered these products before, but to quickly recap, the Surface 2 replaces Surface RT and comes with several upgrades. It features an Nvidia Tegra 4 processor, 10.6-inch ClearType Full HD display, full size USB 3.0 port, 2.5MP front-facing camera, 5MP rear-facing camera, and is both thinner and lighter than its predecessor. Surface 2 comes pre-loaded with Microsoft Office Home and Student 2013 RT and Outlook 2013 RT. For more serious computing needs, the x86-based Surface 2 Pro wields a Haswell-based Core i5 processor, 4GB or 8GB of RAM, and 64GB to 512GB of storage. It's much more powerful than the original Surface Pro and supposedly lasts up to 75 percent longer on a single charge. Surface 2 is available in 32GB and 64GB configurations starting at $449. Surface 2 Pro is available in 64GB and 128GB configurations for the 4GB model, and 256GB and 512GB configurations for the 8GB model, starting at $899. In addition. a bunch of accessories are available to purchase, including various Touch Covers, Power covers, car chargers, a docking station, and more. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Can Your PC Replace Your Space Heater in Winter? Posted: 22 Oct 2013 09:07 AM PDT Space heater and gaming PC face off against the cold Computers can put out some serious heat, especially gaming systems. If you think yours doesn't, try stressing your components for a length of time (Folding@Home will do the trick) and you'll feel hot air being expelled through your PC's exhaust ports. It begs the question, do you really need a space heater in the winter time, or can your PC effectively (and cost efficiently) heat up a room? The folks at Puget Systems were determined to find out. After all, if your gaming PC produces the same amount of heat as a space heater, you suddenly have a valid excuse to blow off your honey-do list and frag your friends during the winter months instead. Puget pitted a $25 HC-0114T 1000/1500W space heater against a gaming system configured with an Intel Core i7 4960X processor, Asus P9X79 Deluxe motherboard, Corsair Hydro Series H60 CPU cooler, 16GB of Kingston HyperX DDR3-1600 Low Voltage RAM, 3 x Nvidia GeForce GTX Titan graphics cards in SLI, Samsung 840 Pro 256GB SSD, Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit, and a Seasonic X-1050 1050W power supply all crammed into a Fractal Design Define R4 chassis. The two 'heaters' faced off in a 10-foot by 10.5-foot room (940 cubic feet of total volume) with all incoming and outgoing ventilation blocked off. Surrounding rooms were kept at 70F. So, what happened? The space heater and gaming rig produced roughly the same amount of heat when drawing the same amount of wattage from the wall outlet, which isn't terribly surprising. Still, it answers the question of whether a high end system can effectively heat up a room or not. "If your house is freezing and you already have a high performance gaming computer -or you simply want to know that your gaming addiction isn't actually increasing your power bill in the winter- our testing shows that a PC is just as efficient at creating heat as a space heater," Puget Systems says. "In fact, you could even set the computer to mine bitcoins to make a heat generator that helps pay for itself!" At the same time, Puget Systems points out that if the only goal is producing heat, a $25 space heater is many times cheaper than a tri-SLI gaming system. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Roccat's Power-Grid App Turns Your Smartphone into a Remote for PC Gaming Posted: 22 Oct 2013 08:16 AM PDT A fully customizable peripheral you already own Nearly everyone owns a smartphone these days, and if you're rocking an Android or iOS handset, you can turn your device into a handy gaming peripheral simply by downloading and installing Roccat's new Power-Grid app. The free app is currently in beta, and when used with accompanying host software, which runs on Windows, Power-Grid effectively turns your smartphone into a customizable remote for PC