| The Road to Mordor: Six smashing ideas for LotRO's player housing Posted: 04 Aug 2012 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Game mechanics, Opinion, Free-to-play, The Road to Mordor, Housing Some days I wonder whether Turbine truly regrets creating housing for Lord of the Rings Online. It's one of those game systems that you really can't do halfway; it's all or nothing, and once you begin, players are going to want more and better things for it. Except for the admittedly steady stream of housing items that enter the game and the occasional promise that a housing revamp (or whatever you call it) is on the team's radar, housing in the game has more or less been the same since it first came into being. It's not a system that all players use possibly because there isn't much use to it, which makes for a strange catch-22, and Turbine has to be constantly evaluating how to spend its limited resources to impact the greatest number of people. Still, a Hobbit can dream, can't he? After hearing the wonderful news this week that WildStar will ship with a robust housing system, I couldn't help but think back on LotRO's current setup. Ideas formed in my head, ideas to make housing in Middle-earth not only relevant but downright engaging. What could get us to go "home" a little more often? Just hear me out. Continue reading The Road to Mordor: Six smashing ideas for LotRO's player housing  The Road to Mordor: Six smashing ideas for LotRO's player housing originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 04 Aug 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| WRUP: Nightmare glitch edition Posted: 04 Aug 2012 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Massively Meta, Miscellaneous For this week's installment of WRUP, please enjoy a header that is the result of a glitch that suddenly gives you a nightmare in the middle of the day. It's pretty bad here, and it's even worse when you're sitting down and playing and then oh hello horrible skin-mask. I was playing RIFT at the time, but once I had stopped staring, I felt compelled to double-check that we hadn't wandered into Silent Hill by mistake. Where was I? Oh, right. WRUP. This week the Massively staff has mostly been scared to death by that screenshot, but those of us not weeping in terror talked about our plans for the weekend as well as our pick for the next game hopping on the free-to-play bandwagon. So check out our responses after the break, let us know what you'll be up to in the comments, and then... man, that's really going to be watching you the whole time, huh? Horrorshow. Continue reading WRUP: Nightmare glitch edition WRUP: Nightmare glitch edition originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 04 Aug 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Daily Grind: Have you ever bought a sparkle pony? Posted: 04 Aug 2012 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Business models, MMO industry, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous Two years ago, a marketing firm produced a study showing that 75% of gamers partake of microtransactions in their online games. Not long after that study was published, World of Warcraft enraged opponents of "double-dipping" by kicking off the sale of a $25 luxury mount that gamers pseudo-affectionately dubbed the sparkle pony. And then EverQuest II released a mount for a similar fee. And then TERA. And then RIFT. For all the hatred these high-end cash-shop mounts provoke, people are buying them -- enough people to make it a model worth copying. Some of these subscription games will sell sparkle anything. I'll fess up first: I bought myself a sparkle pony when Blizzard put the mount on sale for 10 bucks a while back, and I love it (it reminds me of celestial gear and creatures in Guild Wars, so I was weak!). But I still feel a little guilty. What about you? Have you ever bought an overpriced mount for cash in an MMO? Why did you do it, and do you feel the pang of guilt I do about supporting a double-dipping subscription game?  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: Have you ever bought a sparkle pony? originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 04 Aug 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Vanguard going free-to-play on August 14th Posted: 03 Aug 2012 08:15 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Business models, MMO industry, News items, Vanguard, Free-to-play Ever since the announcement last March that Vanguard: Saga of Heroes would be going free-to-play this summer, players have been eagerly waiting to find out when the magical day would be. That wait is finally over: Vanguard will launch in free-to-play form on Tuesday, August 14th. Sony Online Entertainment notes that the game has undergone many changes over the last few months in preparation of this monumental event. Some changes include a revamp of the starting areas, removal of class/race restrictions, and the addition of the Vanguard Marketplace. The official website has also seen some upgrades and has a new address to match the new look; be sure to bookmark the new site at http://www.vanguardthegame.com. Players can also expect to see even more changes as the days count down to the launch. Vanguard going free-to-play on August 14th originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 03 Aug 2012 22:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Ultima Forever opens the doors to Druids Posted: 03 Aug 2012 08:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Classes, Interviews, Free-to-play While it might not be a full-fledged MMO, Ultima Forever remains on our radar due to its heritage and studio backing. Executive Producer Jeff Skalski revealed a few more details about the title, including the third class to join the character roster. The as-of-yet unrevealed class is a Druid, who will take her place alongside the Mage and Fighter. "She's an interesting one," Skalski said, "but unfortunately at this