| The Tattered Notebook: A grizzled veteran goes free-to-play Posted: 10 Sep 2011 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest II, Free-to-play, Hands-on, The Tattered Notebook It's been almost a year now since EverQuest II Extended was officially launched, and I've resented every minute of its existence. From the moment it was first announced, on the eve of Fan Faire 2010, EQ2X has been my own personal Newman of the MMO world. It dominated the discussions at Fan Faire and put a damper on everyone's fun. And once it launched, it always seemed to be at the root of every problem. New invites to our guild on the live server dropped to just one in eight months (and that one invite was a real-life friend of a guildmate). The promised marketing campaign for EQII live got the shaft in favor of pushing the new free-to-play service. Forum snafus during the Velious beta were all because of the EQ2X forums. While thousands and thousands crammed the Freeport server and frolicked for free, I languished on the live server and even began to empathize with the Grinch. But now that EQ2X is almost a year old, I decided it's time for me to bury the hatchet and pay a visit to the free-to-play server. I rolled up a new character on a bronze account, and over the next several weeks, I'll be taking a close look at EverQuest II Extended. It's a journey in EQII free-to-play through the eyes of a longtime player. Read on for my first arrival! Continue reading The Tattered Notebook: A grizzled veteran goes free-to-play  The Tattered Notebook: A grizzled veteran goes free-to-play originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 10 Sep 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Comments |
| EverQuest video features new zone from Veil of Alaris expansion Posted: 10 Sep 2011 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, EverQuest, Expansions, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Patches, News items EverQuest's latest content bomb was announced earlier this summer, and Sony Online Entertainment is slowly trickling out the details for the new Veil of Alaris patch. The game's 18th expansion will take players to a land long hidden by magic, and a new video gives us our first glimpse of the environment itself along with some of its ornerier inhabitants. Players will initially encounter the zone while traveling on a giant airship, and among the challenges are mobs made of molten steel as well as deadly free-floating swords. SOE's video clip features game designer David Stewart and environment artist Shannon Parnell discussing their work on the new zone, as well as various fly-through angles of the finished product. Check out all the details after the break. Continue reading EverQuest video features new zone from Veil of Alaris expansion EverQuest video features new zone from Veil of Alaris expansion originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 10 Sep 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Comments |
| WRUP: Let's class this place back up edition Posted: 10 Sep 2011 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Massively meta, Miscellaneous I'm very sorry that last week's power-related antics resulted in the absence of my usual intro in your weekly installment of WRUP. But this week, we're bringing back the awesome. We're going to kick things up again. We've got some explosions going on up there, and they've got nothing to do with anything, and maybe later in this feature I'll start talking about something arbitrary and Dadaist. And we'll respectfully decline comment on the agendas of the squat and minute races of the world from last week. Where was I? Oh, right, WRUP. It's time for that again, and this week, just like always, we're going to talk about what the Massively staff will be playing over the week. But let's still class it up with some nice new headers, hmm? And let's talk about the available content in free-to-play games, while we're at it. And just to make it super-classy, we'll even invite you to leave your own weekend plans in the comments. Classy! Continue reading WRUP: Let's class this place back up edition WRUP: Let's class this place back up edition originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 10 Sep 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Comments |
| The Daily Grind: What's the worst guild death you've witnessed? Posted: 10 Sep 2011 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Culture, Guilds, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous No guild lasts forever. Whether you're part of a small roleplaying fleet in Star Trek Online or a large endgame guild in RIFT, you know going in that the organization is eventually going to cease to be. But that doesn't tell you much about how the guild is going to fall apart when it finally does, and that can make all the difference. Some guilds die quietly, with most of the members having moved on. Some are shut down with an understanding that the group of a whole is moving on or just isn't interested in managing a guild any longer. Other times -- and more memorably -- the guild's death is a loud and uncomfortable affair, with drama flaring up and turning the final few weeks into the equivalent of an in-game divorce. And that's just the least of the ways in which a player organization can exit stage left. If you've been playing MMOs for any real length of time, of course, you've seen at least one or two guilds evaporate. So what's the worst death that you've seen? Long? Short? Angry? Calm? Or just a slow wasting followed by a disbanding?  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's the worst guild death you've witnessed? originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 10 Sep 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Comments |
| Istaria publishes September content update, looks to the future Posted: 09 Sep 2011 08:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Classes, Events, in-game, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Patches, News items, Free-to-play, Sandbox, Dungeons A few days ago we told you about some sandbox games that are worth your time, money, and in most cases, both. We're also ashamed to admit that we overlooked one of the more unique free-form MMORPGs in existence. That MMORPG is Istaria: Chronicles of the Gifted, and the devs have recently dropped a pretty extensive content update on the long-running fantasy game. Aside from the usual bug-fixing and quest tweaks, the September patch added a new high-level region called Winter Vale and a revamp of the game's portal system. That's just for starters, too, since the Istaria devs are hard at work on the new Helian's Tomb mini-dungeon and quest series as well as the return of seasonal events. Finally, there are several network and game client optimization projects in the works, including new launcher functionality and character management options. In short, there's never been a better time to return to (or discover) the world of Istaria. If you're curious, the game client is free to download, and you can also partake of an unlimited 14-day free trial or a feature-limited free-to-play option. Oh, and did we mention that you can build your own town and play as a dragon? [Thanks to Paul for the tip!] Istaria publishes September content update, looks to the future originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 09 Sep 2011 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Comments |