gaming, or just for navigating your PC. You can use it to adjust Windows settings or perform in-game macro sequences in games like StarCraft II and League of Legends, Roccat says. It comes with various "Grids and Controls" to pull these things off, though you can create your own and then share them with other users. "Power-Grid opens up a whole new world of opportunities for PC gamers. Finally you are able to connect your smartphone to your gaming environment – it just feels natural and makes perfect sense. Forget about inflexible solutions like keyboards with integrated displays; create your own command center and benefit from this innovative Roccat technology," Roccat CEO and founder René Korte said. Power-Grid communicates with your PC via Wi-Fi, so commands from the phone are executed in real-time. In addition to using it as a remote, you can also use your smartphone as a secondary display. Roccat doesn't know how long the program will be in beta, though it does promise to deliver a new range of gaming peripherals designed to benefit from the app's features sometime in 2014. Find out more on the Roccat's Power-Grid page. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Nokia Joins the Windows Tablet Club with Lumia 2520 Posted: 22 Oct 2013 07:56 AM PDT Meet Nokia's first Windows tablet Nokia's already gone all-in with the Windows Phone platform for its mobile handsets, but up until now, the company didn't have a Windows tablet in its portfolio. That changes today with the introduction of the Nokia Lumia 2520, a 10.1-inch slate running Windows RT 8.1 and powered by a 2.2GHZ quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor with 2GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. The well-rounded tablet also features a Full HD 1080p (1920x1080) resolution, Gorilla Glass 2, microSD card slot, 2MP HD front-facing camera, 6.7MP rear-facing camera with auto focus and Zeiss optics, 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 LE, NFC support, micro USB 3.0 port, front facing speakers (hooray!), 4G LTE connectivity, and 8,000 mAh battery. "It's a complete package," product manager Paul Bischof said. "It takes everything you've got in your desktop or laptop and crams all that into a device that's only 8.9mm thick and weighs a little over a pound." The Nokia Lumia 2520 also comes with the "complete Microsoft Outlook and Office experience" pre-installed at no extra charge. Pricing for the tablet is $499 MSRP. It's available in red, cyan, white, and black color options. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Newegg Daily Deals: MSI GS70 Gaming Laptop w/ Free LG 23.6-inch Monitor, and More! Posted: 22 Oct 2013 07:40 AM PDT Top Deal: Gaming laptops are notorious for being chunky and heavy, which kind of defeats the whole purporse of portability. Can a thin and light laptop with powerful hardware truly exist? To answer that question, you need only look at today's top deal for an MSI GS70 2OD-229US 17.3-inch Gaming Laptop for $1,550 with free shipping (Free LG 24EN33TW-B Black 23.6-inch LED monitor with first 100 pre-orders). Though it's around the size of an Ultrabook, it boasts some impressive specs, such as a Core i7 4700HQ processor, 12GB of RAM, 128GB SSD + 500GB HDD, and GeForce GTX 765M graphics. Other Deals: Western Digital WD VelociRaptor 300GB 10000 RPM 3.5-inch Internal Hard Drive for $90 with free shipping (normally $140 - use coupon code: [EMCXWXM28]) Seagate 1TB MLC/8GB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s NCQ 3.5-inch Desktop Solid State Hybrid Drive for $90 with free shipping (normally $100 - use coupon code: [OCTSSHDPRO]) LG 27EA33V Black 27-inch 5ms HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor for $230 with free shipping (normally $250 - use coupon code: [EMCYTZT4667]) G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2x4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 2400 (PC3 19200) Desktop Memory for $77 with free shipping (normally $85 - use coupon code: [GSKILLHALLTEN])

