| The Mog Log: Into the depths of Toto-Rak Posted: 30 Jul 2011 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Patches, Opinion, Consoles, Final Fantasy XIV, The Mog Log Aw, jeez. Not only do I have an extant interesting question posed to me by a reader, I had another interesting question posed to me over the course of the last week. They're both questions that deserve a lengthy answer, with the full complexity and subtlety of a column devoted to them. But I'm not going to be talking about either of them this week. See, I had the good fortune to run through the Thousand Maws of Toto-Rak while it's still pretty much new content. And there's some confusing stuff going on in there, some awesome moments, and more to the point no hard written information in a central space to refer back to. So I figured this would be as good a time as any to put together my notes about Final Fantasy XIV's lower-level raid for public viewing, so that other players can hopefully assemble a more definitive guide over time. And besides, who wouldn't want to talk about a dungeon that sees you exploring the Empire's chthonian machinations? Continue reading The Mog Log: Into the depths of Toto-Rak  The Mog Log: Into the depths of Toto-Rak originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 30 Jul 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| WRUP: When in doubt, post a character shot edition Posted: 30 Jul 2011 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Massively meta, Miscellaneous Normally, I have a better burst of Dadaist absurdity ready to go for this feature, but today I've got absolutely nothing. I'm working on a minimum of sleep and I've been gorging myself on the run of Transformers Animated, so instead, you get a character shot. I thought Rhio was looking rather nice when I took the shot up in Coerthas, but her unexpected blinking improved the overall look. Not pictured -- me nearly falling asleep at the keyboard during the event. Imagine I offered a bigger non-sequitor for the opener. With the introduction out of the way, it's time for this week's installment of WRUP, in which the Massively crew shares its plans for the coming weekend. We're also taking the time this week to talk about the little things that can turn us off from a game. So click on past the break to see our plans, and let us know what you'll be up to in the comments. Continue reading WRUP: When in doubt, post a character shot edition WRUP: When in doubt, post a character shot edition originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 30 Jul 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Daily Grind: What game terminology gets your goat? Posted: 30 Jul 2011 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Humor, Miscellaneous MMOs, like any hobby, have their own specialized jargon. Someone who's never played an MMO might have no idea what it means if you say the MT pulled adds on your boss pull twice and wiped the group, but an experienced player will understand it without a problem. But that doesn't mean every acronym or term sits comfortably with everyone -- considering the plethora of specialized language that accompanies the genre and the variety of synonyms for given concepts, it's probable that there are some terms you like more than others. So which part of MMO slang rubs you the wrong way? Does it get your hackles up when someone refers to a character as a toon? Do you hate seeing "mob" used to refer to a single enemy? Will you go out of your way to avoid saying "DPS" as a description of class roles? Is it an abbreviation or term common to a single game, like a class nickname? Or do you feel comfortable fully ensconced within the language, with no particular irritations or pet peeves?  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: What game terminology gets your goat? originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 30 Jul 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| PvP, slivers and crocodiles: RIFT outlines patch 1.4 Posted: 29 Jul 2011 08:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Patches, PvP, RIFT While RIFT's patch 1.4 has been on the test servers for a couple weeks now, we've finally received concrete details about Trion Worlds' latest update to this dynamic MMO. Titled "Legacy of the Fallen," 1.4 follows up the recent world event with a new epic quest line and a 10-man instance revolving around the continued threat of the Abyssal. The epic chain, called the Water Saga, not only reveals the truth about the origins of the Abyssal cult, but gives players an opportunity to score high-end loot and a special crocnard mount. Those looking for more group-oriented activities may want to check out the Drowned Halls, a 10-person sliver that presents an alternate view of history where the Abyssal have conquered Telara. Patch 1.4 has plenty of PvP action as well, including PvP rifts and alternative forms of warfronts. There are plenty of other goodies in store from the RIFT team, including quest item storage, the LFG tool expanding cross-server, and several new crafting options. Currently, there is no date for the patch. PvP, slivers and crocodiles: RIFT outlines patch 1.4 originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 29 Jul 2011 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Betawatch: July 29-August 4, 2011 Posted: 29 Jul 2011 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Massively meta, Betawatch, Miscellaneous Welcome to Betawatch, Massively's weekly report on the state of MMO betas. In each installment, we'll report everything from the latest open betas, closed betas and even alphas in one convenient place. Plus, we'll make sure to include as much info on each game's current status, including projected release dates (if known) and links to the sign-up forms to get yourself into that beta you've been seeking. After a relatively quiet time in beta-land last week, Betawatch has plenty of news for this round! We've