MMO Updates |
- WildStar shows off the Stalker
- Massively Speaking Episode 274: Beta grubbing
- Final Fantasy XIV gives housing preview
- Continent of the Ninth Seal announces fourth expansion, releases Rahkdan's Counterattack
- Infinite Crisis brings out Mecha Wonder Woman
- Three more EverQuest Next classes confirmed
- World of Tanks welcomes Japan to the fight
- Pledge your allegiance to Guild Wars 2 in new video contest
- Diving into Guild Wars 2's Fractals of the Mists changes with ArenaNet
- The Daily Grind: How late do you play?
- SMITE set for launch next March
- The Stream Team: Heading back to Hell in The Secret World
- Not So Massively: Star Citizen's mining ship, D3's cow level, and Elite's incoming alpha
- Guild Wars 2 developer preview livestream delves into Fractured update
- The Stream Team: Learning Dota 2 from an expert
- Roberts: Star Citizen is 'deeper than just a combat game'
- Star Citizen crowdfunding campaign reaches $30 million
- World of Warcraft gives thanks with Pilgrim's Bounty
- Turbine settles Treehouse Avatar Technologies lawsuit via partnership
- How to trick out your fleet of SWTOR starships
- The Stream Team: Beau and Perfect World kill in Rusty Hearts
- 38 Studios' intellectual property auction in December, Project Copernicus on the table
- Tickets now available for EVE Fanfest 2014
- Neverwinter shows off Paragon Paths for more classes
- Heroes of the Storm game director apologizes for insensitive remarks regarding sexualized character designs
- SEGA-inspired Shining Force Online launches beta Thursday
- The Nexus Telegraph: Surprise! WildStar!
- City of Steam: Arkadia launching December 4th
| WildStar shows off the Stalker Posted: 26 Nov 2013 09:00 AM PST Filed under: Betas, Sci-Fi, Classes, Previews, News Items, WildStar, Subscription, Buy-to-Play  Stalkers are equipped with twin retractable claws as well as nanoskin and a variety of other high-tech gadgets. The nanoskin serves multiple functions -- it allows for Stalkers to become tougher, more evasive, and even do that invisibility trick while in combat. Combined with their natural agility and controlling tricks, Stalkers can easily be on the front lines of a battle or tuck themselves away and assassinate key targets. Check out how it works in the video just past the break. [Source: Carbine Studios press release] Continue reading WildStar shows off the Stalker
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| Massively Speaking Episode 274: Beta grubbing Posted: 26 Nov 2013 08:45 AM PST Filed under: Podcasts, MMO Industry, News Items, Massively Meta, Massively Speaking, Miscellaneous  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 274: Beta grubbing
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| Final Fantasy XIV gives housing preview Posted: 26 Nov 2013 08:30 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Patches, Final Fantasy XIV, Housing, Subscription  While individual housing is still a ways off, free companies will be able to purchase a house once they attain a certain rank and get a land acquisition entitlement. House lots can be purchased in Limsa Lominsa, Gridania, or Ul'dah. Once a house is built, the exterior and interior can be customized and furnished. The team expressed future plans for the housing system, including crafting workshops, customizable music, and chocobo stables. Housing will come when 2.1 hits on December 17th.