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MMO Updates

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• Massively Speaking Episode 269: Pairing up
• The Soapbox: Free-to-play wasn't our idea
• NCsoft sued by 64-year-old woman over $28,000 sword
• Dress for success in RIFT's Halloween costume contest
• ArenaNet lifts the veil on Guild Wars 2's Tower of Nightmares content release
• New movie to feature The Secret World
• Turbine addresses DDO True Heart controversy
• The Daily Grind: What role would you eliminate from the trinity?
• Not So Massively: Elite's Panther LX, PoE's launch week, and Blizzard All-Stars' new name
• Chaos Theory: Follow the Filth as TSW's Whispering Tide Event moves on
• Cube World developer confirms development continues
• Black Desert's open PvP detailed
• Warface launches in Europe and North America
• Star Trek Online dev blog outlines new Solanae Dyson Sphere adventure zone
• You asked, ZeniMax answered: Another TESO AMA is here
• The Nexus Telegraph: Examining the Granok of WildStar
• Producer's letter details DCUO 'remastered'
• Forsaken World adds its first new class since launch
• Piecing together the details of LEGO Minifigures Online with the Funcom team

Massively Speaking Episode 269: Pairing up Posted: 22 Oct 2013 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Podcasts, MMO Industry, News Items, Massively Meta, Massively Speaking, Miscellaneous Humans like patterns. We like categories. We like pairing things up, making flow charts, and organizing the crap out of the universe. So don't blame us for basing an entire podcast around paired-up news stories. We're only human, after all. Have a comment for the podcasters? Shoot an email to podcast@massively.com. We may just read your email on the air! Get the podcast: [RSS] Add Massively Speaking to your RSS aggregator. [MP3] Download the MP3 directly. [iTunes] Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. [Stitcher] Follow the podcast on Stitcher Radio. Listen here on the page: Read below the cut for the full show notes. Continue reading Massively Speaking Episode 269: Pairing up Massively Speaking Episode 269: Pairing up originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 22 Oct 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

The Soapbox: Free-to-play wasn't our idea Posted: 22 Oct 2013 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Aion, EverQuest, Lord of the Rings Online, Business Models, Opinion, Free-to-Play, MMOFPS, MMORTS, Star Wars: The Old Republic, TERA, The Soapbox, Miscellaneous, The Elder Scrolls Online, Subscription, MMORPG, Buy-to-Play Free-to-play is surging. In just a few short years, free-to-play has become the go-to mechanism through which studios broaden audiences, entice players, and build revenue. No other method of monetization has proven to be so lucrative and effective with such consistency, whether it be a monthly subscription fee, a one-time purchase price, or some combination of the two. Free-to-play's growth has created a world in which non-free games are the exception, not the rule. Of the most popular MMOs and online games as of my typing these words, the vast majority are free-to-play. Games that are bold enough to buck the trend and launch with a sub fee are met with derision and suspicion from the online gaming community; the many thousands of words dedicated to ZeniMax Online's decision to require a subscription for The Elder Scrolls Online are likely the most recent and high-profile examples of this trend in action. When players complain about a game launching with a subscription, their opinions are often countered by a self-appointed gaming elite who believe that things were better in the good old days, when games cost money and poor people didn't ruin everything by demanding free stuff. The argument summarized is something like, "I am sick and tired of lazy, entitled gamers wanting everything for free." There's just one problem: Lazy, entitled gamers didn't invent free-to-play. Studios did. Continue reading The Soapbox: Free-to-play wasn't our idea The Soapbox: Free-to-play wasn't our idea originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 22 Oct 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

NCsoft sued by 64-year-old woman over $28,000 sword Posted: 22 Oct 2013 08:30 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Lineage, Events (Real-World), MMO Industry, News Items What would you do if you tried to enchant a rare in-game item worth $28,000 and it broke? One 64-year-old Lineage player sued NCsoft earlier this year. After unsuccessfully petitioning to have her rare Jin Myung Hwang's Conduct Sword restored by claiming her failed enchantment attempt (which destroys the item in Lineage) was accidental, the South Korean player sued NCsoft. The extremely rare sword could sell for $28,000. Unfortunately, the plaintiff's game log showed that she bought special items to improve her odds at enchanting and she continued to enchant other items even after the destruction of the rare sword. The court's ruling was not in the player's favor, noting that even if it was a mistake, NCsoft was not required to restore the item. NCsoft sued by 64-year-old woman over $28,000 sword originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 22 Oct 2013 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Kotaku

Dress for success in RIFT's Halloween costume contest Posted: 22 Oct 2013 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Contests, News Items, Free-to-Play, RIFT The old adage "dress for success" is getting a holiday makeover with RIFT's wardrobe contest, where your best Halloween-themed outfit can successfully net you one of a number of prizes. Together with Riftscene, Trion is hosting this in-game costume contest now through November 4th. To enter, players need to submit screenshots (preferably one from the back and one from the front ) of one of their characters dressed its best for the holiday -- the more unique, the better! The top 10 finalists will be highlighted on Trion's livestream November 15th where first, second, and third place will be decided. Prizes for first place include 15,000 RIFT store credits, all the Halloween masks, and a reaper mount. Additionally, the winning outfit will go on sale in the RIFT store with the entrant's name attached. Second place will take home store credits, the masks, and a mount while third also wins store credits. All 10 finalists will receive a special title. Dress for success in RIFT's Halloween costume contest originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 22 Oct 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: RIFT Halloween costume contest, Contest entry form