had launches and beta status changes all over the place! For starters, Working as Intended had some good news for Dawntide fans this week: The company's sandbox title is scheduled for an October 1st launch. Prius Online officially launched Wednesday, shedding its open beta status and celebrating the event with an Alienware laptop giveaway. The open beta list isn't shrinking much, however, as Dragon Nest added one more to the group when open beta began on Tuesday. Nexon is offering plenty of open beta events to get people playing, so be sure to check out the news on that. Dawn of Fantasy joins our open beta list this week as well. Nadirim launched this week as well, jumping straight from closed beta to the live version, so if you didn't make it into closed beta, the doors are well and truly open now! Finally, Perfect World has been gearing up for the closed beta of Rusty Hearts for a while, and it began on the 27th. Follow along after the jump for the updated Betawatch list! Continue reading Betawatch: July 29-August 4, 2011 Betawatch: July 29-August 4, 2011 originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 29 Jul 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Storyboard: Ten tips to avoid drama burnout, part one Posted: 29 Jul 2011 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Culture, Opinion, Roleplaying, Storyboard, Miscellaneous Roleplaying doesn't create drama. Sure, we all hear stories about roleplaying drama, but it'd be more fair to say that MMOs create drama. There are epic arguments that erupt over who gets a piece of armor that will be obsolete in a few months, it's not really reserved to having players sitting around and talking. The difference, of course, is that the lower the stakes, the higher the drama and the more petty politics can get. It's the sort of thing where petty politics can get so bad people step away forever, because the fun of roleplaying is just not worth the irritation. Needless to say, you don't want that. If you enjoy roleplaying, you want to keep it as unspoiled as possible for as long as possible. So for this week's column, I'm going to cover the first half of ten tips that I find help ensure that you don't wind up getting knee-deep in drama that ruins the roleplaying. It won't always prevent drama from occurring, but it can help make sure it's nothing more than a mild misunderstanding. Continue reading Storyboard: Ten tips to avoid drama burnout, part one Storyboard: Ten tips to avoid drama burnout, part one originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 29 Jul 2011 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Road to Mordor: 10 things to do in the Shire before you die Posted: 29 Jul 2011 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Free-to-play, Humor, The Road to Mordor, Guides A couple of weeks ago I decided to embark on a long-planned project to play through the entirety of Lord of the Rings Online -- or at least a whole heck of a lot more than I ever have previously. My thought was that in the rush to level and progress, I had been skipping much of the content that makes LotRO so unique, and I wanted to force myself to slow down, take it all in, and get over the desire to hit endgame as quickly as possible. Thus, I created Slyppi, a brand-new level 1 Hobbit Burglar with the intention of experiencing the game in full. My rules with Slyppi are thus: She will clear out every solo quest in a zone (including the epic storyline but excluding tasks) before moving elsewhere. She will go through all three newbie zones and ignore the fact that the quests aren't giving her much XP. She will take detailed notes, package them up, and send them back to me for the purposes of turning them into a guide to the interesting out-of-the-way quests and places in Middle-earth. If you're anything like me, you probably die a lot, usually in very embarrassing ways (hey, that cliff wasn't there a minute ago...). Since we all have a death warrant on our heads, we might as well get the most out of our journeys, which is why I've come up with 10 things that you should do in the Shire before the inevitable occurs. Why 10? Because it's two in computer-speak! Continue reading The Road to Mordor: 10 things to do in the Shire before you die The Road to Mordor: 10 things to do in the Shire before you die originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 29 Jul 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Wasteland Diaries: The story of the fall Posted: 29 Jul 2011 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Fallen Earth, Lore, Wasteland Diaries, Post-Apocalyptic I've determined that I'll make this week's post a bit of a history lesson. How did Fallen Earth fall? I'll tell you, because if there is one thing I can't possibly fault about the Fallen Earth dev team, it's their writing. Though it's a little far-fetched (in my opinion), the background lore is pretty good. The game dialogue is second to none, but it's the lore we are going to take a closer look at. Much of the story unfolds and is fleshed out throughout the game while talking to various NPCs. But knowing the back-story will help you understand a little better about what is going on in the Grand Canyon Province, especially how the factions inter-relate. So click past the cut and let's get started. Continue reading Wasteland Diaries: The story of the fall Wasteland Diaries: The story of the fall originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 29 Jul 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| One Shots: Watching you watching me Posted: 29 Jul 2011 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Galleries, Screenshots, One Shots, Blade & Soul Today's entry is a newcomer to One Shots, courtesy of Yuurei: Here's a screenshot from the upcoming martial arts game Blade & Soul. It's a lot of fun; I found myself wandering around, enjoying myself while looking at this game's beautiful landscapes and light effects.