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| Continent of the Ninth Seal announces fourth expansion, releases Rahkdan's Counterattack Posted: 26 Nov 2013 08:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Expansions, Patches, News Items, Free-to-Play  Webzen has announced that its free-to-play hack-and-slasher Continent of the Ninth Seal (or C9, if you prefer) is getting a new expansion. This expansion, the game's fourth, will be released in three parts, the first of which -- titled Rahkdan's Counterattack -- will be available to all players on November 27th, with dates and details on parts two and three to be announced. Rahkdan's Counterattack is bringing with it a bevy of behind-the-scenes work, including "a server-wide character rebalance." The press release states that "The skill damage for most classes will be updated, as well as the monster difficulty." In addition, new questlines are being added to the Okapia and Sarad continents, and "new Epic items will be dropped from the Second through Sixth continents." On top of that, the future installments of the expansion will include "the long-awaited announcement of a brand new basic class" in addition to a new advanced class. To learn more about C9 or to get in on the action yourself, click on through to the game's official site. [Source: Webzen press release]
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| Infinite Crisis brings out Mecha Wonder Woman Posted: 26 Nov 2013 07:30 AM PST Filed under: Super-hero, Classes, Patches, Free-to-Play, MOBA, Infinite Crisis  Mecha Wonder Woman originated as a diplomatic robot for Queen Hippolyta, but decided to get into the superhero vengeance game when the queen was assassinated. The Justice Consortium upgraded her, giving Mecha Wonder Woman the ability to dispense justice with an iron fist. We've got your first look at Mecha Wonder Woman in a video after the break, so check it out and see if this MOBA champion might be calling to your own sense of justice. [Source: Turbine press release] Continue reading Infinite Crisis brings out Mecha Wonder Woman
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| Three more EverQuest Next classes confirmed Posted: 26 Nov 2013 07:15 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Classes, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Free-to-Play, EverQuest Next  If all you want for Christmas is more EverQuest Next news, PC Gamer UK has an early present for you: three more confirmed classes! Cleric, Necromancer, and Beast Lord are joining the five other revealed classes of Wizard, Tempest, Warrior, Rogue, and Blademaster. Didn't get the one class you were hoping for? Don't despair -- with over 40 classes, there's a good chance that many fan favorites will still make it into the game along with interesting new ones.The reveal also offered a little insight into each of the new classes as well as the Tempest. The Cleric utilizes one- or two-handed hammers to buff and protect, but also gets fire to unleash damage. Using a tome or dagger and spells, Necromancers also command a Monstrosity companion that grows in power alongside its master. The Beast Lord uses pets, flails and shields, and spears to inflict massive damage on enemies. And the Tempest wields either a two-handed blade or two blades and calls upon winds and lightning to blast enemies.
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| World of Tanks welcomes Japan to the fight Posted: 26 Nov 2013 07:00 AM PST Filed under: Patches, Previews, War, Free-to-Play, World of Tanks  The upcoming content addition will add 14 Japanese tanks to the game and a revamped lighting and shadow system. The Japanese tanks will be split between four light and nine medium war machines. The crown jewel of the new tank line is the Type 3 Chi-Nu Kai premium medium tank. [Source: Wargaming press release]
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| Pledge your allegiance to Guild Wars 2 in new video contest Posted: 26 Nov 2013 06:30 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Contests, Guild Wars 2, Giveaways, Buy-to-Play  In the new Great MMO Migration contest, interested new players have a chance to win one of 5,000 new copies of the game by entering a video contest pledging their allegiance to Guild Wars 2. The 30-second clip must be recorded in a public place while the player recites the Guild Wars 2 oath:
If you're interested in pledging your allegiance to Guild Wars 2, you have from now until Tuesday, December 3 at 11:59 p.m. PST to submit your video. Be sure to check out the official site for complete rules and a video after the cut that is... a bit... well, you just have to watch it to see. Continue reading Pledge your allegiance to Guild Wars 2 in new video contest
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| Diving into Guild Wars 2's Fractals of the Mists changes with ArenaNet Posted: 26 Nov 2013 06:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Interviews, Patches, Previews, Endgame, PvE, Guild Wars 2, Dungeons, Buy-to-Play  We were invited to attend a conference call with Game Director Colin Johanson and content designer Anthony Ordon, where they gave us some insight into the design behind the new Fractals, the updated reward structure, and where FotM will head from here. Continue reading Diving into Guild Wars 2's Fractals of the Mists changes with ArenaNet
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| The Daily Grind: How late do you play? Posted: 26 Nov 2013 05:00 AM PST Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous  It's not just about being hardcore or not. Some people will log in to World of Warcraft for a raid, run what needs to be run in an efficient two hours, and then be free for most of the evening. Others log in to Final Fantasy XIV and wind up roleplaying until hours past a more reasonable bedtime. So how late do you play? Do you tend to get on when you get home and stay on until bed? Do you generally play an MMO and then move on to other things, or do you make that your last stop of the night?  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!