ArenaNet lifts the veil on Guild Wars 2's Tower of Nightmares content release Posted: 22 Oct 2013 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Patches, News Items, Guild Wars 2, Family, Buy-to-Play Just in time for Halloween, Guild Wars 2's evil krait will reveal what they've been secretly building in Kessex Hills: a frightening weapon called the Tower of Nightmares. ArenaNet hints that the krait have an undiscovered ally whom players will need to investigate, and it seems that the private detective team of Marjory Delaqua and Kasmeer Meade may be involved in uncovering the truth -- as well as how the krait menace might connect to the overarching plot of the living story. Tyria's heroes will have access to a new skill, Antitoxin Spray, which can be used by any character to heal and cleanse debuffs from herself and her allies. Completing the meta achievement for Tower of Nightmares will also allow players to earn their very own krait obelisk shard for their home instance, although we're not convinced that plunking one of those down within reach of pets, small children, or anyone ever is such a great idea. You can catch a preview of the event during a developer-hosted livestream on October 28th at 3 p.m. Eastern Time (noon PDT). The Tower of Nightmares content release will go live on October 29th. ArenaNet lifts the veil on Guild Wars 2's Tower of Nightmares content release originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 22 Oct 2013 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

New movie to feature The Secret World Posted: 22 Oct 2013 06:45 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Video, MMO Industry, The Secret World A new Swedish film opening this Friday features Funcom's modern-day MMO The Secret World. Starring Valter Skarsgård (son of Stellan Skarsgård, known for films such as Good Will Hunting, The Avengers, and Thor), IRL is a movie that revolves around the life of a teenage boy and girl who meet in the story-driven MMO, eventually deciding to meet in person. "This is a story about being a teenager in the parallel world of social media and online gaming which is increasingly challenging reality," says director Erik Leijonborg. "A world where you can hide your real identity and be appreciated for who you really are, or be exposed and mistreated." Be sure to check out the official trailer embedded after the jump. [Source: Funcom press release] Continue reading New movie to feature The Secret World New movie to feature The Secret World originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 22 Oct 2013 08:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Turbine addresses DDO True Heart controversy Posted: 22 Oct 2013 06:30 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Dungeons and Dragons Online, Culture, Patches, Free-to-Play As the community protest over Dungeons & Dragons Online's True Heart controversy pushes past its third day, Turbine responded with a forum post regarding the key issue. The studio said that due to testing and feedback, it will be reducing the cost of the True Hearts of Wood planned for Issue 20 that are at the core of the sit-in protest. "The prices on Lamannia are not final," Senior Producer Erik Boyer wrote. "Inspired by the Lamannia feedback, the Heroic Heart of Wood will be greatly reduced from the price displayed in the bartershop today. We'll be looking at your additional feedback and how players play through sagas, and adjust the costs appropriately. We expect the average player to, upon reaching the minimum level requirement, spend additional hours to obtain a Heart of Wood -- but never hundreds of hours. Boyer also said that the Twelve barter NPC will continue to sell Hearts of Wood in Issue 20. Players who were upset at the original changes to the acquisition of the item have been staging an "Occupy Stormreach" protest on one of the city's bridges. [Thanks to Robert for the tip!] Turbine addresses DDO True Heart controversy originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 22 Oct 2013 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Earning Hearts of Wood

