| Path of Exile launch-day roundup Posted: 23 Oct 2013 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Launches, New Titles, News Items, Free-to-Play, Path of Exile With a pre-launch patch as big as yesterday's, you have to wonder what Path of Exile has in store for players after launch. And starting now, you can find out: Today the free-to-play action MMO breaks from the bonds of beta and bursts into land of launched titles. But if you think that launch for Path of Exile is just an exercise in switching labels, think again. Two new four-month challenge leagues will offer new and old players alike a fresh start alongside the launch; players can join the Domination league with the new shrine system or the hardcore league Nemesis, where death means converting to a standard character. Whether you've been climbing those league ladders all the while or you're jumping in to experience the game for the first time, there's plenty of content to keep you occupied. If you need something to pass the time until you can log in this launch day or you want to get a leg up on the competition, check out this collection of updates, interviews, and hands-on experiences. Continue reading Path of Exile launch-day roundup  Path of Exile launch-day roundup originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 23 Oct 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| City of Steam powering down, switching to new name and ownership [Updated] Posted: 23 Oct 2013 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-Fi, MMO Industry, News Items, Free-to-Play, Browser, City of Steam, Steampunk, Sunsets It's the end of the line for the free-to-play steampunk game City of Steam -- at least on R2Games servers. The publisher has announced that doors will be closing at 2:59 a.m. EDT on November 22nd. Even with what are probably the most impressive graphics in a browser-based game, CoS apparently couldn't keep enough players to remain viable. With the closure, the in-game currency Electrum can no longer be acquired, but all previously bought Electrum can be spent on store items throughout the month. Does this mean that CoS is powering down for good? Not according to developer Mechanist Games, which has announced that it plans on releasing a new version of the game the same month: Circumstances have contributed to a significant loss of players and we've decided to cease the current game operations for the Global English version and take City of Steam back. This is a decision we have taken months to reach, and are confident that it's best for the health of the players, the community and the game itself. City of Steam is not shutting it down. We at Mechanist Games will improve and self-publish the game, and endeavor to make it available to as many of the original fans as possible by cooperating with popular English language browser-gaming platforms (to be announced). City of Steam will be upgraded during the time it is offline to better suit the player demographics of the new browser-gaming platforms publishing the game; new content, new features, new systems, massive change to the economy and statistics, new equipment and cosmetics, new quests and an overhaul of most of the level art and main quests. Some features will be removed. There will also be a massive flying fortress for characters of any level to congregate in. Because of these numerous and sizeable changes, the game will be re-launched in November under the title City of Steam: Arkadia. [Updated with the statement from the press release from Mechanist!] City of Steam powering down, switching to new name and ownership [Updated] originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 23 Oct 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Leaderboard: Which MMO has the best player housing? Posted: 23 Oct 2013 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, Opinion, Leaderboard I'm a big fan of player housing. If you're not, well, you should be. OK, not really, but you may want to skip this here Leaderboard if you typically roll your eyes when the topic comes up. Assuming you do like player housing, there are plenty of flavors to choose from scattered across the MMOverse, and a couple more interesting implementations on the way. For now, though, let's limit ourselves to housing in already-released games. Which system do you like the best? Vote after the cut!  Ever wish that you could put to rest a long-standing MMO debate once and for all? Then welcome to the battle royal of Massively's Leaderboard, where two sides enter the pit o' judgment -- and only one leaves. Vote to make your opinion known, and see whether your choice tops the Leaderboard!Continue reading Leaderboard: Which MMO has the best player housing? Leaderboard: Which MMO has the best player housing? originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 23 Oct 2013 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Daily Grind: Would you rather use mats to craft or make money? Posted: 23 Oct 2013 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Culture, Economy, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous, Crafting With each new MMO that I dig into, there's always that looming question I must address from the start: Do I want to pursue crafting or just be a gatherer-supplier? Crafting has a lot going for it: delayed gratification, potentially big rewards, self-reliance, and satisfaction for making your own gear. It's also not a terrific money-maker in most games in the beginning (in fact, it's often a money pit), it takes a long time to do, and sometimes it's just easier to farm or buy gear elsewhere. I usually choose to gather and sell materials to make money, because then I can just buy what I want. Plus, I like being well-off in games -- you never know when you'll need a huge chunk of cash for that tempting purchase! What about you? Would you rather use mats to craft or make money?  