| The Game Archaeologist: Six more MMOs that never made it to launch Posted: 09 Aug 2014 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Culture, Events (Real-World), MMO Industry, The Game Archaeologist, Miscellaneous It's always possible to be surprised with reveals of older MMOs, even after years of writing this column. For example, I had never heard that Valve was initially working on an MMO called Prospero in the late '90s before we posted on it a couple of weeks ago. It's crazy to me that parts of what could have been a groundbreaking online title were then repurposed for Half-Life and Portal. It's not necessarily bad how things turned out, mind you, but I do get lost wondering what might have been. From time to time here on The Game Archaeologist, I like to turn our attention to MMOs-that-never-were: titles that died before launch thanks to funding shortfalls, studio collapses, or corporate bungling. We've covered titles like Wish, Ultima X, and Middle-earth Online, but today I want to catch up on several titles that have been haunting my list for a while now. So strap in as you get a six-pack of MMOs that were never released! Continue reading The Game Archaeologist: Six more MMOs that never made it to launch  The Game Archaeologist: Six more MMOs that never made it to launch originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 09 Aug 2014 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| WRUP: I'll take 'Things Only Blizzard Can Get Away With' for $500, Alex Posted: 09 Aug 2014 08:00 AM PDT |
| The Daily Grind: Has Star Citizen made enough money yet? Posted: 09 Aug 2014 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Sandbox, Star Citizen These are the rules of Star Citizen club. The first rule is that you do not talk about Star Citizen, unless it's in the comments, in which case you can go nuts. The second rule is that you must somewhere mention money. The third rule is that you may not question the brilliance and perfection of Chris Roberts. The fourth rule is that all VHS cassettes must be rewound before returning them to the space library. So with almost $50 million raised from a half-million backers, one has to occasionally wonder: Has Star Citizen made enough money yet to fully fund the dream? Are players continually donating more money for diminishing returns at this point? Don't get me wrong, I'm sure this will be the best game of all time, full stop. But when one of the recent stretch goals is for a plant, I have to wonder when enough is enough.  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: Has Star Citizen made enough money yet? originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 09 Aug 2014 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Betawatch: August 2 - 8, 2014 Posted: 08 Aug 2014 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Launches, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Betawatch, Miscellaneous, Crowdfunding After a few delays, Landmark's beta launched a massive patch introducing guilds as well as glass and ice voxels. For those still stumbling around in the game trying to learn which tool does what, Massively's own MJ Guthrie put together a helpful Landmark building guide. What else is new in the land of MMO betas? - ArcheAge will run another closed beta event next weekend.
- The Crew has plans for a second round of closed beta beginning August 25.
- Elite: Dangerous is hard at work on its second premium beta phase.
- Das Tal ended its early alpha tests and is now hoping to be greenlighted on Steam.
- Tree of Savior delayed its closed beta; it won't be this summer after all.
- Next week, we'll finally learn when Warlords of Draenor is launching.
- Demon Crusade launched its second beta earlier this week.
- Finally, we've updated our Shards Online listing with the game's new website.
The complete Betawatch roundup follows. Continue reading Betawatch: August 2 - 8, 2014 Betawatch: August 2 - 8, 2014 originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 08 Aug 2014 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Marvel Heroes unleashes Cosmic Chaos Week Posted: 08 Aug 2014 05:00 PM PDT |
| Chaos Heroes Online video shows hero roster Posted: 08 Aug 2014 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Previews, Free-to-Play, MOBA There's not going to be any of that gradual "drip, drip, drip" of character reveals for Chaos Heroes Online. Nay, Aeria Games has released a trailer that opens up the faucet to pour out the game's first 10 heroes all at once. According to the beta sign-up page, the free-to-play MOBA will have a cast that well exceeds that number; there are 50 "coming soon" slots on the chart begging for a future reveal. As for now, you can get a feel for this first batch of characters and their abilities, although apart from their names and visuals, deeper details will have to wait for a later date. We've got the full video after the jump, so check it out! Continue reading Chaos Heroes Online video shows hero roster Chaos Heroes Online video shows hero roster originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 08 Aug 2014 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Star Trek Online working on up to 10 new ships for expansion Posted: 08 Aug 2014 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Expansions, Star Trek Online, Free-to-Play, Dev Diaries If a friend tries to make a bet with you that Star Trek Online is out of new starship designs, don't take it. Executive Producer Stephen D'Angelo posted a dev diary today stating that the team is working on "between seven and 10 new Tier 6 ships" across all three factions for Delta Rising's launch. The new tier of starships won't necessarily make your old Tier 5s obsolete. D'Angelo