The Daily Grind: What role would you eliminate from the trinity? Posted: 22 Oct 2013 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Classes, Game Mechanics, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous MMO designers around the world have flocked to your home. The trinity of MMO roles will be forever altered, but you don't get to add or alter. No, you can only do one thing: You can subtract. Tanking, DPSing, or healing will be forever removed based upon your decision. This might not seem like much of a question, but think about it. Without a tank, all DPS and healing players would have to pay attention to what's going on, and there would be room for things like distinct pulling, crowd-control, or burn roles. Without healing, survivability takes on a different role, and without DPS, groups become smaller and focused on a wider gap between tanks and healers. Time is running out. What would the face of World of Warcraft look like with no tanks? What is Final Fantasy XIV without healers? If you could remove one role from the trinity, what would you pick? 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 role would you eliminate from the trinity? originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 22 Oct 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Not So Massively: Elite's Panther LX, PoE's launch week, and Blizzard All-Stars' new name Posted: 21 Oct 2013 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Video, Expansions, Game Mechanics, Launches, New Titles, Patches, PvP, News Items, PvE, Free-to-Play, Dev Diaries, Miscellaneous, Not So Massively, Sandbox, MOBA, League of Legends, Firefall, Crowdfunding, Star Citizen, Elite: Dangerous, Path of Exile This week, a new Elite: Dangerous newsletter showed off the work-in-progress missile launcher and torpedo weapons and the Panther LX heavy cargo clipper ship. David Braben also discussed plans to release the first alpha stage in December and then later proceed to a wider beta. Star Citizen managed to scrape together another million dollars this week, unlocking the Xi'an Scout light attack craft, and developers shone the spotlight on some great fan-made videos. League of Legends extended the deadline for achieving the necessary ranks to earn the various Season 3 rewards to November 11th, and this week players discovered a series of Soraka support bots that were farming account levels in co-op mode. Blizzard All-Stars has been renamed yet again and is now back in development under the name Heroes of the Storm. Path of Exile began gearing up for its official launch this coming Wednesday with the release of a deluge of new information on what the patch contains and the first of a brand-new season of the popular Build of the Week series. Firefall developer Red 5 Studios released a new development update with details on plans to revamp everything from the user interface to crafting and character progression. And Russian MOBA Prime World asked its community to come up with a set of guidelines for players to abide by. Continue reading Not So Massively: Elite's Panther LX, PoE's launch week, and Blizzard All-Stars' new name Not So Massively: Elite's Panther LX, PoE's launch week, and Blizzard All-Stars' new name originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 21 Oct 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Chaos Theory: Follow the Filth as TSW's Whispering Tide Event moves on Posted: 21 Oct 2013 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Horror, Real-Life, Events (In-Game), Opinion, The Secret World, Guides, Dungeons, Chaos Theory, Buy-to-Play Remember when we mentioned that The Secret World's latest event would be a long-term one? Well, we weren't fooling; it's been a month, and The Whispering Tide Event is just now hitting its fourth phase. So what does that mean for us? It means that the slow plod towards Tokyo is showing progress, just not nearly as quickly as excited TSW fans may like. If you've already been in-game, you've noticed that the latest two phases have been very similar to the first two. In fact, they follow the same pattern: start with powering up a generator using crafting materials then move into an instance to clear out the filth. However, even though they are similar and some phases are moving slowly, there's a chance folks might miss out. And if there's one thing I don't want to see, it's others missing out! To prevent that and to keep my fellow TSW fans from floundering in the dark, here's phase two of The Whispering Tide Event guide, with tips and tricks for grabbing the lore, getting the goodies, and even preparing for forthcoming phases. Continue reading Chaos Theory: Follow the Filth as TSW's Whispering Tide Event moves on Chaos Theory: Follow the Filth as TSW's Whispering Tide Event moves on originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 21 Oct 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Cube World developer confirms development continues Posted: 21 Oct 2013 04:30 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, News Items, Sandbox, Buy-to-Play In July earlier this year, indie developer Picorama's part-Minecraft, part-Diablo sandbox title Cube World made its way into a paid alpha stage of development, granting players access to the game's alpha in exchange for an early purchase. Despite some missteps, there were plenty of eager fans willing to surrender their cash for some hands-on time with Cube World. Many of those fans, however, became a bit worried when updates from the developers on the game's future grew silent. So of course, they took to the internet and bombarded developer Wollay's Twitter in search of an answer. And an answer is what they got. Wollay updated his Twitter for the first time since August 19th with the short message, "Don't be concerned, we're still working on Cube World. We just have a lot of additional work to do at the moment." Wollay elaborated to Kotaku, "At the moment there's just a lot of work going on behind the scenes, like customer support, server/website development, and [Picorama is] currently moving to a new [apartment] with more space for our development studio." He goes on to say that "the new update is coming along nicely," adding that the update is aiming to add "an option for a smaller user interface," plus reconfigurable controls and "a few new creatures." The team will also be making some balance adjustments to "make it easier at lower levels and harder at higher levels." Finally, he states that the team is "experimenting with some major changes," although he's unsure which will be included in the next patch. If you want all the details on Cube World's ongoing development, click through the link below for the full piece. Cube World developer confirms development continues originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 21 Oct 2013 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Kotaku -- The Current Status of Cube World