time we like to hold back on the details behind her for a little longer. I will however say there will be five additional classes beyond these three that we plan to launch every few months following launch." Skalski said that Ultima Forever takes place 21 years after Ultima IV and has a Lady British on the throne of Britannia ("We wanted to be respectful to Richard and his rights," he explained). BioWare's skill as a spinner of yarns will be on full display as well: "At its core is a story of a journey with choice. The eight virtues are threaded throughout the game and your actions will dictate how you progress those virtues." Ultima Forever opens the doors to Druids originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 03 Aug 2012 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| MMObility: Stomping around the world of The Missing Ink Posted: 03 Aug 2012 07:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Screenshots, Video, Game mechanics, New titles, Previews, Free-to-play, Browser, Mobile, Casual, Family, MMObility, Sandbox If there's one phrase that gets me excited for a new MMO, it's "cross-platform." I know that's not very slick-sounding, but when I hear those words, I envision playing the same game across multiple devices. I can sit at my PC, move over to my bar, take a seat on my patio, sit down in the bath (with the tablet carefully held over the side) and finish off a dungeon while I'm lying in bed. The Missing Ink is not only attempting to be a unique title by offering the type of access that we normally see only from Spacetime Studios or HTML5 browser MMOs but presenting a very unique-looking game, one of paper cutout figures and Burton-esque curly trees dotting a wavy landscape. There's also a building mode promised, although I haven't experienced it yet. But will this multi-platform approach work? Well, I took a look at the alpha and have enjoyed what I've seen so far, but I must warn you: This is not a review. It's hardly even a preview. It's just a peek into a strange, new game. The following opinions and gameplay bits are subject to massive, sweeping changes. Continue reading MMObility: Stomping around the world of The Missing Ink MMObility: Stomping around the world of The Missing Ink originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 03 Aug 2012 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Betawatch: July 28 - August 3, 2012 Posted: 03 Aug 2012 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, MMO industry, Massively Meta, Betawatch, Miscellaneous The War Z and Forge have joined Betawatch this week, the former with an alpha signup that garnered over 100,000 applicants in just a day. PlanetSide 2's beta was met with more delays and now aims to open up Monday, while Guild Wars 2 surprised everyone with an impromptu, four-hour stress test on Wednesday. Might we see another one before the game launches? Players who've been waiting months for a chance to play Glitch will be happy to learn that the team is now letting new players trickle in. Pirate101 has also kicked off its closed beta. But if you're not into such cutesy fare, maybe you'll prefer Taikodom, which launched its closed beta today, or our recent hands-on with MechWarrior Online -- early access starts this coming Tuesday! Finally, this weekend marks fresh beta events for City of Steam and End of Nations. The complete Betawatch roundup is just past the cut -- now with shiny subreddit links! Continue reading Betawatch: July 28 - August 3, 2012 Betawatch: July 28 - August 3, 2012 originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 03 Aug 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Taikodom: Living Universe kicks off closed beta Posted: 03 Aug 2012 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-fi, Galleries, Screenshots, News items, Free-to-play Taikodom: Living Universe is not a game in which you pilot a mining spaceship, nor is it a game in which you work through ornate political structures to accomplish your goals. It's a game in which you pilot a spaceship at high speeds and blow things up. It's the newest title from GamersFirst, and it's just entered its first wave of closed beta testing as of today. Players in the game will be pushed into one of two factions, the Consortium or the Renegades, as they battle for control of the 61 Cygni star system. While the thrust of the game is (obviously) space battles, the game features both PvE and PvP combat as well as a crafting system and advanced character progression options. Take a glance at the gallery below for a look at the game, and if you'd like to have a shot at taking part in a future round of testing, register at the official site. [Source: GamersFirst press release] Taikodom: Living Universe kicks off closed beta originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 03 Aug 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Allods Online has a few good mercs for hire Posted: 03 Aug 2012 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Expansions, Game mechanics, Free-to-play, Allods Online Allods Online: New Horizons is, well, on the near horizon, and gPotato is shining a spotlight on the expansion's star pupils. In a new dev diary, the mercenary system is dangled right like a plump morsel in front of a starving crowd. Mercenaries work in a similar fashion to those in other MMOs. Players who are struggling to put together a full group for challenging content can hire one of these hard-working soldiers of war. Allods will give players their first mercenary contract for free, but subsequent ones cost in-game currency. Mercs last for two hours and are under control of the player who hired them. The mercenary roster includes Rowdy Brow, a tank; Matron Lighthand, a healer; Stormer the Fierce, a melee warrior; Casper Flinty, a ranged damage dealer; Lisa de Vevre, a buffer/debuffer; and Michael Grammar, a ranged spellcaster. New Horizons is on course to launch early this month. In the meanwhile, may