| Choose My Adventure: Life as an Arisen in Allods Online Posted: 25 Dec 2013 09:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Polls, Video, PvE, Free-to-Play, Hands-On, Choose My Adventure, Allods Online, Livestream, Miscellaneous, Subscription, MMORPG The Massively community answered loud and clear when I asked who, what, and how I should play in Allods Online. Voters in last week's Choose My Adventure poll sent me along the path of the Empire in the shoes of an Arisen and equipped me with a Psionicist's dagger along the way. The community also favored the subscription server over the free-to-play server, with some voters claiming Allods is too "pay-to-win" on the free-to-play server and others simply expressing curiosity about whether they'd see a difference between the paid and free versions of the game. With those voted handled and counted, my adventure had officially begun. Continue reading Choose My Adventure: Life as an Arisen in Allods Online  Choose My Adventure: Life as an Arisen in Allods Online originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 25 Dec 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Leaderboard: What's the best MMO design decision of all time? Posted: 25 Dec 2013 07:00 AM PST Filed under: Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, Opinion, Leaderboard Last week we stirred up some discussion by asking Massively readers for their opinions on the worst MMO design decisions of all time. In the interests of fair play, and because of today's peace-on-earth-and-goodwill-toward-men Christmas thing, we thought it prudent to ask for the opposite opinion. So, how about it? What's the best MMO design decision of all time? It's kind of a broad question, we know, so In lieu of the traditional Leaderboard voting options, feel free to write in your answers.  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!Leaderboard: What's the best MMO design decision of all time? originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 25 Dec 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Daily Grind: Did you get or give any good gamer gifts today? Posted: 25 Dec 2013 05:00 AM PST Filed under: Culture, Events (Real-World), Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous Merry Christmas, all! You might be engaged in all manner of festive activities this morning or perhaps just enjoying some peace and quiet and goodwill toward all. There might even be a hint of gift-giving and -receiving going on as well today. I think it's awesome being a gamer geek around Christmastime because I'm never short on fun toys that I'd love to get as a gift. While I have no idea what I might be getting today, I do know that I bought my wife all of the World of Warcraft expansions so that she could catch up. So once the unwrapping frenzy subsides, head back here and let us know: Did you get or give any good gamer gifts today (or really, this month)?  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: Did you get or give any good gamer gifts today? originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 25 Dec 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| En Masse recaps TERA's 2013, looks to 2014 Posted: 24 Dec 2013 05:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Events (In-Game), Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, PvP, News Items, PvE, Free-to-Play, TERA, Dungeons TERA's website has been updated with an end-of-the-year post that's both a look back and a look ahead. En Masse recaps some of its 2013 highlights -- including the F2P conversion, new dungeons, raids, and battlegrounds, and a month-long anniversary celebration. The company also teases TERA's 2014 docket. In January, players will be able to transform themselves into "big-ass monsters" via the new Kumasylum battleground. Even more new dungeons and raids are in the works, as is the Rootstock festival and some elite status member benefit upgrades. En Masse recaps TERA's 2013, looks to 2014 originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 24 Dec 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Jukebox Heroes: MMO holiday tunes Posted: 24 Dec 2013 03:00 PM PST Filed under: Lord of the Rings Online, Opinion, Star Trek Online, Guild Wars 2, Miscellaneous, Jukebox Heroes, Music Last year I celebrated Christmas with y'all by sharing several holiday music tracks from MMOs, and this year I thought I'd keep the tradition alive. It's not always the easiest thing to find holiday-specific music from these games, as not every game bothers to make new tunes for time-limited events. Still, there are a few that have been sitting in my folders for a while that I'd like to share, including one very special piece of music that pretty much nobody's ever heard before. So as we wind down the year and relax with friends and family, I'm volunteering myself to be the DJ at your abode. Just put these tunes on and mix up a batch of your best egg nog because the two will be a combination that will make your relatives rave about your refined taste. Continue reading Jukebox Heroes: MMO holiday tunes Jukebox Heroes: MMO holiday tunes originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 24 Dec 