Black Desert's open PvP detailed Posted: 21 Oct 2013 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Video, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, PvP, News Items, Sandbox, Black Desert Steparu's back with another look at Black Desert's Korean closed beta test. This time the focus is on guild-vs.-guild events and PvP. There's the usual video content as well as an accompanying article which mentions the game's seamless open world and it's open-world PvP. While the systems are subject to change given that this is an early beta test, Steparu says that right now Black Desert's PvP is pretty unforgiving due to its free-for-all nature and the possibility of item and XP loss. Click through the links below for the full article, and don't forget the videos after the cut. [Thanks bdo!] Continue reading Black Desert's open PvP detailed Black Desert's open PvP detailed originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 21 Oct 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Steparu

Warface launches in Europe and North America Posted: 21 Oct 2013 03:30 PM PDT Filed under: Game Mechanics, Launches, MMO Industry, New Titles, PvP, News Items, War, Free-to-Play Warface. Warface launched. Warface launched today, and so did the requisite Warface launch trailer. As you can see, the word Warface never, ever, gets old no matter how many times you type it, say it aloud, or roll it around in your brainpan. I thought seriously about filling this entire post with 100 instances of the word Warface, but I figured you'd probably like to know that the title is now live in both Europe and North America. As for what you can expect, Warface is a free-to-play class-based multiplayer FPS powered by the CryEngine. Aw heck, just watch the video after the break, will ya? Continue reading Warface launches in Europe and North America Warface launches in Europe and North America originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 21 Oct 2013 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: PC Gamer

Star Trek Online dev blog outlines new Solanae Dyson Sphere adventure zone Posted: 21 Oct 2013 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Patches, News Items, Star Trek Online, Free-to-Play, Dev Diaries Members of the United Federation, the Klingon Empire, and the Romulan Republic alike ought to be polishing their phasers and preparing their away teams because the best and brightest of all three factions are going to be needed to fight back the Voth in Star Trek Online's new Solanae Dyson Sphere adventure zone. Which, as it happens, is the subject of the latest developer diary from the folks at Cryptic Studios. In this new adventure zone, which our own Teri Shull covered in her most recent column, players will board a massive Dyson Sphere in which the Romulan Republic has established a base of operations, but of course they're not alone. The Voth have brought in an armada of their own in hopes of claiming the Dyson Sphere themselves, and naturally it falls to the players to put an end to their nefarious machinations. Players can take part in a number of variable missions across the three major zones of the sphere in order to attain precious Dyson Marks and Commendations, which can in turn be taken to the Dyson Joint Command faction for valuable rewards. If you're looking for more intel on this vital mission, you can check out the full post over at STO's official site. Star Trek Online dev blog outlines new Solanae Dyson Sphere adventure zone originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 21 Oct 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Star Trek Online -- Season 8 Dev Blog #8

You asked, ZeniMax answered: Another TESO AMA is here Posted: 21 Oct 2013 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, New Titles, News Items, Dev Diaries, The Elder Scrolls Online, Subscription, MMORPG The folks at ZeniMax Online have posted another edition of their Elder Scrolls Online Ask Us Anything blog feature, this one tackling topics from equipment progression to lycanthropy. Information revealed in the post? Gear will not level, skills will morph only one time, campaigns last for three months and have persistent consequences, guild stores will be accessible by players of the same alliance, and book/chest spawns have some elements of randomness. The ZeniMax team also dodged hard answers on a couple of questions. According to the post, veteran system rewards may or may not remain cosmetic-only and players who become werewolves or vampires may or may not be able to cure themselves and switch sides. Make of that what you will. You asked, ZeniMax answered: Another TESO AMA is here originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 21 Oct 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Ask Us Anything

