| Star Citizen tops $43 million, Roberts talks Gladius and combat armor Posted: 29 Apr 2014 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Video, Business Models, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Sandbox, Crowdfunding, Star Citizen, Buy-to-Play Guess what folks? Star Citizen is still making money. Chris Roberts' latest Letter from the Chairman celebrates the $43 million stretch goal achievement, which adds a set of marine combat armor to each backer's account. The letter also details the Gladius light fighter, which became a thing when SC broke the $42 million barrier. The Gladius is "an older fighter that doesn't have the arms and armor of a Hornet... but that can maneuver and strike quickly," Roberts writes. Click through the links below to see the work-in-progress screens and read the full letter. Don't forget to click past the cut and watch Roberts field backer questions in the latest episode of 10 for the Chairman. Continue reading Star Citizen tops $43 million, Roberts talks Gladius and combat armor  Star Citizen tops $43 million, Roberts talks Gladius and combat armor originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 29 Apr 2014 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| SOE is streaming H1Z1 right now Posted: 29 Apr 2014 10:30 AM PDT Filed under: Horror, Video, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Free-to-Play, Sandbox, H1Z1 You know what goes great with lunch breaks (or breakfast, if you're one of those weirdo West Coasters)? Zombies, that's what. As such, SOE is serving up an H1Z1 livestream as we speak, so head to the game's official Twitch channel to see game designers Adam Clegg and Jimmy Whisenhunt laying the groundwork for this afternoon's content. This is a day-long stream, with dev interviews, office tours, John Smedley, and gameplay on tap. SOE is streaming H1Z1 right now originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 29 Apr 2014 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Tamriel Infinium: Beta testing Elder Scrolls Online for consoles Posted: 29 Apr 2014 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Bugs, Launches, New Titles, Endgame, Opinion, Mac, Dungeons, The Elder Scrolls Online, Subscription, MMORPG, Tamriel Infinium With so many fixes, changes, and new bugs, it's hard to keep up with everything that's going on in The Elder Scrolls Online in a biweekly column. So instead of trying to discuss every minute detail of ESO's progress towards perfection, I'd like to look at the bigger picture. Why are these things happening and to what end? And the core question is this: "Was this planned all along?" Paid betas appear to be an unfortunate trend cropping up in MMOs as of late. And I know I'm going to sound like a hater, but I don't like to pay for beta. Yet being the idiot that I am, I still bought the $60 alpha for SOE's Landmark. I'm a sucker; I'll admit it. But that doesn't mean that I don't feel the shame that pours over me like gooey green slime -- a bucket for every dollar spent. Perhaps it's because I am not max level yet, but I'm starting to feel like a sucker when it comes to pre-ordering ESO. Don't get me wrong: I believe it's a great game. I just feel that it's not done, and I'm paying to participate in the console beta test. Continue reading Tamriel Infinium: Beta testing Elder Scrolls Online for consoles Tamriel Infinium: Beta testing Elder Scrolls Online for consoles originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 29 Apr 2014 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Heroes & Generals trailer reminds you that wars aren't won by tanks alone Posted: 29 Apr 2014 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Historical, Trailers, Video, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, PvP, News Items, War, Free-to-Play, Browser Reto-Moto already has one of the best-looking World War II combat sims on the market, but now it's firing a shot across the bow of its competition with Heroes & Generals' new "Wars Aren't Won by Tanks Alone" trailer. New weapons and vehicles are coming to H&G's live servers in short order, and Reto-Moto reminds you that "you need soldiers to win a war -- not just tanks and planes!" Click past the cut for the trailer and the full press release. [Source: Reto-Moto press release] Continue reading Heroes & Generals trailer reminds you that wars aren't won by tanks alone Heroes & Generals trailer reminds you that wars aren't won by tanks alone originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 29 Apr 2014 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Black Desert's open PvP and death penalties explained Posted: 29 Apr 2014 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Video, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, PvP, News Items, Sandbox, Black Desert Steparu has posted part two of a lengthy Black Desert beta review-in-progress. This installment focuses on the fantasy sandbox's leveling experience, enchanting, the combo system, and open world PvP. Pearl Abyss has raised the minimum PK level to 40 for this particular beta phase, and Steparu says that people "who misbehave and kill random players will increase their karma points and become chaotic." Chaotic status causes random inventory drops upon death, whereas Black Desert's normal PvP death penalty is "a random chance to lose socketed gems and weapon enchants." You can read more at Steparu.com, and don't forget to watch the beta gameplay vids after the break! Continue reading Black Desert's open PvP and death penalties explained Black Desert's open PvP and death penalties explained originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 29 Apr 2014 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Destiny shows off Devils' Lair, explains lack of a PC version Posted: 29 Apr 2014 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Video, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Consoles, Destiny, Buy-to-Play Destiny revealed a bit more of itself yesterday, as Bungie released a seven-minute gameplay trailer focused on the Devils' Lair. Joystiq also laid hands on the upcoming sci-fantasy shooter, toured Bungie's offices, and interviewed COO Pete Parsons. Bungie also spoke to Eurogamer about the lack of a PC client. Despite the fact that the game was designed and developed on a PC, design lead Lars Bakken says releasing it on the world's most powerful gaming platform is "not that simple." Parsons agreed, saying that releasing on "four platforms on day one is a lot, considering we've been a one platform team for a very long time." Destiny launches September 9th for Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation 4. A PC version is "pretty complicated," Bakken continued. "That doesn't mean it can't happen in the future, it just means it won't happen right now." Click past the cut to watch the Devils' Lair vid. Continue reading Destiny shows off Devils' Lair, explains lack of a PC version Destiny shows off Devils' Lair, explains lack of a PC version originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 29 Apr 2014 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Daily Grind: Is there an MMO you're too wary to play? Posted: 29 Apr 2014 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, MMO Industry, Opinion, Free-to-Play, The Daily Grind, Champions Online, Miscellaneous Ever since City of Heroes was abruptly and unjustly sunsetted, I've toyed with the idea of giving Champions Online another spin. It can never be everything City of Heroes was to me, but it has a lot of the same ideas behind it, and it's closer in spirit and gameplay to my beloved CoH than the admittedly few other superhero options on the table. But Champions Online has been so spottily supported by its developers over the last few years that I have a nagging suspicion I'd just be wasting my time, that the game is locked into a cycle of decay that will only frustrate me in the long run if I invest too much time, money, or emotion into it. And that's enough to keep me away. How about you -- is there an MMO you'd like to play but that just makes you too wary to actually jump back in? What specifically is holding you back?  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: Is there an MMO you're too wary to play? originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 29 Apr 2014 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Final Fantasy XIV fan festival announced for October Posted: 28 Apr 2014 07:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Events (Real-World), News Items, Consoles, Final Fantasy XIV, Subscription Fan gatherings for games are all the rage lately, and Final Fantasy XIV is getting in on the action. While a number of fan festivals for Final Fantasy XI have taken place in Japan, this year fans in the US are getting to take part as well without international travel. Square-Enix has announced plans for this year's fan gatherings in October and November, kicking off in Las Vegas and later arriving in Tokyo and London. So when in October will this be happening? It's still ambiguous, although dates are due to be announced in June. But it's definitely happening in October, and it's definitely going to be in Vegas. This also counts as the inaugural festival for the game, as previous years simply incorporated coverage of FFXIV into the FFXI fan festivals. If you can't get enough of chocobos and moogles, you'd better start saving your money now; the full press release is available after the break. [Source: Square-Enix press release] Continue reading Final Fantasy XIV fan festival announced for October Final Fantasy XIV fan festival announced for October originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 28 Apr 2014 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Not So Massively: Minecraft's Realms service, LoL's latest character, and Hearthstone's world championships Posted: 28 Apr 2014 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Video, Business Models, Events (Real-World), Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, Patches, PvP, News Items, Free-to-Play, Consoles, MMOFPS, MMORTS, Miscellaneous, Not So Massively, World of Warplanes, MOBA, Diablo III, Crowdfunding, Destiny, Buy-to-Play, HEX, Hearthstone Welcome back to No So Massively, where every Monday we round up the highlights from the past week in the world of MOBAs, roguelikes, MMOTCGs, and other games that aren't quite MMOs. - Minecraft's Realms subscription service is now officially live and ready to take your money.
- League of Legends introduced new character Braum, the Heart of the Freljord.
- Blizzard announced the Hearthstone World Championship for this year's BlizzCon.
- HEX officially launched its closed beta.
- Diablo III's Reaper of Souls soundtrack was released on iTunes for 10 bucks.
- Nosgoth posted new screenshots and a dev blog about its new vampire class.
- SMITE unveiled a new catsuit for playabler character Bastet.
- Infestation: Survivor Stories claimed 2.5 million players to date and 100k daily logins.
- DayZ's Dean Hall praised Steam for helping studios bypass publishers.
- Destiny got a brand-new website and a bunch of new videos -- they're after the break along with more NSM updates!