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| SMITE set for launch next March Posted: 26 Nov 2013 04:00 AM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Launches, PvP, News Items, Free-to-Play, MOBA  To celebrate the launch, Hi-Rez will be hosting a $100,000 tournament near its headquarters in Atlanta. The tournament will include the top four North American and top four European teams that will have qualified via the SMITE Weekly Tournament events that begin January 4th. SMITE has pulled in 2.5 million registered users to date. [Source: Hi-Rez press release]
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| The Stream Team: Heading back to Hell in The Secret World Posted: 25 Nov 2013 06:00 PM PST Filed under: Horror, Real-Life, Video, Massively Meta, The Secret World, Livestream, Dungeons, The Stream Team, Buy-to-Play  Game: The Secret World Host: MJ Guthrie Date: Monday, November 25th, 2013 Time: 9:00 p.m. EST Enjoy our Steam Team video below. Continue reading The Stream Team: Heading back to Hell in The Secret World
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| Not So Massively: Star Citizen's mining ship, D3's cow level, and Elite's incoming alpha Posted: 25 Nov 2013 05:00 PM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Video, Business Models, Expansions, Game Mechanics, Patches, Endgame, News Items, PvE, Free-to-Play, Casual, Dev Diaries, Miscellaneous, Not So Massively, Sandbox, Dungeons, MOBA, League of Legends, Diablo III, Anniversaries, Firefall, Crowdfunding, Star Citizen, Path of Exile  League of Legends released its major pre-season update ahead of competitive season four, making huge changes to support classes, wards, and more. Heroes of Newerth confirmed that it will be running its usual $30,000 US tournament at DreamHack next week, and developers released a spotlight video on new hero Klanx. Diablo III's Reaper of Souls beta will officially launch by the end of the year, but many streamers are already in the beta thanks to Blizzard's Family and Friends beta scheme. One streamer got the surprise of his life when he stumbled into what appeared to be a new cow level, but we aren't sure whether it's the real deal. Path of Exile saw record turnout for its first Descent Champions events this weekend. And Firefall's latest development update blog entry confirmed that the game will be getting an episodic storyline.
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| Guild Wars 2 developer preview livestream delves into Fractured update Posted: 25 Nov 2013 04:05 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Previews, News Items, Guild Wars 2, Buy-to-Play  Guild Wars 2 is focusing on the Fractals in its upcoming Fractured update, which is slated to go live tomorrow, November 26th. But if you just absolutely cannot wait even one more day without absorbing every available bit of information you can find, then you might be interested in the recording of ArenaNet's official Fractured developer preview that was livestreamed earlier today. In the video, developers Anthony Ordon and Jake Miller give players a firsthand look at some of the new content they can expect to experience when Fractured goes live. The video is over half an hour long, so the sheer breadth of features and details covered is nearly impossible to summarize, but rest assured that there will be plenty of Fractal goodness. So make yourself comfy, settle in, and head on past the cut for the full video. Continue reading Guild Wars 2 developer preview livestream delves into Fractured update
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| The Stream Team: Learning Dota 2 from an expert Posted: 25 Nov 2013 04:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Video, PvP, Free-to-Play, Massively Meta, Hands-On, Livestream, MOBA, The Stream Team  The action begins at 7:00 p.m. EST. Can Mike up his game, or is he destined to failure? Game: Dota 2 Host: Mike Foster Date: Monday, November 25, 2013 Time: 7:00 p.m. Enjoy our Steam Team video below. Continue reading The Stream Team: Learning Dota 2 from an expert
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| Roberts: Star Citizen is 'deeper than just a combat game' Posted: 25 Nov 2013 03:30 PM PST Filed under: Sci-Fi, Business Models, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Sandbox, Crowdfunding, Star Citizen, Buy-to-Play  Cloud Imperium CEO Chris Roberts has to be tiring of all these letters from the chairman at this point, but he's published another one that outlines the new RSI Orion ship and the Anvil Carrack explorer. Roberts also takes a moment to acknowledge backers and their recent purchases of Star Citizen's new tanker ship that propelled the game past the $31 million mark. "It's exciting to see sales of the Starfarer tanker push us past another stretch goal," he wrote. "To me, that says that backers understand that Star Citizen is going to be deeper than just a combat game... that we're going to make unique experiences for all kinds of players, from pirates to refuelers."