The Nexus Telegraph: Examining the Granok of WildStar Posted: 21 Oct 2013 01:30 PM PDT Filed under: Lore, Opinion, Races, WildStar, The Nexus Telegraph, Subscription, Buy-to-Play The Granok are the polar opposite of the Mechari. Where the latter are covered in mysteries and elements that don't make a whole lot of sense without invoking conspiracies, the former is a race that you can pretty much understand as soon as you see a trailer involving the race. They're rock people who like to fight things and probably blow stuff up, and they don't really need a whole lot in the way of subtlety. Discussion over. Enjoy WildStar's boisterous bruisers. Heck, the Granok are more Exiles by practice than anything. The Granok that we know aren't lending their support to the Exiles for nothing; these are mercenaries by trade, first and foremost. At a glance, you could easily see these men and women fighting alongside whichever of the two factions paid better. They certainly don't care about Nexus in particular. But they do care about a lot more than beer and a good scrap, and when you understand the race a bit more, that punch-drunk attitude starts to look a little thin. Continue reading The Nexus Telegraph: Examining the Granok of WildStar The Nexus Telegraph: Examining the Granok of WildStar originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 21 Oct 2013 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Producer's letter details DCUO 'remastered' Posted: 21 Oct 2013 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Super-hero, Launches, Patches, News Items, Free-to-Play, Consoles, DC Universe Online, Dev Diaries, MMORPG DC Universe Online's Update 31 is on its way, and with it come some of the biggest changes ever implemented to the game's core design and appearance. Executive producer Larry Liberty today outlined the key points in a letter to the community, explaining to players what they can expect from Update 31 and beyond. According to Liberty, the bulk of Update 31 focuses on preparing DCUO for its impending PS4 launch. Changes include graphics upgrades like higher resolution textures and area redesigns, along with a "remastering" of the core leveling experience. Leveling from 1-30 has seen special attention; Liberty noted that new players should see a smoother progression of content with less chance of being stuck without a mission. Update 31 is tentatively scheduled for a November launch on PC and PS3. The game's PS4 release is still on track to match up with the console's release window. Producer's letter details DCUO 'remastered' originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 21 Oct 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Producer's Letter

Forsaken World adds its first new class since launch Posted: 21 Oct 2013 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Classes, Expansions, Patches, Previews, News Items, Free-to-Play New classes are kind of a big deal, especially as a game goes for a longer time without adding new ones. The longer the gap between new classes, the more time players have to get used to the existing balance and get thrown off by a new addition. So Forsaken World's new class is going to shake up the game's structure pretty thoroughly, as the game has had the same core lineup since it first launched. The new class is dubbed Blood Reaper (possibly not the final translated name) and focuses upon crowd-control. It's exclusive to the Lycan race and appears to be part of the game's next major expansion, which will also increase the game's level cap to 90. Given Perfect World Entertainment's track record, it shouldn't be a significant delay before Western players can begin exploring this new addition to the game. Forsaken World adds its first new class since launch originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 21 Oct 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: MMO Culture

Piecing together the details of LEGO Minifigures Online with the Funcom team Posted: 21 Oct 2013 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Game Mechanics, Interviews, New Titles, PvP, PvE, Kids, Family, Miscellaneous, Player-Generated Content Brick by virtual brick, the team at Funcom has been busy building the upcoming LEGO Minifigures Online. It's been a quiet fall after the big reveal in August at Gamescom, but that doesn't mean the game isn't making progress. Executive Producer Lawrence Poe and Lead Designer Oscar López Lacalle have lots of details to share about the game, and they took the time to answer some questions here at Massively. Read on for a glimpse of the world, the LEGO minifigures themselves, and how this game will appeal to gamers of all ages. Continue reading Piecing together the details of LEGO Minifigures Online with the Funcom team Piecing together the details of LEGO Minifigures Online with the Funcom team originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 21 Oct 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

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