| Funcom tops Oslo stock exchange, invests heavily in The Secret World Posted: 02 Jan 2012 09:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Horror, Age of Conan, Business models, Economy, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Free-to-play, The Secret World Funcom's future is looking pretty bright according to a report at Views and News from Norway. The site says the development firm behind Anarchy Online, Age of Conan, and The Secret World topped the Oslo stock exchange last year and saw its share price rise by 227%. AoC has "sold well and still generates income for Funcom," says the report, but the real cause for optimism is the positive buzz surrounding The Secret World. Funcom head honcho Trond Arne Aas says that the firm has received "very good feedback" from both testers and journalists, and it's a good thing since the company absorbed a third quarter loss despite its share price increase. "We're investing heavily in The Secret World now, therefore the loss," Aas explained. "But we're hoping for major income after the launch in April."  Funcom tops Oslo stock exchange, invests heavily in The Secret World originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 02 Jan 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Wings Over Atreia: Top 10 of '11 Posted: 02 Jan 2012 08:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Aion, Opinion, Wings Over Atreia Where in the Seraphim Lords did the year go? Daevas aren't the only ones who fly; time certainly has one powerful set of wings (though I haven't quite determined whether they are light or dark)! It's a bit hard for me to believe that a full year has come and gone. Yet even as I doubt, a cursory glance back over the past 12 months shows me I didn't Rip Van Winkle the time away. In fact, much has transpired in Aion since 2011 rolled in. Between pining away for things to come and dreaming of things that may never be, chronicling the life and social scene of Atreia, offering guides and hints, and reporting on (sometimes surprise) announcements, Wings Over Atreia has covered a variety of topics over the past year. While each column is but one glimpse, together they show the evolution of our game. Traipse past the break and down memory lane with me as we reminisce about Aion in the time-honored Massively tradition of top-10 lists. Continue reading Wings Over Atreia: Top 10 of '11 Wings Over Atreia: Top 10 of '11 originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 02 Jan 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Sub up or lose out: Final Fantasy XIV suspending accounts Thursday Posted: 02 Jan 2012 07:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Business models, Free-to-play, Final Fantasy XIV, Promotions A month ago we reported that Square-Enix is finally ready to transition Final Fantasy XIV to a subscription model. This comes after more than a year of an unlimited free trial for users while the dev team shored up the title following its rocky release. It's important to note that this change happens this week -- specifically on Friday the 6th. Square-Enix's account system has notified players that "the free trial period for the following service will soon end. Please note that after the end date, you will be billed service fees for your automatically continuous options." No player will get charged against their will as the company is suspending all accounts on the 5th so that everyone can have a choice whether to subscribe or not. Until the launch of Final Fantasy XIV's 2.0 patch, the game will be available for a discounted rate of $9.99 a month, assuming that you're sticking with just one character (additional characters are $3 apiece). After 2.0, the subscription cost will increase to the standard rate $12.99/month. Sub up or lose out: Final Fantasy XIV suspending accounts Thursday originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 02 Jan 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| MV Guide: January 2-8, 2012 Posted: 02 Jan 2012 06:00 AM PST Filed under: Massively Meta, Livestream, Miscellaneous, MV Guide MV Guide is a weekly rundown of the MMO gaming events planned on Massively TV. Every week, the Massively staff logs in to play various MMOs live and in person, and we'd love for you to drop by the channel and visit. We have a combination of regular weekly games and new surprises, so you'll find a variety of titles to take a look at. During our streamed events, you can participate in the live chat, ask questions to learn about the game, and simply spend some time with Massively staff and readers. (Of course, streaming is subject to the whims of outside forces like server-side gremlins once in a while.) Follow along after the jump for the latest edition of MV Guide! Continue reading MV Guide: January 2-8, 2012 MV Guide: January 2-8, 2012 originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 02 Jan 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Daily Grind: What's your favorite MMO pet class? Posted: 02 Jan 2012 05:00 AM PST Filed under: Game mechanics, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous If you started playing MMOs at the beginning of the genre, you may be saddled with a prejudice against pet classes. In early Ultima Online, an Animal Tamer's pets, usually dragons, had a way of getting their master into notoriety trouble. In EverQuest, if ever a pull went awry, blame was placed on the Necromancers and Magicians, deserved or not -- obviously, those classes just had poor pet control. Even City of Heroes' Masterminds, implemented only in 2005, have a bad reputation for reckless behavior (not to mention for blocking party members' movement). Pet AI has come a very long way over the last decade and a half, though, and pet classes continue to be popular, perhaps because they allow players to micromanage a group without actually having to be in one. And some games, like Star Wars: The Old Republic, have made all classes pet classes by virtue of companions. Are you a fan of pet classes, and if so, what's your favorite implementation across the genre?  