promised that, if players desire, they can continue to fly and fight in their favorite ships: "We are dedicated to making sure that players can continue flying the ships they love and still have those ships be competitive at the new level 60 endgame. We do not want players to feel that their investment in the current ships is devalued by the expansion, and this is a very challenging thing to do for a game with four years of history since the last level cap increase." D'Angelo said that more details about Delta Rising will be forthcoming except for the storyline, and that the expansion should be launching in October. Star Trek Online working on up to 10 new ships for expansion originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 08 Aug 2014 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Final Fantasy XIV gearing up for its first anniversary Posted: 08 Aug 2014 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Culture, Events (In-Game), News Items, Consoles, Final Fantasy XIV, Anniversaries, Subscription In one sense, Final Fantasy XIV is approaching its fourth anniversary, since its original incarnation launched in September of 2010. But in another, more immediate sense, the relaunch was just about one year ago. That's what the development team is celebrating now and through most of August, with plenty of in-game events including the Moonfire Festival and several new contests for players to show off their creativity and affection for the game. The anniversary page is now live, and while it's not displaying everything just yet, there's plenty to be excited about. Aside from another round of the Moonfire Festival, players can look forward to the return of all three major cross-promotional events as well as a special event called The Rising. There will also be a special 14-hour livestream event starting on August 22nd, a one-year anniversary login campaign, and real-life events at PAX Prime, Gamescom, and the Tokyo Game Show. Check the official anniversary site for more details, and get ready to celebrate a full year of a reborn Eorzea! Final Fantasy XIV gearing up for its first anniversary originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 08 Aug 2014 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Stream Team: Bitten by the trade route bug in ArcheAge Posted: 08 Aug 2014 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Video, Free-to-Play, Livestream, ArcheAge, Sandbox, The Stream Team That first time Massively's MJ saw a merchant ship filled with trade packs dock in ArcheAge, she knew she'd found her calling! Sailing and profit -- seriously, what could be better? And after one failed attempt to deliver goods to enemy lands, she's made it her goal to successfully conduct trade there and start raking in the riches. Where there is risk, there is more reward! Want to get a look at trade routes and see how you can profit from your craft, or maybe just see if MJ can pull off some high-stakes commerce? Join us live at 3:00 p.m. for a little money-making adventure. Game: ArcheAge Host: MJ Guthrie Date: Friday, August 8th, 2014 Time: 3:00 p.m. EDT Enjoy our Stream Team video below. Continue reading The Stream Team: Bitten by the trade route bug in ArcheAge The Stream Team: Bitten by the trade route bug in ArcheAge originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 08 Aug 2014 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Elite: Dangerous prepares for beta 2, official app release Posted: 08 Aug 2014 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-Fi, Events (Real-World), Mobile, Elite: Dangerous With Elite: Dangerous' first beta test now a thing of the past, it's time for the team to reflect and prepare for the next round of hot plasma space action. In today's newsletter, the team reports that it saw players from 122 countries in beta 1, with 4.2 million light years travelled collectively. The devs are working hard on beta 2, saying, "The key areas of focus for development now is extending the online mission system to deliver a compelling experience, the accessibility of the game for those that haven't been intimately involved in its evolution like our alpha and premium beta backers, and of course vast quantities of new content, polish, and optimizations." In other news, the official app for Elite: Dangerous will be available soon on the iTunes Store with an Android release to follow. Also, players excited for the game can get together at FantastiCon in the UK on August 16th, where Elite will be shown on the Oculus Rift and the team will be there to hobnob with fans. Elite: Dangerous prepares for beta 2, official app release originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 08 Aug 2014 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Want to see your artwork on TERA's load screens? Posted: 08 Aug 2014 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Contests, MMO Industry, News Items, Free-to-Play, TERA If you've ever looked at TERA's loading screens and thought "I can do better," well, put up or shut up. En Masse is hosting a contest designed to spice up the waits between zones in its fantasy action MMO. You'll need to come up with original artwork (i.e., no screenshots), and you'll need to submit your entry no later than August 17th. You could win a new avatar outfit for your trouble, as well as the chance to see your work -- featuring your character and server names -- in the game. Click through the links below for more details and the full contest rules. Want to see your artwork on TERA's load screens? originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 08 Aug 2014 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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