Continue reading Not So Massively: Minecraft's Realms service, LoL's latest character, and Hearthstone's world championships Not So Massively: Minecraft's Realms service, LoL's latest character, and Hearthstone's world championships originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 28 Apr 2014 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| City of Titans updates trailer for City of Heroes' 10th birthday Posted: 28 Apr 2014 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Super-hero, Trailers, Video, City of Heroes, Anniversaries Today would have been City of Heroes' 10th anniversary, believe it or not. And while fond memories and colorful screenshots are all that remain of the former superhero MMO, the spiritual successor City of Titans is being built to fill in the void that was left behind. Missing Worlds Media, the team behind City of Titans, released a new version of the teaser trailer for the Kickstarter project on this solemn occasion. It mostly consists of concept art and unpainted models being plunked down to make a city, but if you're looking to the future for your superhero fix, it might be an early glimpse at your future home. Give it a watch after the break. [Update: Not to be outdone, Heroes and Villains also released new work-in-progress screenshots of its own spiritual successor to CoH in honor of the original's anniversary.] Continue reading City of Titans updates trailer for City of Heroes' 10th birthday City of Titans updates trailer for City of Heroes' 10th birthday originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 28 Apr 2014 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Star Wars: The Old Republic handing out free astromech pets Posted: 28 Apr 2014 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Events (In-Game), Free-to-Play, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Giveaways The internet and geek culture sure love its made-up holidays, doesn't it? And so, as we are on the verge of Star Wars Day ("May the fourth be with you"), Star Wars: The Old Republic is preparing to celebrate by giving away adorable blue astromech droid pets to its playerbase. Players who log in any time from April 29th through May 4th will be able to claim the MT-4T droid minipet. SWTOR will also be hosting a double-XP weekend starting Friday, May 2nd, at 2:00 p.m. EDT and ending on Monday, May 5th, at 3:00 a.m. EDT. Star Wars: The Old Republic handing out free astromech pets originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 28 Apr 2014 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Skyforge discusses PvP philosophy and world space Posted: 28 Apr 2014 03:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, News Items, PvE, Races, Community Q&A, Crafting, Housing, MMORPG, Skyforge As promised earlier this month, the team behind Skyforge has answered another round of community questions on the official forums. The highlights? - Expect no Oculus Rift or gamepad support at launch.
- The game will not force players to participate in PvE or PvP. In fact, "with both types of activity you gain the same resources for character development."
- The optional PvP will have a mild death penalty: "By MMO standards, it is practically non-existent."
- The gameworld is made up of both large open spaces and small instances. It is not seamless, but it will encourage exploration. At one point during development, "the total area exceeded 50 square kilometers."
- The team is planning large guild battles of "at least 100 players."
- Flying and crafting are both in. Housing is a maybe: The "gods have their own piece of 'property' and it's larger than a hut."
Community Manager Freitag also mentions that the Allods Team and Obsidian Entertainment will be monitoring player opinion and metrics during the beta for feedback on planned systems. Skyforge discusses PvP philosophy and world space originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 28 Apr 2014 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| CCP releases EVE's Rubicon 1.4, preps for monument reveal Posted: 28 Apr 2014 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, EVE Online, Events (Real-World), Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, Patches, PvP, News Items, Sandbox, Subscription EVE's latest patch is live, and it "mainly focuses on a slew of bug fixes and minor tweaks as we approach Fanfest 2014," according to CCP. Part of the Fanfest buildup includes the dedication of the EVE Universe Monument on April 30th. CCP's announcement post provides directions to the site and says that the festivities will kick off at 17:00 UTC. CCP releases EVE's Rubicon 1.4, preps for monument reveal originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 28 Apr 2014 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Blizzard reviews World of Warcraft raiding history Posted: 28 Apr 2014 02:30 PM PDT Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Dev Diaries, Dungeons, Subscription A new raiding game will be coming to World of Warcraft with this fall's Warlords of Draenor, and as part of this transition Blizzard is penning a series of dev blogs looking at the past and future of raiding design. The first one is up on the site, covering everything from launch through Wrath of the Lich King. "In many ways, that was the most challenging aspect of classic WoW raiding: the logistics of assembling and maintaining a sufficient roster with sufficient gear," the studio posted. Blizzard said that reducing the maximum size of raids in The Burning Crusade had two objectives: to improve the gameplay experience for members of raid groups and to make raiding more accessible in terms of requirements. But it was Wrath of the Lich King's many patches that really shaped the raiding scene into what it's become today, the studio said. Blizzard reviews World of Warcraft raiding history originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 28 Apr 2014 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| DayZ's Dean Hall says Steam removes the need for