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: Would you rather use mats to craft or make money? originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 23 Oct 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Jukebox Heroes: Reader requests 2 Posted: 22 Oct 2013 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Culture, Opinion, Miscellaneous, Jukebox Heroes, Music It's been far too long -- going on 10 months now, in fact -- since we last had a reader request week here on Jukebox Heroes. My bad! I'll try to do these a little more often from now on. The idea here is to take all of your comments from previous columns, sift them for "oh man, why didn't you include [name of tune]? That's the best!" mentions, and compile a few of them to share with everyone. After all, I'm certainly not the beginning, middle, and end of taste in MMO music. So here we go with several reader requests over the past year, covering a wide span of MMO scores. There's bound to be a few good listens in here, so give them all a try and let me know which of your favorite tracks we should cover in part 3! Continue reading Jukebox Heroes: Reader requests 2 Jukebox Heroes: Reader requests 2 originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 22 Oct 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| More connected realms on the way for WoW Posted: 22 Oct 2013 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, MMO Industry, News Items, Subscription Blizzard has plans to connect more World of Warcraft realms, according to a post on the Battle.net forums. Five pairs of servers are due to be linked, though the company doesn't yet "have a specific date on which these connections will occur." What's a realm connection? It's basically Blizzard-speak for cross-server tech wherein two or more standard realms have been permanently and seamlessly linked. "These linked realms will behave as if they were one cohesive realm, meaning you'll be able to join the same guilds, access a single auction house, run the same raids and dungeons, and join other adventurers to complete quests," the company explained previously. More connected realms on the way for WoW originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 22 Oct 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Star Trek Online dev blog outlines three-faction Dyson Sphere battlezone Posted: 22 Oct 2013 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, PvP, News Items, Star Trek Online, Free-to-Play, Dev Diaries Star Trek Online developers are cranking out the dev blogs lately. Last night we got a look at the Solanae Dyson Sphere Adventure zone whereas today we'll be reading up on the Solanae Dyson Sphere Battlezone. What is the Battlezone? It's a persistent ground zone featuring Starfleet, Klingon, and Romulan combatants. Players must be level 50 to enter, and the area currently supports up to 20 players, each of whom can bring two bridge officers. The primary objective is to take and hold 18 out of 21 Voth-controlled points located in three different regions. And yes, there are plenty of rewards for doing so, including Dilithium and Dyson Sphere Marks. Read all about it at the official STO website. Star Trek Online dev blog outlines three-faction Dyson Sphere battlezone originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 22 Oct 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Here's an eight-minute look at Final Fantasy XIV's housing Posted: 22 Oct 2013 03:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, News Items, PvE, Final Fantasy XIV, Housing, Subscription Who wants to know about Final Fantasy XIV's upcoming player housing system? I see a bunch of raised hands, and luckily for all ya'll, MMO Culture has a pretty enlightening video on the subject. The thing is eight minutes long, in fact, and it shows everything from housing styles and house placement to exterior modifications and yard clutter. Strangely there's no interior footage, but with any luck we'll see some of that in short order. Click past the cut for the full clip. Continue reading Here's an eight-minute look at Final Fantasy XIV's housing Here's an eight-minute look at Final Fantasy XIV's housing originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 22 Oct 2013 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| CIG releases Star Citizen Hornet commercial, brochure Posted: 22 Oct 2013 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Trailers, Video, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Sandbox, Crowdfunding, Star Citizen, Buy-to-Play It's a fine day to be a Star Citizen immersion nut, as Cloud Imperium has released a new spaceship commercial and a glossy spaceship dealer brochure to match. The subject of all this adulation is Anvil Aerospace's F7C Hornet, a multipurpose craft that serves both military and civilian pilots in Star Citizen's galaxy. The new video is rendered "100 percent in-engine in real time at 4k resolution," according to CIG's website. "We scale everything for the super-high resolutions that will be the basis of tomorrow's gaming experience; our assets are designed with high poly-counts instead of having details baked into their textures," the company explains. See for yourself after the break! Continue reading CIG releases Star Citizen Hornet commercial, brochure CIG releases Star Citizen Hornet commercial, brochure originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 22 Oct 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Hyperspace Beacon: Four myths behind the SWTOR Galactic Starfighter NDA Posted: 22 Oct 2013 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-Fi, Expansions, MMO Industry, PvP, Opinion, Free-to-Play, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Hyperspace Beacon, MMORPG You want to know how to get viewers to your livestream and get yourself banned by BioWare all in one stroke? Film the beta for Star Wars: The Old Republic Galactic Starfighter! However, like the many who have leaked information about upcoming games, I have wondered why there is an NDA on these things in the first place. What is lost by companies allowing players to stream or talk about closed beta tests, and what is gained by company by keeping some things under wraps? In the video games industry, like many industries on the cusp of technology and innovation, competition is high, as are the stakes. And developers like BioWare want to keep its latest creations like the next expansion for SWTOR under tight control to supposedly prevent the competition from stealing its secrets and creating a game just like it. I'm not so sure that makes a lot of sense. In fact, I've found that most of the reasons behind a beta NDA don't hold true when it comes to the next expansion for SWTOR. Here are the top four myths that I hear from those who support an NDA. Continue reading Hyperspace Beacon: Four myths behind the SWTOR Galactic Starfighter NDA Hyperspace Beacon: Four myths behind the SWTOR Galactic Starfighter NDA originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 22 Oct 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Flameseeker Chronicles: How to get your Halloween on in Guild Wars 2 Posted: 22 Oct 2013 01:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Events (In-Game), Guild Wars 2, Events (Massively's Coverage), Flameseeker Chronicles, Guides, Buy-to-Play It's the most wonderful time of the year. Halloween has returned to Guild Wars 2, and ArenaNet has introduced a new member of Mad King Thorn's family to cause mayhem all around Tyria. While this year's Blood and Madness event isn't quite as involved as last year's Shadow