MMO Updates

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• The Elder Scrolls Online answers questions about character creation
• Chaos Theory: Hurrying to finish The Secret World's Halloween events
• Seize an island in NGame's Pockie Pirates
• Five million players reported in War Thunder
• Dragon's Prophet EU prepares to unleash its first raid
• Funcom opens LEGO Minifigures Online beta registration
• The Stream Team: Embracing change edition, November 4 - 10, 2013
• Ex-Blizzard dev founds mobile game studio
• The Daily Grind: Do you come up with unique avatar names?
• MMO Week in Review: Space goats
• Lots of Repopulation bugs were squashed in October
• EVE Evolved: What DUST 514 should have been
• Star Trek Online dev blog on building the perfect Worf
• Embers of Caerus exploration demo now available
• Stick and Rudder: What if Star Citizen fails?
• ArenaNet asks for your feedback on Guild Wars 2 balance changes
• Rise and Shiny: Path of Exile

The Elder Scrolls Online answers questions about character creation Posted: 04 Nov 2013 09:30 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Previews, News Items, Community Q&A, The Elder Scrolls Online, Subscription Players have yet to really explore the character creation options available in The Elder Scrolls Online. How could they? The game isn't out yet. But when you release a trailer on character creation, people begin to speculate; when people begin to speculate, they start asking questions; when people start asking questions, the developers behind The Elder Scrolls Online generally take some time to answer some of those questions in a public forum. You see where this is going. According to this latest batch of answers, every race will have certain unique customization options in addition to sharing certain options with other races. How much is shared varies; Khajiit and Argonians obviously can't share hairstyles with humans, as the races are simply too different. There will also be more character options than were present in the original video, so those of you worried about the fact that the men could have beer bellies while the women could not will be appropriately mollified. For more details, peruse the full list of answers. The Elder Scrolls Online answers questions about character creation originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 04 Nov 2013 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Ask Us Anything: Variety Pack 10