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 your favorite MMO pet class? originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 02 Jan 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| MMO Week in Review: Hello, 2012 Posted: 01 Jan 2012 05:00 PM PST Filed under: Massively Meta, Week in Review, Miscellaneous At the end of every week, we round up the best and most popular news stories, exclusive features, and insightful columns published on Massively and then present them all in one convenient place. Miss a big MMO or WoW Insider story last week? You've come to the right post. The turn of a new year is a time for reflection, and this week we did just that in our Best of 2011 Awards and The Perfect Ten, in which we took a stroll back through 2011's most exciting MMO stories and plucked out our favorite games of the last 365 days. After all, it's been a gigantic year for the MMO industry -- RIFT and Star Wars: The Old Republic launched, Star Wars Galaxies closed, World of Warcraft announced Mists of Pandaria, CCP Games ticked a whole bunch of people off, and at least a zillion games went free-to-play. The new year is also a time to look into the future, so naturally we furbished up our crystal balls and made predictions (some more serious than others) about how the genre will fare in the coming year. Will Pandaria sink WoW? Will browser-based and mobile MMOs continue their rise to prominence? Will TOR crash and burn? Will The Secret World be a hit? Bring it on, 2012! Join us past the break for a look at this week's top MMO stories. Continue reading MMO Week in Review: Hello, 2012 MMO Week in Review: Hello, 2012 originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 01 Jan 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Get your lootables and chatables on with Trion's new RIFT iOS app Posted: 01 Jan 2012 04:00 PM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Launches, Mobile, RIFT With little fanfare, Trion Worlds has released an iPhone mobile app this past weekend for RIFT that should make staying in touch with guildies and in-game events far easier for the on-the-go set. The app is called RIFT Mobile and is currently available for the low, low price of "free." The app allows RIFT players to talk to friends and guildies whether they're in-game or also using the app -- and yes, there are push notifications if you so desire. The app also supports guild and officer chat, guild messages of the day, zone event notifications, and the guild wall. Probably the most intriguing feature of the RIFT Mobile app is something called "Lootables" -- ways to earn actual in-game loot while using the app. The app is available in English, French and German languages and can be used only by current players of the game. A community rep on the official forums has confirmed that it's "an early release/beta" and that more official info is on the way. [Thanks to Valotith for the tip!] Get your lootables and chatables on with Trion's new RIFT iOS app originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 01 Jan 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| EVE Evolved: All there is to know about DUST 514 Posted: 01 Jan 2012 03:00 PM PST Filed under: Betas, Sci-fi, EVE Online, Expansions, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, Previews, PvP, Free-to-play, MMOFPS, EVE Evolved, DUST 514, Sandbox Last week, EVE Online developer CCP Games officially started accepting beta signups for its upcoming MMOFPS DUST 514. This first phase of closed beta tests will be open only to active EVE Online subscribers, giving us an early opportunity to contribute feedback to the game's development ahead of console players. I think that's important because it's our universe that the game will take place in -- literally. DUST 514 players will be connecting to EVE Online's supercluster, so gameplay between the two titles will be intimately linked in realtime. With the new game's release date set for the summer 2012, EVE players can expect the next big expansion to focus heavily on planetary control and the DUST 514 link. The past month has been flush with new information on DUST's customisable vehicles, drop suits, infantry weapons and more. We've even had a look under the hood at the server architecture that will keep the planet-bound battles fast and furious without lagging out the EVE players smashing each other to bits in orbit. In this week's EVE Evolved, I gather together all the key information on DUST 514 released this month and discuss what it means for EVE Online players. Continue reading EVE Evolved: All there is to know about DUST 514 EVE Evolved: All there is to know about DUST 514 originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 01 Jan 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Rise and Shiny recap: 1100 AD Posted: 01 Jan 2012 11:00 AM PST Filed under: Historical, Screenshots, Video, PvP, Opinion, Free-to-play, Browser, Hands-on, Casual, MMORTS, Rise and Shiny, Livestream 1100 AD is a new browser-based MMORTS that is published by Aeria Games. It's new to me, at least, even though I find a lot of the design and ideas behind the title to be pretty familiar. The truth is that the MMORTS genre is about as repetitive and ordinary as the standard MMO model. Players will come across the same concepts as they have seen in a score of other titles. It's sort of the quandry of the massively multiplayer player: You have to play a lot of games to find that one true gem. Where does 1100 AD fall in the grand line of copycat MMORTS games? Well, it's hard to say within a week, especially since I have not experienced much of what the game might have to offer like massive wars, alliances or world-changing events. But I can comment on what I found so far in this short week of playing. Click past the cut and I'll tell you! Continue reading Rise and Shiny recap: 1100 AD Rise and Shiny recap: 1100 AD originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 01 Jan 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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