MMORPG News

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• War Thunder: Ground Forces Second Wave Enters Closed Beta
• The Repopulation: Beta Preview Dates & More
• EverQuest Next: Landmark: A Block at a Time
• Aura Kingdom: Closed Beta Key Giveaway!
• General: Three Words for 2013
• WildStar: ‘Tis the Season
• General: My Own Kobayashi Maru
• General: Baldur's Gate 2 Enhanced Edition: D&D Perfection
• General: MMO Christmas
• General: My Year in Review

War Thunder: Ground Forces Second Wave Enters Closed Beta Posted: 27 Dec 2013 02:47 AM PST Gaijin Entertainment has announced that a second wave of beta invites has been sent out for the Ground Forces expansion to War Thunder. In addition, the team has detailed a Collector's Edition for the upcoming title and released some details about an upcoming January event.

The Repopulation: Beta Preview Dates & More Posted: 26 Dec 2013 02:47 PM PST We have received word from The Repopulation team that they are ready to announce the next beta date and to release a bit more information about the Steam Greenlight campaign.

EverQuest Next: Landmark: A Block at a Time Posted: 26 Dec 2013 12:19 PM PST In this week's EverQuest Next column, we're looking at the building and process SOE is taking when it comes to making and revealing a new Norrath for EQN and Landmark.

Aura Kingdom: Closed Beta Key Giveaway! Posted: 26 Dec 2013 11:06 AM PST MMORPG.com is pleased to give our users free access to the Aura Kingdom closed beta test phase! Check out this new anime MMORPG by Aeria Games with unique mounts and powerful pets. Get your beta key now while supplies last!

General: Three Words for 2013 Posted: 24 Dec 2013 05:36 PM PST Rob Lashley has chosen three simple words that he believes sums up 2013 perfectly. See what words he's chosen before heading to the comments to sum up 2013 in your own words.

WildStar: ‘Tis the Season Posted: 24 Dec 2013 05:46 PM PST As with most MMOs at this time of year, WildStar has its own in-game celebration, the first of what is hoped to be many more. We take a look at WildStar, lore, celebrations and much more. Read on!

General: My Own Kobayashi Maru Posted: 24 Dec 2013 11:17 AM PST It was recently spread across the Internet that Mark Kern, CEO and Founder of Firefall developer Red 5 Studios, had left the company he started. Today, in a Christmas Day exclusive here at MMORPG.com, Mark's offering a statement towards that event, with perhaps a cryptic hint or two on what's next for him in videogame development.

General: Baldur's Gate 2 Enhanced Edition: D&D Perfection Posted: 22 Dec 2013 05:03 PM PST Most MMO players look fondly back at one or two single player RPGs that 'changed their lives'. One of the most commonly heard names is Baldur's Gate 2. Recently an 'enhanced edition' arrived on scene. We take a look at how the new edition meets a new generation of gamers in today's RPG Files. Read on and then let us know about your BG2 memories and experiences with the enhanced edition in the comments.

General: MMO Christmas Posted: 22 Dec 2013 04:58 PM PST In our weekly comic, artist Blaz Klaric brings us his irreverent look into the foibles of the MMO worlds we love, and love to hate. Check out "MMO Christmas" and then leave us your thoughts in the comments.

General: My Year in Review Posted: 22 Dec 2013 04:53 PM PST As 2013 winds to a close, we often take a few moments to review the events of the preceding days. Matt Miller takes a look back at his 2013. See how his year fared and then leave us thoughts on your year in the comments.

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MMOGaming News

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• Cosplay Collection [12.27]
• WoW: Character Model Updates Blue Tweets Q/A!
• Nanbo's Warframe Review
• TinyFireball's weapon... completed! + some bopae suggestions

Cosplay Collection [12.27] Posted: We have Chunli of Street Fighter, Lyn Blade Master of Blade and Soul, Sylvanas from World of Warcraft and Monster Hunter Online costume. Continue reading Cosplay Collection [12.27].

WoW: Character Model Updates Blue Tweets Q/A! Posted: Chris Robinson, who's team is responsible for the new character updates has answered several questions via his Twitter account, here is a compilation of the questions (in bold) followed by his answers below. Continue reading WoW: Character Model Updates Blue Tweets Q/A!.

Nanbo's Warframe Review Posted: Welcome to Warframe. It is well into Open Beta and already being ported out to Playstation 4. This is a title I realized I have had installed for a long time and had not done a review about! Continue reading Nanbo's Warframe Review.

TinyFireball's weapon... completed! + some bopae suggestions Posted: ill just give a quick update this week, since i am going to be spending some time on the skills translations for force master. so.. i got to 45 and got my weapon upgrades done!!! Continue reading TinyFireball's weapon... completed! + some bopae suggestions.