Chaos Theory: Hurrying to finish The Secret World's Halloween events Posted: 04 Nov 2013 09:00 AM PST Filed under: Horror, Real-Life, Events (In-Game), Opinion, The Secret World, Guides, Livestream, Dungeons, Chaos Theory, Buy-to-Play Stop me if you heard this before: Halloween in The Secret World ROCKS! I know, I'm preaching to the choir, right? There just isn't any other game that really comes close to sharing the spirit of the holiday like the one that is perpetually steeped in it. And when Halloween itself finally comes around, you actually have good reason to settle in after those real-life activities and enjoy more ghostly goodness in game. Heck, you can even get gussied up in some elaborate costumes that can include a working chainsaw. Who gets that in meatspace? Last year, however, I went through the agony of living with the fact that circumstances prevented me from experiencing everything the holiday events offered. It was torture seeing that incomplete quest chain and not having a furry little void cat to console me! I want to save you all from the same kind of pain and regret, so here is a quick guide to get you on the path to completing all the festivities before they dissipate into the night on November 11th. Continue reading Chaos Theory: Hurrying to finish The Secret World's Halloween events Chaos Theory: Hurrying to finish The Secret World's Halloween events originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 04 Nov 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Seize an island in NGame's Pockie Pirates Posted: 04 Nov 2013 08:00 AM PST Filed under: Game Mechanics, Guilds, Patches, PvP, News Items, Free-to-Play NGames knows that a good pirate needs more than just a ship, a parrot, and a spiffy hat; s/he needs a port to call home. And Pockie Pirates Chapter 13 update today gives legions a chance to seize control of an island port and fill its coffers with new income. Owning a port also grants legions new sailing technology (like advanced cannons, new steel, ballistic upgrades, and increased cargo and food storage capacity) and a private military fund to spend on battles and technology upgrades. This new fighting mode opens up at 8:30 p.m. EST every Friday, but registration to participate runs from midnight on Thursdays until 8:00 a.m. Fridays. Only five legions can occupy any one harbor at a time, so if pirates want the advantages of a busy port, they'll have to take it by force in ship vs. ship dogfights as well as sword-to-sword battles on deck. Interested pirates-to-be can enlist on the official site and play for free. [Source: NGames press release] Seize an island in NGame's Pockie Pirates originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 04 Nov 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Five million players reported in War Thunder Posted: 04 Nov 2013 07:30 AM PST Filed under: Culture, News Items, War, Free-to-Play, MMOFPS The takeaway from War Thunder's latest set of player numbers is that while war may be hell, simulations of war work out quite well. Gaijin Entertainment is reporting that the game has attracted a grand total of five million players since its international launch in January. That's good news for the title's future, both on the PC and on the upcoming PlayStation 4 edition; apparently people really like being able to shoot down planes (and blow up tanks in the future). By way of a small celebration, special Golden Battles will be organized on November 10th to give players a shot at earning a special decal for planes. While we don't know if the count merely flags registered accounts or has a specific activity flag, five million is still an impressive figure. If you haven't already played the game, it's available now as a free-to-play title, or you can wait until your PlayStation 4 arrives with War Thunder as a launch title. [Source: Gaijin Entertainment press release] Five million players reported in War Thunder originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 04 Nov 2013 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Dragon's Prophet EU prepares to unleash its first raid Posted: 04 Nov 2013 07:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Patches, PvE, Free-to-Play, Dungeons, Dragon's Prophet If you think fighting alongside one dragon is pretty great, then you should love fighting alongside 10! Dragon's Prophet EU is introducing the first raid experience, a 10-man (and 10-dragon) affair, in the next update scheduled to hit in just a few days along with a level cap raise to 90. Four legendary dragons await adventurers in the new Dragonheart Temple dungeon: Sammos the Resplendent, Vita the Stalwart Shield, Izamu the Relentless Tide, and Fadero the Heavenly Storm. And if adventurers vanquish all four, there is an even more powerful fifth raid boss to face, whose identity will remain secret until the day of the patch. Take a look at the vicious behemoths you'll be facing in the five new images below. [Source: Infernum Productions press release] Dragon's Prophet EU prepares to unleash its first raid originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 04 Nov 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Funcom opens LEGO Minifigures Online beta registration Posted: 04 Nov 2013 06:45 AM PST Filed under: Betas, Previews, News Items, Kids, Family, Miscellaneous If you still have sleepless nights mourning the loss of LEGO Universe, the announcement of LEGO Minifigures Online was like a ray of sunshine. For that portion of the audience -- and anyone else really looking forward to playing in a brick-based playground -- today's news will be even more welcome. Funcom has opened a registration site for players interested in taking part in the game's beta, with the first phase scheduled to start in... early November. Yes, it is early November right now; we told you it was good news. The gameplay focus will be familiar to anyone with a love of LEGO toys. Collect minifigures with unique abilities, collect bricks, and build new things to improve your abilities and learn new tricks. Cross-promotions are also planned with bagged minifigures, allowing you to jump in with your collected figures right off the bat. Go ahead and sign up for the beta if this sounds like just your cup of brick-based play. [Source: Funcom press release] Funcom opens LEGO Minifigures Online beta registration originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 04 Nov 2013 09:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Stream Team: Embracing change edition, November 4 - 10, 2013 Posted: 04 Nov 2013 06:00 AM PST Filed under: Polls, MMO Industry, Massively Meta, Livestream, Miscellaneous, The Stream Team A number of you already heard some rumblings about changes coming to The Stream Team. It is true: There are changes to the who, the how, and the how many. And those changes are all in effect starting now. But not all change is bad (remember that collection of coins you found under the couch cushions?). In fact, change can be good and exciting. You may have already noticed that you no longer have to rely on just a tweet to remind you when the shows are starting -- they will also be published right here on the front page of Massively! You can watch the stream and chat live right from the post itself. And if you happen to miss anything, you can go back to the posts at any time afterward and watch the reruns right from there. Change, however, is rarely easy. Our stream staff lineup has changed, as has the frequency of streams on the whole. But you will still find a variety of shows every week on Massively TV, so tune in and embrace the changes with us. And watch us die amusing deaths at times... we know that's something you love to see. Continue reading The Stream Team: Embracing change edition, November 4 - 10, 2013 The Stream Team: Embracing change edition, November 4 - 10, 2013 originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 04 Nov 2013 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Ex-Blizzard dev founds mobile game studio Posted: 04 Nov 2013 05:30 AM PST Filed under: MMO Industry, Mobile, Miscellaneous Another ex-Blizzard developer has struck out on his own to co-found a new studio that will develop mobile games. Rich Barham is the co-founder of Octopus 8 Studios, heading up a small team that also includes Chris Cox and Justin Parsler. Octopus 8 Studios is currently working on two mobile games, one of which will be released by the end of 2013. We have no details about either game as of yet. Previously, Barham was the US group manager for Blizzard, the global director of ZeniMax Online Studios and the global director of support for Riot Games. He sees Octopus 8 as an opportunity to create an agile studio that will provide experience to new talent: "Octopus 8 Studios is doing things a different way, and we believe it's the right way -- for games people, and for games." Ex-Blizzard dev founds mobile game studio originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 04 Nov 2013 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: GamesIndustry.biz