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Soapbox: The horror of embargoes Posted: 24 Dec 2013 01:00 PM PST Filed under: Opinion, Massively Meta, Humor, The Soapbox, Miscellaneous We're right on the cusp of one big holiday or another. Festivus, I think? I don't really pay attention to the calendar. So we're going to take this opportunity to talk about something near and dear to our hearts that a lot of you don't even know exists because you aren't working here. It's the magical miracle known as the press embargo. Embargoes work something like this. Let's say that Bungie is hard at work developing My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Online, and the company wants to reveal a new piece of information on August 9th. The company sends a lot of different press outlets a release with all of the information on August 2nd, mentioning exactly when the embargo lifts. So on August 9th, everyone can cover it at the same time! It sounds like a great way to ensure that the press knows things in advance and that every big revelation is nicely coordinated across all media. In practice, though, it's something less than beneficial due to failures to communicate and the very nature of the beast. Giving more time between the information and release just means more space for things to go wrong. Continue reading The Soapbox: The horror of embargoes The Soapbox: The horror of embargoes originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 24 Dec 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| WoW account thieves get fines, two-year prison sentences Posted: 24 Dec 2013 12:00 PM PST Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Culture, MMO Industry, News Items, Legal, Subscription WoW Insider reports on a group of 10 Chinese men who have received prison sentences for their roles in a World of Warcraft account-stealing scheme. The group compromised 11,500 accounts, some of which were purchased for $1 a piece before being emptied and having their virtual contents resold "for an average of $3 per account." The group's ringleader was found guilty and slapped with an $8,000 fine as well as two years of jail time, while his accomplices received $1,000 fines and "just under two years in prison." WoW account thieves get fines, two-year prison sentences originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 24 Dec 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Hyperspace Beacon: 'Twas the night before Sithmas and all through SWTOR... Posted: 24 Dec 2013 11:00 AM PST Filed under: Sci-Fi, Events (In-Game), PvP, PvE, Opinion, Free-to-Play, Hands-On, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Guides, Hyperspace Beacon, MMORPG If you've not been in game since last week, then you don't know about the snow problem that Carrick and Vaiken station have had since the Master of Ceremonies stopped by Star Wars: The Old Republic. Everyone, for no good reason at all, has been pelting each other with snowballs. They all think they are special snowflakes or something -- something I knew I was before this event began. But perhaps I should start at the beginning. The Life Day event actually started when the Cartel Market began selling Life-Day-related items on the week of the 10th. The items were the exact same items that were on sale last year. Many people, including me, were concerned that the whole event (if you could call it that) would be a complete recycle of last year's. Of course, we had the tensile bomb, the Life Day orb, the Life Day robes, and everyone's favorites, the festive snow-blowing speeder. (That was sarcasm, in case it didn't come through the text.) Fortunately, this year's SWTOR Life Day festivities didn't end there. Continue reading Hyperspace Beacon: 'Twas the night before Sithmas and all through SWTOR... Hyperspace Beacon: 'Twas the night before Sithmas and all through SWTOR... originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 24 Dec 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Stream Team: A holiday romp through EQII's Frostfell Posted: 24 Dec 2013 10:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Video, EverQuest II, Events (In-Game), Free-to-Play, Livestream, The Stream Team 'Twas the stream before Christmas and all through EverQuest II, Massively's MJ was finding there's just so much to do! There's the all new Frostfell Wonderland Village to explore, and snowballs to gather and quests galore. Help the Gigglegibbers be part of the fun, Then save all of Frostfell when you are done. Don't forget the presents to harvest and special crafts to make -- you can even get your own crafting table to take. Earn Frozen Tokens of E'ci and buy armor and weapons and decorations, oh my! The list goes on of activities old and new, so join us live at 1:00 p.m. -- all that's missing is you! Game: EverQuest II Host: Your Name Date: Tuesday, December 24th, 2013 Time: 1:00 p.m. EST Enjoy our Steam Team video below. Continue reading The Stream Team: A holiday romp through EQII's Frostfell The Stream Team: A holiday romp through EQII's Frostfell originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 24 Dec 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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