publishers Posted: 28 Apr 2014 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Horror, MMO Industry, News Items, MMOFPS, Post-Apocalyptic, Sandbox Steam's ubiquitous nature as a digital distribution platform has really changed the landscape of PC gaming. It's changed it so much that according to DayZ creator Dean Hall, companies don't really need to worry about a publisher any longer. Hall went on the record recently saying that the Early Access service offered via Steam essentially lets players take over the role of publisher, paying to finish development and providing marketing via word-of-mouth. The strategy has obviously worked quite well for DayZ, which has sold an impressive number of copies even in its very early and unfinished state. Hall also pontificates that it remains up to publishers to see where they fit into the new paradigm, since Early Access gives smaller studios an option that they wouldn't have otherwise. DayZ's Dean Hall says Steam removes the need for publishers originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 28 Apr 2014 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Neverwinter previews post-60 advancement plans Posted: 28 Apr 2014 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Patches, Previews, Endgame, News Items, Free-to-Play, Neverwinter You've hit the level cap in Neverwinter. You are officially as hardcore as you can ever be, and that brings a smile to your face. But it also makes you kind of wistful. After all, there are still so many roaming bags of experience points vicious monsters to fight, and all of the experience from those is going to waste. But that's going to change when Module 3 comes out and all of your otherwise unnecessary XP turns into sweet, delicious piles of extra loot. When Module 3 goes live, characters will continue accumulating experience as before when they hit level 60. Once they accumulate 250,000 XP, the character will be rewarded with a special pack that can contain extra Power Points, Enchants, account-bound XP Scrolls, and other useful goodies. The Power Points can only be used to add a total of 20 points to your character's Power Tree, but it still means that hitting 60 doesn't mean the end of your character growth. So go out, slay, and enjoy a little bit of extra potency as a result. Neverwinter previews post-60 advancement plans originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 28 Apr 2014 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Elder Scrolls Online's releases Craglorn patch notes, Shadow Knight guide Posted: 28 Apr 2014 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Patches, Endgame, News Items, Consoles, The Elder Scrolls Online, Subscription The Elder Scrolls Online hasn't sent its first major patch to the live servers just yet, but you don't need to wait much longer to get an idea of what the patch contains. In fact, you don't need to wait at all; the patch notes for patch 1.1 are available now thanks to Dulfy, outlining the many changes taking place. The big centerpieces are the addition of Craglorn and trials; the former is a zone designed for four Veteran Rank 10+ characters, while the latter are two 12-person runs. Beyond that, the patch contains a number of changes to class and weapon skill lines as well as several adjustments to the Alliance War systems. Players can also benefit from an increase of Veteran Ranks to 12 and the doubling of veteran XP from killing monsters. There's a massive list of updates and bug fixes, as well, so avid adventurers of Tamriel would be well-served by looking at the full list of patch changes before everything goes live. [Update: The studio released today the first of its new series on player builds. First up is the Shadow Knight.] The Elder Scrolls Online's releases Craglorn patch notes, Shadow Knight guide originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 28 Apr 2014 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Mog Log: Why aren't there more tanks in Final Fantasy XIV? Posted: 28 Apr 2014 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Culture, Endgame, Opinion, Consoles, Final Fantasy XIV, The Mog Log, Subscription To the surprise of pretty much no one, tanks are the rarest thing to find in Final Fantasy XIV at the moment. It's so rare to see a role other than tank in need on the Duty Roulette that people take notice of the times when it changes. Everyone knows that tanks are in short supply, leading to the supposed "tank rewards" introduced in 2.2 that don't seem to hit the mark. I've seen a number of posts in which people ask why there are so few tanks and what can be done about it, and most of them seem to miss the mark, either by completely misunderstanding what tanking actually entails or by misunderstanding why people aren't tanking. Really, I don't think it's terribly complicated. Why aren't there more tanks in Final Fantasy XIV? Three pretty straightforward reasons, none of which tends to be addressed when I see people asking that question. Continue reading The Mog Log: Why aren't there more tanks in Final Fantasy XIV? The Mog Log: Why aren't there more tanks in Final Fantasy XIV? originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 28 Apr 2014 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Take a look at Destiny's Earth map Posted: 28 Apr 2014 10:30 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Video, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Destiny, Buy-to-Play DualShockers has been sleuthing around the new Destiny website, and it found a couple of brief videos that may whet your appetite for Bungie's upcoming console shooter. Bungie has also released two Instagram clips, one of which gives us our first glimpse of the game's Earth map. Click past the cut to see for yourself. Continue reading Take a look at Destiny's Earth map Take a look at Destiny's Earth map originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 28 Apr 2014 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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