The Daily Grind: Do you come up with unique avatar names? Posted: 04 Nov 2013 05:00 AM PST Filed under: Culture, MMO Industry, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous So Star Wars: The Old Republic is doing a name purge. What's a name purge? Well, it's when an MMO company goes through its database and frees up character names that were claimed by players who haven't been active in some time. This in turn allows the names to be used by both newer players and/or veteran players rolling alts. While the practice makes sense, it also begs the question of why duplicate names are so prevalent in the first place. We're all unique snowflakes, after all, so how hard can it be to come up with a unique snowflake of an avatar name? How about it, Massively readers? Do you take the time to come up with a creative or unique avatar name, or do you roll with Darth Legolas in each new MMO? 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: Do you come up with unique avatar names? originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 04 Nov 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

MMO Week in Review: Space goats Posted: 03 Nov 2013 05:00 PM PST Filed under: Massively Meta, Week in Review, Miscellaneous At the end of every week, we round up the best and most popular news stories, exclusive features, and insightful columns published on Massively and then present them all in one convenient place. If you missed a big MMO or WoW Insider story last week, you've come to the right post. I hope you like Russian accents and space goats, folks, because scuttlebutt has it that World of Warcraft's next expansion might tip its hat to the revered Burning Crusade expansion. This week, reports surfaced suggesting that Blizzard has trademarked Warlords of Draenor, prompting speculation that the Draenei race might be at the forefront of the next major content round for the game. We'll just have to wait for BlizzCon next weekend to be sure. Journey on for a look at the rest of this week's top MMO stories. Continue reading MMO Week in Review: Space goats MMO Week in Review: Space goats originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 03 Nov 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Lots of Repopulation bugs were squashed in October Posted: 03 Nov 2013 04:00 PM PST Filed under: Sci-Fi, Bugs, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Free-to-Play, Sandbox, The Repopulation The Repopulation's monthly update has been published on the sci-fi sandbox title's website. Polish was the order of day for much of October, as Above & Beyond Technologies asked its alpha testers to suss out the "most annoying" bugs before it set about squashing them. The October update focuses on AI improvement and also pays a bit of lip service to the game's maneuver and mission systems. An extensive list of fixes and client changes is yours via the links below. Lots of Repopulation bugs were squashed in October originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 03 Nov 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: October update

EVE Evolved: What DUST 514 should have been Posted: 03 Nov 2013 03:00 PM PST Filed under: Sci-Fi, Video, EVE Online, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, PvP, Endgame, Opinion, Free-to-Play, MMOFPS, EVE Evolved, DUST 514, Dev Diaries, PlanetSide 2, Sandbox, Subscription ​It's now been almost six months since DUST 514's official release, and I think it's safe to say it hasn't quite lived up to expectations. The game was lauded for its revolutionary realtime link with the EVE Online universe, but so far there's very little back-and-forth between the two titles. Originally intended as an MMO in its own right but also as an integral part of EVE's territorial endgame, DUST now exists largely as a lobby-based first-person shooter with the twist that equipment is lost on death. Even the planetary conquest portion of DUST that could be considered its most MMO-esque element has been abstracted into a series of instanced and scheduled 24v24 battles. DUST's main rival during development was the PC-based PlanetSide 2, and had the two games released on the same platform, I'm sure that rivalry would still be in the media spotlight. I've been playing PlanetSide 2 for just a few days, and I can already see elements that would make it a far better fit for the EVE universe than the current version of DUST. So what could DUST learn from its non-console-only counterpart? In this week's EVE Evolved, I look at how PlanetSide 2 handles issues of persistence, planetary conquest, and vehicle spawning, and why I think DUST 514 should be borrowing a few tricks from its game design. Continue reading EVE Evolved: What DUST 514 should have been EVE Evolved: What DUST 514 should have been originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 03 Nov 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Star Trek Online dev blog on building the perfect Worf Posted: 03 Nov 2013 02:00 PM PST Filed under: Sci-Fi, MMO Industry, Patches, News Items, Star Trek Online, Free-to-Play Last week we told you about Michael Dorn's return to Star Trek and his role in Star Trek Online's Season 8 content. Cryptic has followed up on that announcement with a dev blog focused on Worf's character design. Senior character artist Joe Jing walks readers through the design process and talks up everything from Klingon body models to uniforms to Worf's initial appearance in STO's The Next Generation 25th anniversary event. That version didn't exactly capture the character's essence, Jing explains, so Cryptic pulled out all of the stops for version 2.0. "There were key details missing to make a convincing Michael Dorn as Worf. For example, our existing Klingon forehead ridges didn't quite have the same look as Worf's ridges," Jing says. "And the textures for the face were missing one of the coolest and most distinguishing facial features -- the groove under the eye and in front of the cheek bone that helps make Worf look so damn tough. So we modified textures for both, making new versions that are closer to the show." Star Trek Online dev blog on building the perfect Worf originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 03 Nov 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Dev blog