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General Gaming Article

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• Amazon Breaks Holiday Records, Offers Christmas Tech Support In Under 15 Seconds
• Google Files Lawsuit Against Apple- and Microsoft-backed Patent Group
• UPC and FedEx Catch Heat for Holiday Delivery Delays
• eXtreme Outer Vision Updates PSU Calculator to Include Radeon R7 and R9 Series GPUs
• Intel to Release 8-Core Haswell-E Desktop Processors in Third Quarter of 2014
• Newegg Daily Deals: Seagate Backup Plus 4TB USB 3.0, APC 1500 VA 865W UPS, and More!

Amazon Breaks Holiday Records, Offers Christmas Tech Support In Under 15 Seconds Posted: 26 Dec 2013 05:42 PM PST 426 items sold per second with a 9-second average Mayday response time. The holidays were more than kind to Amazon this year. The online retailer has announced that they sold over 36.8 million items on Cyber Monday alone—that's 426 items sold every second. The news doesn't stop there, Amazon's Mayday button had a 9-second average response time on Christmas Day.  Amazon's Kindle Fire HDX comes with a Mayday button that puts users in contact with Amazon tech support pretty much immediately at anytime, on any day. The official promise is human contact within 15 seconds, but they've outdone themselves with the 9-second average despite the holiday. "We set a goal for ourselves to have a response time of 15 seconds or less when a customer tapped the Mayday button—we're proud to say that on Christmas Day we met this goal, with an average response time of just 9 seconds," said Dave Limp, vice president of Amazon Kindle. The press release also mentions some of the company's favorite Mayday calls which range from carolers singing to Amazon technicians, to a girl who accidentally hit the button and screamed at seeing a person on-screen.  What do you think of the Mayday button? Is it just a marketing gimmick? Tell us in the comments.

Google Files Lawsuit Against Apple- and Microsoft-backed Patent Group Posted: 26 Dec 2013 12:52 PM PST Rockstar Consortium under fire after targeting Android Google has decided that enough is enough. The company has filed a lawsuit against Rockstar Consortium—a patent group backed by many of Google's biggest competitors—claiming that the group's patent campaign is unfairly targeting Google and its Android partners. Google's been at odds with Rockstar since 2011 when Google narrowly lost the auction to buy the Nortel Network's 6,000 patent portfolio. Rockstar picked up the patents for $4.5 billion and has since used them to sue Google and many of its hardware partners. It's a battle with clearly drawn sides. Microsoft, Blackberry, Ericsson, and Sony—the backers of the Rockstar Consortium—face off against Google, Samsung, Huawei, HTC, and other mobile phone companies.  The thousands of patents and patent applications involve core phone technologies like wireless connectivity, networking, and even semiconductors. Google's fighting back with its own lawsuit, and it seems that Rockstar's confidence is wavering. Bloomberg recently reported that some of the Nortel patents are already being sold off.  Gigaom has found a copy of Google's complaint with some of the particularly relevant bits underlined. Check out the entire document below—it's not exactly fun reading, but it has all of the specific details. Google Dec Action vs Rockstar

UPC and FedEx Catch Heat for Holiday Delivery Delays Posted: 26 Dec 2013 11:12 AM PST Did your PC parts arrive on time? Don't take it personal if UPS or FedEx failed to deliver all those PC components and other goodies you intended to shove underneath the Christmas tree this year. It wasn't just you, but thousands of Americans who were affected by delivery delays, as both companies contended with exceptionally bad weather and higher-than-expected demand during the holiday shopping period. "UPS experienced heavy holiday volume and is making every effort to get packages to their destination as quickly as possible," UPS said a statement. "UPS has resumed normally scheduled service on December 26." Both companies have been apologetic, with FedEx telling NBC News that weather conditions wreaked havoc on its planes and delivery trucks this year, though it all comes as little consolation to online shoppers who were relying on quoted shipping times to be accurate. "Merry Christmas FedEx," read a sarcastic message from Teri Martin in Arizona. "Thanks for taking my money, ruining my son's Christmas and taking days off to avoid dealing with desperate customers trying to find out how to get their packages! NEVER AGAIN!!!" Complaints against UPS were equally frustrated in tone. According to NBC News, you'd have to go back to 2004 for the last time a significant amount of UPS packages were late for Christmas. "UPS understands the importance of your holiday shipments," the company said in a Christmas Day statement on its website. "However, the volume of air packages in our system exceeded the capacity of our network immediately preceding Christmas so some shipments were delayed." In the time period between Thanksgiving and Christmas, UPS and FedEx handled a combined 275 million shipments. And according to comScore, online spending spiked 9 percent to $37.8 billion between November 1st and December 15th. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