| Patch 1.19 bringing leve reset changes for Final Fantasy XIV Posted: 09 Sep 2011 07:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, Patches, News items, Consoles, Final Fantasy XIV The reset timer for leves has long been a point of contention for Final Fantasy XIV players, with the 36-hour interval feeling rather stifling at the best of times. But that system is being changed, and while there will still be limitations on how many leves a player can have at one time, the restrictions will be greatly lessened. The new system has just been outlined on the official site, with a new 12-hour timer for resets being just the tip of the metaphorical iceberg. At each 12-hour reset, players will be given an opportunity to acquire four new leves, with up to 99 total allowances stacking. These resets are shared across all leve types, ensuring that players will always have full access to content of an appropriate level for whatever classes they care to level. There's also a new evaluation system in place that allows players to acquire new leves based on recent history, replacing the old evaluation system with the promise of further content enhancements. While 1.19 doesn't yet have a release date on the table, most players will likely be excited enough by the promise of an easier and more straightforward system for leveling any chosen discipline. Patch 1.19 bringing leve reset changes for Final Fantasy XIV originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 09 Sep 2011 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Comments |
| September's Ask Cryptic details STO's F2P transition, new content, and more Posted: 09 Sep 2011 06:30 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Patches, Previews, News items, Star Trek Online  In the midst of the recent hullabaloo over Star Trek Online's free-to-play transition, September's Ask Cryptic focuses on what players can expect from the change. Executive Producer Dan Stahl touches on the subject of skilltree revamps, server availability, and much, much more. Space skills are getting a few sweeping changes in order to make them more applicable to players of all builds. As such, skills that "apply only to a specific ship class or energy type" are being replaced with more general skills, such as increased damage, increased turn rate, and so forth. Stahl also reveals that the team has ordered new hardware and made perfomance tweaks to the game in order to allow for a potential influx of new players once the game goes F2P. Players also ask about new content, noting that talked-about post-Season 4 content has not materialized as players expected. Stahl notes that Borg Red Alerts were just released, and work on the Deep Space Nine Feature Episode Series is progressing steadily. The Q&A also details the upcoming Borg Ground Invasion, which assigns players the difficult task of removing a Borg infestation before the Collective can successfully assimilate an entire planet. The Q&A goes on to touch on new social zones, a great deal of "nice to have but low-priority" additions, and oodles more. For the full Q&A, hop your way on over to the full Ask Cryptic post. September's Ask Cryptic details STO's F2P transition, new content, and more originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 09 Sep 2011 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Comments |
| Betawatch: September 2nd-8th, 2011 Posted: 09 Sep 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. In true feast-or-famine style, it's been a very quiet week on Betawatch, but we do have a bit of open beta news to hold you over. Luvinia Online moved to open beta this week, while Perfect World Entertainment announced that Rusty Hearts will do the same on the 13th of this month. Follow along after the jump for the latest Betawatch list. Continue reading Betawatch: September 2nd-8th, 2011 Betawatch: September 2nd-8th, 2011 originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 09 Sep 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Comments |
| Darkfall update talks sieges, again Posted: 09 Sep 2011 05:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Darkfall, Game mechanics, Lore, MMO industry, Patches, News items, Sandbox Darkfall's much-hyped new siege system may actually see the light of day next week according to the latest Aventurine dev blog. We say much-hyped here in terms of the number of times it's been mentioned in one of Darkfall's traditional Friday updates. Players and fans of the FFA PvP sandbox are no doubt more interested in when Darkfall 2.0 is coming out as well as who these mysterious partners are that producer Tasos Flambouras occasionally hints at in the weekly news blurbs. Alas, this week's announcement steers clear of reveals and instead offers a few more specifics on the new siege mechanics as well as a new concept art sketch of the revamped Khamset monster family. Finally, there's a short lore blurb to go along with a ton of unanswered questions. Darkfall update talks sieges, again originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Comments |
| Wasteland Diaries: F2P -- What to expect Posted: 09 Sep 2011 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Fallen Earth, Business models, Patches, MMOFPS, Wasteland Diaries, Post-Apocalyptic Fallen Earth is going free-to-play on October 12th. That's the plan, anyway. Four different subscriber levels will be available. The free accounts will actually have quite a bit of freedom with in the game (in fact, I'm shocked at how few restrictions they will have). The highest tier is a bit pricey for what you get, but we don't want a pay-to-win system, right? There's a fine line between giving paying customers something worthwhile and upsetting the balance of the entire universe. I'll discuss each subscription level later on in the post. There are still a few concerns that many in the Fallen Earth community (including me) have about the F2P transition, and not all of them are technical concerns. I'm really not sure what to expect exactly as far as numbers of players, but I'm sure we'll see a huge influx of players both new and returning. How many exactly? I don't have a clue. I'll cover the sub levels first and then discuss my fears about what's to come afterward. So click past the cut and let's get started. Continue reading Wasteland Diaries: F2P -- What to expect Wasteland Diaries: F2P -- What to expect originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Comments |