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| Star Citizen crowdfunding campaign reaches $30 million Posted: 25 Nov 2013 03:00 PM PST Filed under: Sci-Fi, News Items, Sandbox, Crowdfunding, Star Citizen, MMORPG  Cloud Imperium Games's crowdfunding campaign for Star Citizen continues to barrel along and doesn't seem intent on stopping yet, as creator Chris Roberts has announced that the campaign has officially reached the milestone of 30 million US dollars. A new milestone means new rewards. Along with the announcement, Roberts included a gallery of concept art for the Gladiator ship "created to show how the rear-facing turret can be changed with different upgrades." In addition, Roberts revealed that players voted for a salvage ship in the $32 million "ship role" poll. As a result, the post unveils the first details of the Aegis Surveyor ship. Described as "an industrial-quality salvage ship," the Aegis Surveyor is perfect for retrieving the remains of some poor chump's wrecked ride. Lastly, Roberts reminds players that they can vote for the role $33 million stretch goal ship (right below the post, to boot), so to have your say, head over to the game's official site.
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| World of Warcraft gives thanks with Pilgrim's Bounty Posted: 25 Nov 2013 02:30 PM PST Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Events (In-Game), News Items, Subscription  It's finally that wonderful time of year when Alliance and Horde alike come together (not with each other, of course) to, for some reason, give thanks for their continued existence in a world that seems perpetually on the brink of catastrophic destruction. World of Warcraft's in-game Pilgrim's Bounty event is going on now and will continue until December 2nd and, much like its real-world counterpart, it's mostly about food. Cooking daily quests make up a good deal of the event's activities, and it's only during Pilgrim's Bounty that players can acquire the recipes for seasonal dishes such as pumpkin pie and slow-roasted turkey. No seasonal event would be complete without some unique items and achievements to go with it, of course, and Pilgrim's Bounty has that covered too. Players can bring some old-world flair to their characters' wardrobes by gathering an outfit of pilgrim's clothing, and there are nine achievements for players to complete over the course of the event. Completing all nine achievements will unlock the Pilgrim meta-achievement, which grants the cute and potentially delicious plump turkey companion pet. For all the details on Pilgrim's Harvest, head on over to the World of Warcraft official site.
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| Turbine settles Treehouse Avatar Technologies lawsuit via partnership Posted: 25 Nov 2013 02:00 PM PST Filed under: MMO Industry, News Items, Legal, Miscellaneous  The Turbine lawsuit predates a number of threatening letters sent by Treehouse Avatar to various small indie developers that made similar overtures. No mention is made of how much Turbine is paying to license the technology for the games in question, which were the only two cited by the suit.
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| How to trick out your fleet of SWTOR starships Posted: 25 Nov 2013 01:30 PM PST Filed under: Sci-Fi, Expansions, PvP, Free-to-Play, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Dev Diaries  Each starship has five major component (read: gear) slots for active combat abilities and four minor component slots for passive stat boosts. Components can be upgraded, with the highest tier offering a choice between types of upgrades. By mix-and-matching components, players can create unique loadouts that will be customized to their playstyle. Component unlocks and upgrades are paid for with requisition, which is given for battle participation and victory. BioWare promises that teamwork will never penalize your acquisition of requisition, which is a fun thing to say a few times in a row. There are two forms of requisition: ship, which is specific to the starship you're flying, and fleet, which can be used for any of your starships.
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| The Stream Team: Beau and Perfect World kill in Rusty Hearts Posted: 25 Nov 2013 01:00 PM PST Filed under: Video, Interviews, Opinion, Free-to-Play, Hands-On, Community Q&A, Livestream, Dungeons, The Stream Team  Game: Rusty Hearts Host: Beau Date: Monday, November 25th, 2013 Time: 4:00 p.m. EST Enjoy our Steam Team video below. Continue reading The Stream Team: Beau and Perfect World kill in Rusty Hearts
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| 38 Studios' intellectual property auction in December, Project Copernicus on the table Posted: 25 Nov 2013 12:30 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Economy, MMO Industry, News Items  The tragic tale of 38 Studios' unreleased MMO, Project Copernicus, isn't over just yet. The Associated Press reports that "[a]bout two dozen parties, including some overseas" have "expressed interest" in bidding for the intellectual property of 38 Studios, which includes the unfinished game. The auction, which was set to take place on November 14th but was delayed due to unexpectedly high demand, is scheduled for December 11th. Nick Jimenez, executive vice president of auctioneer Global Heritage Partners (which is handling the sale of the studio's intellectual property), stated that the potential buyers in the auction "are from North America, Europe, and Asia" and that "[s]ome have expressed interest in buying all the intellectual property, and some are eyeing parts of it." It's unclear what his means for the future of Copernicus, or at least of Copernicus as we know it, but be sure to keep an eye out for future developments.