eXtreme Outer Vision Updates PSU Calculator to Include Radeon R7 and R9 Series GPUs Posted: 26 Dec 2013 10:17 AM PST A handy tool for estimating power needs Picking out a power supply is not something that should be taken lightly. In a literal sense, weight is one way to determine if a PSU is up to snuff or not, but you also need to factor in how much wattage you need and how it's distributed -- today's systems rely heavily on the +12V rail(s). The easy way to figure out how much power you need so you don't overspend is to use eXtreme Outer Vision's recently updated online PSU calculator. The handy online tool was updated on Christmas (yesterday) to include a range of new parts, including AMD's Radeon R7 and R9 Series graphics cards. If you spring for the Pro version, you can even select up to half a dozen graphics cards, which might come in handy if you're a virtual coin miner. Speaking of which, eXtreme Outer Vision added support for a bunch of Bitcoin mining modules. You can select up to five of them in the Pro version. Other updates include support for Enermax's Liqtech 120X, Liqtech 240, and Liqmax 120S liquid cooling kits, as well as a boatload of processors, including three Core i7 Ivy Bridge-E chips and a Haswell processor. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Intel to Release 8-Core Haswell-E Desktop Processors in Third Quarter of 2014 Posted: 26 Dec 2013 07:51 AM PST Penny pinchers need not apply Intel doesn't yet offer an 8-core processor for consumer desktop applications, but by the end of the year, that's going to change. The world's largest semiconductor company, despite being motivated to aggressively compete in the mobile market, is said to be readying the launch of 8-core Haswell-E chips in third quarter of 2014. If you're hoping to pick one as you send your Ivy Bridge-E setup into retirement, you'll want to start saving up now. According to Digitimes and the sources it spoke with from the upstream supply chain, Intel's initial batch of Haswell-E processors will hover around $1,000. At the same time, the Sunnyvale chip maker also plans to launch its high-end X99 chipset to pair with these CPUs. Haswell-E will feature a 22nm manufacturing process and come in two separate styles -- X and K. Both will support Hyper-Threading and Turbo Boost 2.0 technologies, along with PCI-Express Gen. 3 and DDR4 memory up to 2133MHz. Native USB 3.0 support will be part of the X99 chipset. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Newegg Daily Deals: Seagate Backup Plus 4TB USB 3.0, APC 1500 VA 865W UPS, and More! Posted: 26 Dec 2013 06:16 AM PST Top Deal: Let's be real, backing up data is rather boring. There's nothing particularly glamorous about shuttling files from one location to another, but unless you could wake up the next morning with all your digital files missing and not skip a beat, backing up is an essential habit. It doesn't have to be complicated -- just take a look at today's top deal for a Seagate Backup Plus 4TB USB 3.0 Black Desktop Hard Drive for $140 with free shipping (normally $240; use coupon code: [EMCWVVX46]). It offers one-click backups, can automatically save photos from your social networks, and is both capacious (4TB) and fast. Other Deals: Western Digital WD SE WD2000F9YZ 2TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5-inch Internal Hard Drive for $140 with free shipping (normally $160; use coupon code: [EMCWVVX27]) Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3 AM3+ AMD 990FX SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard for $140 with free shipping (normally $150 ; additional $10 Mail-in rebate; additional $5 gift card w/ purchase) Corsair XMS3 8GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 Desktop Memory Model CMX8GX3M1A1333C9 for $60 with free shipping (normally $73 ) APC BR1500G 1500 VA 865 Watt 10 Outlets Power Saving Back-UPS RS 1500 for $177 with free shipping (normally $235; use coupon code: [EMCWVVX58])

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MMO Updates

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• Perfect Ten: Biggest MMO news stories of 2013
• The Daily Grind: How many MMOs did you play in 2013?
• Black Desert's next closed beta to feature new region
• Free for All: Revisiting EVE Online's newbie tutorial
• MMO Family: Setting Sail in Pirate101
• MMO Mechanics: Three fair ways to distribute loot