Embers of Caerus exploration demo now available Posted: 03 Nov 2013 01:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Sandbox, Crowdfunding Indie sandbox MMO Embers of Caerus is now playable. Well, sorta. The team at Forsaken Studios has released a single-player exploration demo designed to get you puttering around a portion of the gameworld. Access requires a valid community account according to Forsaken technical director Dave Belcher. Embers of Caerus is a fantasy sandbox set in a sprawling gameworld and featuring everything from naval combat to GM-driven dynamic events. The game was initially announced in 2011. [Thanks Aganauton!] Embers of Caerus exploration demo now available originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 03 Nov 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Announcement

Stick and Rudder: What if Star Citizen fails? Posted: 03 Nov 2013 11:00 AM PST Filed under: Sci-Fi, Business Models, Culture, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, Opinion, Sandbox, Crowdfunding, Stick and Rudder, Star Citizen, Buy-to-Play As Star Citizen's crowdfunding totals spiral ever higher, so too do the cries of the naysayers, negative nancies, and the ne'er-do-wells who seemingly exist to rain on the space sim sandbox's parade. Some of this hand-wringing is probably justified since with each new stretch goal, fan expectations for SC increase exponentially. Regardless, what the game has already accomplished is worth celebrating, and two of the most common reasons I've seen cited for remaining skeptical simply don't make sense. Continue reading Stick and Rudder: What if Star Citizen fails? Stick and Rudder: What if Star Citizen fails? originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 03 Nov 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

ArenaNet asks for your feedback on Guild Wars 2 balance changes Posted: 03 Nov 2013 10:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, Patches, PvP, News Items, PvE, Guild Wars 2, Buy-to-Play If you've got ideas regarding Guild Wars 2's upcoming trait and skill balance changes, ArenaNet wants to hear about them. Provided you can communicate them in constructive fashion, of course. Game design lead Jon Peters has crafted a forum thread highlighting the proposed December 10th balance changes, and in it he solicits fan feedback on everything from PvE to WvW. There's a lot to digest in Peters' thread, and that's before you get to the 23 pages of responses. See for yourself by clicking through the links below. [Thanks Siphaed!] ArenaNet asks for your feedback on Guild Wars 2 balance changes originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 03 Nov 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Peters' thread

Rise and Shiny: Path of Exile Posted: 03 Nov 2013 09:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Horror, Screenshots, Video, Game Mechanics, Interviews, Launches, Opinion, Free-to-Play, Rise and Shiny, Livestream, Dungeons, Path of Exile I've never been a huge fan of dungeon-crawlers. I've enjoyed them in the past, but overall I don't get much of a thrill out of tweaking my character with weapons and armor just so I can do it all again when I hit the next dungeon. Sure, some of the games from this genre are a blast to play for a bit, but not for a long time. Even with the linear storylines and sometimes fantastic special effects, they just feel more like work for me. I don't like to feel as if I am working when I play an MMO. Path of Exile comes from the olden days of hardcore gameplay. It's been in development for seven years (some of the designs, like the minimap, show its age), but it launched just last month. I was very eager to at least try it out since I haven't really given a game like it a go for a while. Next thing I know, I am eagerly clicking away at monster after monster, collecting more loot than I knew what to do with. Continue reading Rise and Shiny: Path of Exile Rise and Shiny: Path of Exile originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 03 Nov 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

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MMORPG News

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• General: Mobile ARG MMO Ingress Exits Open Beta on 12/14
• Black Gold: Ask the Devs #7 Details Endgame Plans
• World of Warcraft: Go for BlizzCon
• Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft: Closed Beta Key Giveaway -- Day Six!

General: Mobile ARG MMO Ingress Exits Open Beta on 12/14 Posted: 04 Nov 2013 06:42 AM PST The cult favorite Indie MMO from the creators of Google Earth, Maps, and Streetview is currently only on Android devices (with iOS coming), but it's one to watch. The game will enter official release on December 14th.

Black Gold: Ask the Devs #7 Details Endgame Plans Posted: 04 Nov 2013 06:38 AM PST The Ask the Devs series continues over at Black Gold's official site. This time, the gang covers everything from what makes BG unique to Endgame plans and gearing up.

World of Warcraft: Go for BlizzCon Posted: 03 Nov 2013 03:47 PM PST This week marks the return of Blizzcon after a year's hiatus. The convention should bring some big new for World of Warcraft players and the air is electrified at the prospect. We take a look at things we'd like to see in our latest Wow Factor. Check it out before leaving us your Blizzcon wish list in the comments.

Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft: Closed Beta Key Giveaway -- Day Six! Posted: 03 Nov 2013 12:30 PM PST MMORPG.com and Blizzard have partnered to give away keys to closed beta of the upcoming Warcraft-themed digital TCG, Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft.

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