| SWTOR shows us how to level like a Smuggler Posted: 09 Sep 2011 04:30 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Trailers, Video, Classes, New titles, Star Wars: The Old Republic Star Wars: The Old Republic fans were hitting the F5 key for hours waiting for BioWare to reveal today's Friday update. If you are a Han Solo fan, then the wait was totally worth it. The community team decided it was time for everyone to witness the armor progression of the Smuggler class. As usual, this video is wrapped in iconic themes and Star Wars-y goodness. The keen eye can pick up on some of the Smuggler abilities, as well as the obvious armor sets. One of the first Smuggler-specific abilities happens about 30 seconds in when our rebel rogue kicks the large alien in the groin followed by a roll towards cover. No other class can distract a foe like that. And speaking of crowd control: pay close attention to his other abilities. The Smuggler can misdirect enemies by dropping everything out of his pockets or launch a gas cloud so he can step in for a sucker punch. Of course, hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, right? Smugglers are the masters at the dual blasters. Catch the full two-and-a-half-minute video after the break. You'll love it. We know. Continue reading SWTOR shows us how to level like a Smuggler SWTOR shows us how to level like a Smuggler originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 09 Sep 2011 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Comments |
| New RIFT Ascend-a-Friend commercial offers players strong incentives Posted: 09 Sep 2011 04:00 PM PDT |
| Wargaming.net dangling World of Warplanes alpha tester carrots Posted: 09 Sep 2011 03:30 PM PDT Filed under: Historical, Real life, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, War, Free-to-play, Miscellaneous, World of Warplanes Think you've got the right stuff to be a World of Warplanes alpha tester? Well, you may have it, but you'll also need to have a strong stomach when it comes to installing third-party apps on your computer. Wargaming.net has thrown open the application process for its upcoming World War II aviation MMO, and would-be testers will need to install both Overwolf and Xfire on their gaming rigs. A news blurb on the official World of Tanks website spills the beans, and Wargaming.net says that the aim of the test is to "discover how functional and comfortable these programs are for you." In addition to the alpha tester position, the devs are also dangling some sort of "special award" carrot. We're not sure whether it's an in-game title, ability, or other perk, but we do know that simply signing up doesn't guarantee you access to the testing phase. There's also a questionnaire that needs filling out, and "those of you who [...] provide [the] most detailed and descriptive answers will be awarded with the chance to become alpha testers [for] World of Warplanes!" Wargaming.net dangling World of Warplanes alpha tester carrots originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 09 Sep 2011 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Comments |
| The Road to Mordor: Inside Isengard Posted: 09 Sep 2011 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Expansions, Free-to-play, The Road to Mordor It's one thing to sit down during a beta and poke around on your own, making educated guesses about why what went where and who what is wherefore. It's another thing entirely to pick up the phone and go, "Hey Turbine? Drop everything -- no, not your pants! -- and take me on a tour of Rise of Isengard! Um, magic word? Oh! Pretty please? With a cherry on top?" The first approach is good, but I wanted to get a more in-depth look into the making of Lord of the Rings Online's third expansion from the people who actually made it. How does one approach fleshing out an area that received relatively little source support from the books? What is Turbine trying to do differently in its fourth year of LotRO development? And why should we be afraid of an old guy in a bathrobe who won't come out of his tower? See? These are good questions to ask, which is why I sat down with Bob Hess, Aaron Campbell and Adam Mersky, who graciously took me on a whirlwind tour of Rise of Isengard. I wanted to cut through the PR-speak and learn about the real stories of the making of the expansion and what we'll be encountering within, and the devs were happy to oblige. Hit the jump as we travel further down The Road to Mordor and take the Hobbits to Isengard! Continue reading The Road to Mordor: Inside Isengard The Road to Mordor: Inside Isengard originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 09 Sep 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Comments |
| Early Freedom for City of Heroes VIPs [Updated] Posted: 09 Sep 2011 02:30 PM PDT Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, City of Villains, Events, in-game, News items, Free-to-play City of Heroes' F2P Freedom conversion is still launching "this year," but if you're a current subscriber, you can check it out ahead of the pack. Beginning on September 13th, existing players can participate in a headstart program that enables access to the Paragon Market cash shop as well as the brand-new First Ward co-operative zone. Paragon Studios is also promising official costume contests with prizes, dev-led groups in brand-new Incarnate trials, and live open-world invasion events on every server in addition to headstart-only "exclusive sales bundles and promotions." Current subscribers are all set for the headstart; former players can still get in on the fun by reactivating and gaining VIP status now. [Update: The official site now features a post on the headstart program, including details on the special sales and promotions.]Early Freedom for City of Heroes VIPs [Updated] originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 09 Sep 2011 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Comments |
| One Shots: Points for originality Posted: 09 Sep 2011 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Galleries, Screenshots, One Shots, Global Agenda Today's One Shots comes from the high-tech world of Global Agenda. Reader Aeronca says: I don't really go in for ugly armor, but I will say that Global Agenda offers some truly hideous dyes and garish "flair" head pieces that are always a hit with the silly crowd. Case in point is my minotaur helm here. I can't remember how or when I got it, but I think it might have been during one of those week-long special events that Hi-Rez likes to run.