Perfect Ten: Biggest MMO news stories of 2013 Posted: 26 Dec 2013 07:00 AM PST Filed under: World of Warcraft, MMO Industry, Warhammer Online, News Items, Opinion, RIFT, Final Fantasy XIV, DUST 514, World of Tanks, EverQuest Next, Perfect Ten, Miscellaneous, ArcheAge, WildStar, Diablo III, Defiance, The Elder Scrolls Online, Destiny, Star Citizen, Trove As the light slowly fades from 2013, we spend our final moments quaffing eggnog, putting up President's Day decorations, and reminiscing about the year that was. We stare at the past and realize that it's a mirror reflecting our own journeys through the past 12 months. We contemplate the impact of one small decision that ripples out and touches souls everywhere. And then we stop getting so maudlin and start getting excited for what 2014 has to offer. For me, I live for end-of-the-year lists. Man, I love 'em. I will devour them, drinking up everyone's opinions about what what the best what, what movies or songs I should check out, and what idiocy drives some people to write top 10 lists. Seriously, am I right? Learn to use a paragraph format, people! Well, here's my top 10 list covering the year's top stories in the MMO industry. Some are pretty obvious, some will be up for debate, and all will be in the past soon enough. So what will historians say about 2013 and online games? Continue reading Perfect Ten: Biggest MMO news stories of 2013 Perfect Ten: Biggest MMO news stories of 2013 originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 26 Dec 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Daily Grind: How many MMOs did you play in 2013? Posted: 26 Dec 2013 05:00 AM PST Filed under: MMO Industry, Opinion, The Daily Grind We've already shared our picks for the best (and worst) MMOs of 2013. And we've already asked for your feedback as well. One thing we didn't do is ask how many different MMOs you managed to play this year. Some die-hards of course stick with a single title, maybe two if they're feeling especially adventurous. And then there are the game-hoppers who try everything and then some. Whichever group you're in, tell us how many different MMOs you played this past year. 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: How many MMOs did you play in 2013? originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 26 Dec 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Black Desert's next closed beta to feature new region Posted: 25 Dec 2013 05:00 PM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Sandbox, Black Desert There's a new region coming to Black Desert's second closed beta, according to 2P. The website sources the fantasy sandbox's Korean-language homepage, and more specifically a GM diary that reveals a region called Calpheon. Players will apparently be able to make repair anvils and temporary tents in the region, as well as take advantage of its proximity to the sea to satisy their fishing urges. [Thanks WNxArcticwolf!] Black Desert's next closed beta to feature new region originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 25 Dec 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments 2P

Free for All: Revisiting EVE Online's newbie tutorial Posted: 25 Dec 2013 03:00 PM PST Filed under: Sci-Fi, EVE Online, Culture, Game Mechanics, PvP, PvE, Opinion, War, Free-to-Play, Races, Humor, Free for All, Post-Apocalyptic, Sandbox, Buy-to-Play I might leave the EVE Online number-crunching and analyzing to Massively's Brendan Drain, but my personal history with the game is long, however, and I have proudly reactivated my 2004 account (complete with a 10 million skill point character) once a year to see how things are going. I generally spend several hours playing and getting used to the changes but end up playing other games for columns like Rise and Shiny. This time around, I thought I would try something different. I was spurred into action by the recent Steam sales, one of them offering an EVE Online Starter Pack for something like two bucks. (Now it's almost $5.00) It comes with 30 days of time, some special newbie goodies, and a booster to help skills grow faster. Sure, I could have reactivated my old account for $15.00 (and probably will after this is over), but I wondered how making a new character now would compare to what it was like all those years ago. It turns out that it's still pretty darn cool. Continue reading Free for All: Revisiting EVE Online's newbie tutorial Free for All: Revisiting EVE Online's newbie tutorial originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 25 Dec 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

MMO Family: Setting Sail in Pirate101 Posted: 25 Dec 2013 01:00 PM PST Filed under: Opinion, Free-to-Play, Kids, MMO Family, Family, Pirate101 Yo ho ho and a bottle of yum! It's been a while, but I've recently returned to the Spiral to explore the world of Pirate101, along with my two younger game testers. We enjoyed our time in-game the first time around, and were curious to revisit the game to see what's changed. Would we find a hidden treasure or end up sunk? In this week's MMO Family, we're donning our Tricorn hats and setting sail in Pirate101! Continue reading MMO Family: Setting Sail in Pirate101 MMO Family: Setting Sail in Pirate101 originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 25 Dec 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

MMO Mechanics: Three fair ways to distribute loot Posted: 25 Dec 2013 11:00 AM PST Filed under: World of Warcraft, EVE Online, EverQuest, MMO Mechanics I mentioned last week that players throw their precious characters into the MMO meat grinder in the pursuit of higher levels, new achievements, or shinier gear. We gladly jump on the seemingly endless PvE treadmill, cranking up the speed with each new patch in an attempt to catch the dangling carrot of character perfection. Of course, we don't just punish ourselves like this to say we overcame some previously impossible challenge; there's shiny new loot to be had! The best booty usually comes from completing group activities like dungeons and raids, but not everyone can agree on how to share the spoils of joint pursuits. Several different loot distribution methods have been devised over the years to solve the problem of fairly distributing the swag, with most methods starting life as player-made agreements that weren't officially supported by hard-coded game mechanics. Players have long since rolled for gear or took turns to claim items round-robin style, leading developers to implement the most popular methods as actual game mechanics to avoid ninja-looting and then the inevitable public pity parties associated with player-led arbitration. In this edition of MMO Mechanics, I'll break down three of the most equitable loot distribution systems used in MMOs today and look at why this age-old problem doesn't have a one-size-fits-all solution. Continue reading MMO Mechanics: Three fair ways to distribute loot MMO Mechanics: Three fair ways to distribute loot originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 25 Dec 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

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