we interest you in an exclusive interview with one of the devs? Allods Online has a few good mercs for hire originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 03 Aug 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Some Assembly Required: Four sandboxes we need right now Posted: 03 Aug 2012 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-fi, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, Opinion, ArcheAge, Some Assembly Required, Sandbox Hello folks, and welcome back to Some Assembly Required. I've been thinking about sandboxes quite a lot lately, and while this is nothing new, a couple of those I've been thinking about are flying pretty far under the radar. As much as I've been enjoying The Secret World in recent weeks, it can't quite scratch that open world, free-roaming, full-blown economy experience that I've been missing since the days of Star Wars Galaxies and Ultima Online. There are a couple of titles in the pipeline that may recapture those experiences, though. Join me after the break and see whether you agree. Continue reading Some Assembly Required: Four sandboxes we need right now Some Assembly Required: Four sandboxes we need right now originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 03 Aug 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Storyboard: The RIFT project - week 3 Posted: 03 Aug 2012 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Opinion, Roleplaying, RIFT, Storyboard, Miscellaneous I can't believe that this has almost been going on for a month. Well, all right, I can believe it but still find it somewhat baffling. Yes, it's the penultimate installment of RIFT project recaps, and it's been an interesting week. This one has been mostly focused around broadening the scope, adding in some new characters to the mix and seeing how they've played off the quartet already in play. In short, it's been good... but it highlighted a weakness that neither Ms. Lady nor I was really conscious of until we sat down and articulated it. Of course, if you've been reading steadily, you may have already guessed at the problem, but that's all the more reason to catch up on the events. There's a higher than usual dose of unmitigated crazy this week, too. So what happened on a week when we should really have been bringing things toward a conclusion? Anything but. Continue reading Storyboard: The RIFT project - week 3 Storyboard: The RIFT project - week 3 originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 03 Aug 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| CCP rebalancing EVE mining barges, exhumers Posted: 03 Aug 2012 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Game mechanics, MMO industry, News items, Sandbox CCP is revamping EVE Online's mining barges and exhumers this summer, and the latest company dev blog features a bit of behind-the-scenes info on how the process is going. In a nutshell, there's a new mining frigate on the way, and current mining frigates will no longer be mining frigates. "The goal here is to allow players to choose a barge that fits their specific play style rather than lead them on a journey from the worst barge to the best one," CCP says. Other changes include reduced skill requirements for both barges and exhumers. This "might not make [mining] any more exciting, but at least miners will have to make some meaningful decisions before they undock," according to the devs. That's just the tip of the iceberg, of course, so head to the official EVE Online website for more. CCP rebalancing EVE mining barges, exhumers originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 03 Aug 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Catch another End of Nations beta livestream tonight Posted: 03 Aug 2012 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-fi, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Free-to-play, MMORTS End of Nations' second closed beta kicked off in the wee hours of this morning. To celebrate, Trion is hosting another livestream event designed to show off the MMORTS title's gameplay (and the changes that have been made since the first closed beta). The beta event itself happens today through Sunday, August 5th, while the livestream goes down tonight at 8:00 p.m. EDT on the EoN TwitchTV channel. Devs will be showing off new content, including a 4v4 base assault map called Blue Water and a 4v4 domination map called Resource Hog. [Source: Trion press release] Catch another End of Nations beta livestream tonight originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 03 Aug 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Ragnarok Online's War of Emperium event launches August 7th Posted: 03 Aug 2012 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Events, in-game, Patches, PvP, News items, PvE, Free-to-play Although Ragnarok Online recently introduced a classic server for fans who wanted to play the free-to-play fantasy game just like it was in the old days, that hasn't stopped Gravity Interactive from expanding and updating the game on the other servers. And one of those updates is the War of Emperium event that is set to launch on August 7th. In this new update, cracks in reality have appeared deep within the Halls of Abyss and an entrance to the Unknown Dimension has been discovered. Players will compete for these rare and coveted dimensional cracks. Producer Jason Koerperich states, "This WoE update is just the thing to spark that community competition! The new War of Emperium is a combined PvP and PvE mechanic that will pit players against each other in new ways." Players can keep an eye on the official facebook page for full details on the events as the week unfolds. [Source: Gravity Interactive press release] Ragnarok Online's War of Emperium event launches August 7th originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 03 Aug 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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