Here's my character's encounter with some tall bird - maybe a crane? Seeing them looking at each other, I start to wonder which one is supposed to be the animal; the staid and calm bird, or the wild, bored child. Not to mention her ears and tail. Maybe they both have their own part of humanity? This MMORPG is incredible, so I'd like to show everyone the very nice job the developers did. Enjoy! Next week's One Shots theme is Some Assembly Required, and yes, it's a little nod to Massively's newest column. If you'd like to participate, send your best screenshot of content that you've created to us at oneshots@massively.com. It can be a house you built, an item you crafted, or anything you like as long as it came from your two (virtual) hands. Include your name, the game, and a little description of the image, and we'll feature it here on Massively! One Shots: Watching you watching me originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 29 Jul 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The MMO Report: The Force is with you edition Posted: 29 Jul 2011 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Video, Lord of the Rings Online, News items, Humor, Star Wars: The Old Republic, The MMO Report Casey Schreiner needs to play with his new laundry and wash his iPad -- or maybe it was the other way around -- so we must hurry through the description of this week's MMO Report! I'm not joking, he really has to leave quickly. Casey starts with quips about a bearded dragon in the new expansion for Lord of the Rings Online, which is ironic, coming from the Master of Beards himself. Following that, our man of MMO mystery discusses the vehicles, beta, and pre-order for Star Wars: The Old Republic. He says the very thing that is on the mind of every fan: " EA you're doing it wrong." First you announce release date, followed by pre-order, and then beta! On another topic, Casey begs the new VP at Disney Interactive Studios, Bill Roper, to actually release information regarding the Marvel MMO. And lastly, Sir Schreiner lets us in on PvP for Rusty Hearts and explains why America needs to be more like Russia. To catch all of this and dip into Uncle Casey's mailbag, jump past the break and get ready for all the sweetness of the MMO Report. Continue reading The MMO Report: The Force is with you edition The MMO Report: The Force is with you edition originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 29 Jul 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Begin your 8Realms empire with a closed beta key from Massively Posted: 29 Jul 2011 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Historical, Contests, Browser, Giveaways We first heard about 8Realms back in May, and Jagex's social empire game has progressed to the closed beta stage of development. The development team has provided some fun incentives to join closed beta, including an iPod touch giveaway every day until August 17th. If you're interested in trying the game, we've got beta key access for you. This giveaway has a bit of a twist, however, as we have a single code that can be used 3,000 times. All you need to do is visit the 8Realms signup page, log in with your Jagex account (or create an account if you don't have one), and when prompted to enter your beta key, enter "Columbus." It's as simple as that for the first 3,000 Massively readers to enter the code, so head to the signup page and get your empire underway! Begin your 8Realms empire with a closed beta key from Massively originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 29 Jul 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Fiesta Online celebrating third anniversary Posted: 29 Jul 2011 11:30 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Events, in-game, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play Three years ago today, Fiesta Online's first server opened to the public, and gamigo has just announced plans for the title's birthday celebration via a new press release. The festivities will run through August 18th and include " special events and major contests." First up is the Birthday Cooking Competition and Come Party With Me events on the the Fiesta Facebook page. There's also the Fiesta Birthday Quest and Fiesta Online Summer Festival events, as well as new and exclusive track suit and mini gift items in the game's cash shop. Fiesta is free-to-play and features five classes as well as PvP, in-game weddings, and an estate system that allows for decoration and personalization. Fiesta Online celebrating third anniversary originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 29 Jul 2011 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| SWTOR walks us through the Flashpoint 'Esseles' Posted: 29 Jul 2011 11:00 AM PDT |
| Age of Conan dev update outlines PvP changes Posted: 29 Jul 2011 10:30 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Age of Conan, Game mechanics, MMO industry, PvP, News items, Free-to-play Age of Conan game director Craig " Silirrion" Morrison has posted his latest monthly development update, and the lengthy piece focuses heavily on the PvP side of the game. While class-specific balance fixes aren't given much lip service here (Morrison says they're addressed in each game update anyway, and are an ongoing process), Funcom is looking at quite a few changes to AoC's PvP component. Morrison tasks lead systems designer Einar Forselv with talking about the specific goals, and he gives us a general look at what's on the dev team's plate. First up is the problematic minigame respawn mechanic, and Forselv says that Funcom is looking to make it more like the systems found in your average FPS as well as address the loopholes people use to perform AFK exploits. Ranger tracking will also be " overhauled," which likely means a nerf since the feature is the subject of much QQ from the non-Ranger community. Siege performance changes are also on the table, as are stamina and aggro fixes, changes to animation and combat calculation interactions, and tweaks to the stealth system. Finally, this month's dev update mentions that new PvP world bosses are on the way to Hyboria, and teases the upcoming Savage Coast of Turan content that ties in with this summer's Conan film reboot. Age of Conan dev update outlines PvP changes originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 29 Jul 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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