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| Tickets now available for EVE Fanfest 2014 Posted: 25 Nov 2013 12:00 PM PST Filed under: Sci-Fi, EVE Online, Culture, Events (Real-World), News Items, Consoles, MMOFPS, DUST 514, Sandbox  As it has in previous years, the fanfest will contain an assortment of panels and revelations for the games under the CCP Games umbrella, including EVE Online, DUST 514, and the upcoming EVE: Valkyrie. There will also be pub crawls, dinner with the developers, and the Party at the Top of the World to finish it all off. If that sounds like your sort of deal, grab your tickets now and start budgeting for the trip in a few months.
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| Neverwinter shows off Paragon Paths for more classes Posted: 25 Nov 2013 11:30 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Classes, Game Mechanics, Previews, News Items, Free-to-Play, Neverwinter  Great Weapon Fighters who choose to be Iron Vanguards, meanwhile, pick up more control-based effects and wind up being more of a support archetype in the process. The latest development blog also shows off the new Control Wizard path, the Master of Flame, allowing this class to do some more serious damage over time by juggling flame and ice abilities. Check out more details on these new paths in the aforementioned development blog.
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| Posted: 25 Nov 2013 11:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Culture, MMO Industry, News Items, Free-to-Play, MOBA  Browder has issued an apology for his statement, claiming that the topic is a serious one and that Blizzard is sensitive about how it portrays its characters. No part of the apology actually addresses the issue in any more detail, although Browder does insist that the team wants everyone to have a character to identify with and enjoy. Whether or not this will result in more discussion of this serious topic or any changes to character designs remains to be seen.
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| SEGA-inspired Shining Force Online launches beta Thursday Posted: 25 Nov 2013 10:30 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Free-to-Play, Browser  Described by unFun as a free fan-made MMO, Shining Force Online is a story-driven game that can, according to the official site, "be played almost as if it's a completely single player title," but you "can also interact with other players (if [you] should choose to)." If you do want to interact with others, it will actually cost you; although the game's store won't sell any items or experience, players must purchase the ability to chat with others. Interested players can head to Arcade Country and create an account in order to play the game via browser or download. [Source: unFun Games press release]
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| The Nexus Telegraph: Surprise! WildStar! Posted: 25 Nov 2013 10:00 AM PST Filed under: Betas, Sci-Fi, Classes, Game Mechanics, Opinion, WildStar, The Nexus Telegraph, Subscription, Buy-to-Play  Surprise! Yes, that was the thematic link. It seemed clever to me. One of the big elements that WildStar is embracing thus far is that trick of surprising the player. It's a tricky thing to pull off in an MMO because the entire genre is built around understanding and minimizing surprises as much as you can. So let's take a look at some of the game's approaches to surprise and how the game manages to create more surprises by giving you fewer surprises in some areas. Yeah, it's that sort of thing. Continue reading The Nexus Telegraph: Surprise! WildStar!
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| City of Steam: Arkadia launching December 4th Posted: 25 Nov 2013 09:30 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Game Mechanics, Launches, News Items, Free-to-Play, Browser, City of Steam  Of course, you may not have mourned the original version. Rest assured that the relaunch is not meant to simply be the same game with a new subtitle. According to the official announcement, the new version contains a variety of new systems as well as a revamp of both dungeons and game mechanics. Mechanist Games states that the developers have paid attention to player feedback from the Chinese version and will be releasing a game that should have a much wider appeal. You'll be able to gauge that for yourself very shortly one way or the other.
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