They've also given out quite a bit of Christmas, New Year's, and other holiday-related headgear that can be mixed and matched with otherwise slick-looking sci-fi armor for some really atrocious fashion faux pas. It's ugly armor week all week on One Shots, so whether you have an eye-searing color scheme, a set of armor pieces that clash like crazy, or something that you just put together for a laugh, we want to see. Next week we'll be revisiting starting zones, so if you want to get a jump on things, grab a screenshot of your favorite starting zone and send it in to oneshots@massively.com and we'll feature it in next week's One Shots! One Shots: Points for originality originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 09 Sep 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Comments |
| Roll into the World of Tanks with a starter pack from Massively Posted: 09 Sep 2011 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: War, Free-to-play, Giveaways, World of Tanks Last week, we had a giveaway for some World of Tanks gift packages. The codes went very quickly in the ensuing stampede, leaving those who haven't tried the game wondering what the fuss was all about. If you're one of those people, you're in luck, because we've got a second giveaway just for you! Wargaming.net has given us 3,000 starter packages containing 300 gold, one day of premium account access, and an M3Stuart premium tank.
The codes are valid in Europe and North America for new accounts only. Simply visit our giveaway page to claim a code, then register for a World of Tanks account using this link. Add your code to the "Invite Code" field, download and install the game, and enjoy! Roll into the World of Tanks with a starter pack from Massively originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 09 Sep 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Comments |
| Storyboard: Go for the goal Posted: 09 Sep 2011 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Culture, Opinion, Roleplaying, Storyboard, Miscellaneous We've all got goals. Some of them are short-term objectives (get lunch, figure out how to get home early today, don't get eaten by that tiger) and some of them are larger in scope (cook better lunches, work on a flexible schedule, develop an anti-tiger field), but they're an important part of our day-to-day activities. Knowing a character's goals is a clear way to make it pretty clear what your character wants out of any given exchange. If it weren't already obvious, today I want to spend time talking about goals. We've talked about motivation before, but goals are the tangible results of what keeps your character motivated in the first place. And while I was originally going to use one of my characters as a model for mapping goals, I realized that I've got a much better example I can use, one that helps demonstrate just how relevant goals are to real people. So I'm putting myself under examination as we talk about the many, many aspects of goals as they apply to characters. Continue reading Storyboard: Go for the goal Storyboard: Go for the goal originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 09 Sep 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Comments |
| Age of Conan's Savage Coast adventure pack officially live Posted: 09 Sep 2011 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Age of Conan, MMO industry, Patches, News items, Free-to-play, Dungeons If you didn't pony up 700 extra Funcom points for early access to Age of Conan's new Savage Coast of Turan adventure pack last week, you'll be glad to know that the content officially debuts today at its normal price. Said price is 1300 Funcom points (or approximately $15 depending on how you purchase your point packages). So what do you get for your hard-earned barbarian bucks? A bunch of new content for both mid- and high-level players, that's what. There's the Ardashir Coast playfield and its numerous quest lines that are designed to take you from 50 to 55. Players may also partake of Dead Man's Hand, a solo dungeon that scales from level 50 to level 80. Don't forget the Isle of the Iron Statues, either. It's another solo instance -- level 80 this time -- and it's taken directly from the works of Conan author Robert E. Howard. Finally, endgame grouping fans should note the new Fort Ardashir dungeon (and it's hard to miss as you zone into Ardashir City for the first time). The Savage Coast pack contains characters and locations from the recent Conan film reboot, and you can read more about the new content in Massively's weekly Anvil of Crom feature. [Source: Funcom press release] Age of Conan's Savage Coast adventure pack officially live originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 09 Sep 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Comments |