of the Mad King, there's still lots to do and some new rewards to earn. It helps that the content will be hanging around GW2 until November 11th, giving us quite a bit of time to soak in the jack-o'-lantern-lit atmosphere and get sick on candy -- not that any of us would do that (much). You've also got plenty of opportunity to finish up the storyline and the associated achievements, but it's probably more fun to get it done while it's fresh. With that in mind, I've written up a guide to help you chase off that whiny Thorn kid before the trick-or-treaters come knocking. Continue reading Flameseeker Chronicles: How to get your Halloween on in Guild Wars 2 Flameseeker Chronicles: How to get your Halloween on in Guild Wars 2 originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 22 Oct 2013 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| EverQuest Next Landmark to focus on public building with possible private mode Posted: 22 Oct 2013 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Video, Free-to-Play, Community Q&A, EverQuest Next, Dev Diaries, Sandbox EverQuest Next Landmark's building projects will mostly take place in public although there might be a "black box" mode for private endeavors, SOE discussed in a new roundtable discussion. The developers explained that this issue wasn't something that's ever come up in other games, since Landmark is so different. Thirty-seven percent of players polled said they would like to build their creations in public, which the team found encouraging. There was concern about griefing, which the devs said shouldn't be an issue. When you stake a claim in the world, you're the only person who can build on it unless you give friends or the entire public permission to change that area. The playerbase also expressed concern about how to keep their player studio projects a secret so that other players can't rip off their ideas. SOE will look into giving such players a way to develop in private, although Landmark will remain focused on public building. However, there will be no offline mode for building because SOE believes that it defeats the social aspect of the game. Landmark's beta will begin this winter, with dates to be announced "in the next month or so," according to Dave Georgeson. You can watch the full discussion after the break. Continue reading EverQuest Next Landmark to focus on public building with possible private mode EverQuest Next Landmark to focus on public building with possible private mode originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 22 Oct 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Path of Exile patches in guilds, classes, and balance changes before launch Posted: 22 Oct 2013 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Classes, Game Mechanics, Patches, News Items, Free-to-Play, Path of Exile It's not fair to call Path of Exile's pre-launch patch a kitchen sink patch; this is big enough to include the sink, dishwasher, fridge, and probably a good chunk of the dining room besides. It's a big patch. So before the game goes fully live tomorrow, you've got a little more time to play around with the enormous list of features, starting with the addition of an entire system for guilds that didn't exist before. Yes, the patch includes a guild system. And that's not even the biggest part of the patch. It includes a new character class for players who have cleared the game on Normal difficulty, six new world areas, achievements, new skills, new items, and an assortment of balance tweaks and improvements. That's not even touching upon new challenge leagues and the like. The point is that even if you know the game inside and out, you might want to hop in and try out the huge array of new options available to you because... really. There's lots of stuff here. Path of Exile patches in guilds, classes, and balance changes before launch originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 22 Oct 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Exclusive: Aura Kingdom reveals caster classes Posted: 22 Oct 2013 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Classes, Game Mechanics, New Titles, News Items, Free-to-Play, Dev Diaries Last week you got a glimpse of the melee classes coming to the anime world of Aura Kingdom. But what if you eschew the face-to-face fighting style of melee and prefer to fling fireballs at your foes or offer friends succor instead? Then this week's caster class reveal is for you! If you enjoy raining magical mayhem down on the heads of your enemies, the Wizard class is right up your alley. On the other hand, if you'd rather be the one to save the day with your healing aid, you can delve into the role of the Bard. Can't quite decide between the two roles? Then become a Sorcerer and do a little of both! Have a look at these three classes in the gallery and then delve into even more details in the dev blogs below. Continue reading Exclusive: Aura Kingdom reveals caster classes Exclusive: Aura Kingdom reveals caster classes originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 22 Oct 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Red 5 Studios' parent company lines up $24 million Firefall investment Posted: 22 Oct 2013 10:30 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, MMO Industry, News Items, Free-to-Play, MMOFPS, Firefall Anyone who has played Firefall wouldn't associate it with more standard free-to-play Chinese MMOs, but the game is certainly generating a lot of financial interest in China. The9, the Chinese gaming company that owns developer Red 5 Studios, is lining up for the game to get a major investment from Oriental Pearl Culture Development Ltd., a major entertainment development organization. That investment shakes out to around $24 million and would make Oriental Pearl one of the largest minority shareholders in the company. Overall, Firefall is apparently valued around $100 million based upon statements released by the companies. This latest investment is still in a non-binding stage and could be cancelled if Oriental Pearl changed its mind and decided against investing in the company. Preliminary reports suggest that the deal will go through, generating quite a windfall for the not yet technically launched game and demonstrating once again just how big the MMO scene is becoming worldwide. Red 5 Studios' parent company lines up $24 million Firefall investment originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 22 Oct 2013 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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There are lessons to be learned here
A self contained liquid cooler with modular properties
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Toshiba's first two platter 7mm HDD
