| Storyboard: Happening before it's even happened, part 2 Posted: 19 Jul 2013 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Culture, Opinion, Roleplaying, Storyboard, Miscellaneous Two weeks ago I wrote a column on the ups and downs of planning RP developments before they take place. I ended on the note that it's very important to decide exactly how much to plan ahead, but then I ended the column before actually offering any guidance on how to determine how much to plan ahead. Instead, I promised to talk about that... in two weeks. In television, this is what is known as a cliffhanger. It gets you back in time to watch the next episode, you see. Like so many other elements of roleplaying, there are no hard and fast rules about when something is or isn't a good idea, but there are certainly guidelines. So let's look at some questions to ask yourself before you plot out your roleplaying ahead of time, simple inquiries that should let you know whether this is worth planning ahead for or not. Continue reading Storyboard: Happening before it's even happened, part 2  Storyboard: Happening before it's even happened, part 2 originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 19 Jul 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Get the scoop on ArcheAge's fishing and factions Posted: 19 Jul 2013 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Game Mechanics, Guides, ArcheAge, Sandbox, Crafting Who are we to say that the fellow in the above picture is doing fishing wrong? After all, this is ArcheAge, and a new fishing technique or two is to be expected from this next-gen sandbox. If you're interested in fishing or the player faction system, there are a pair of articles for you to check out today. While fishing in ArcheAge isn't as time-consuming as it is in real life, it definitely requires some preparation and know-how to do it effectively. Players can choose to fish in fresh water or salt water, and they'll need to get the right gear before angling for a good catch. There's also a helpful auto-fishing function to help cut down on some of the grind. A second guide has more information on making player factions. To create a faction, you have to accomplish a series of tasks. This costs you a significant amount of gold (26,000 or so) and requires you to go on a scavenger hunt across the world. Good luck with that! [Thanks to Dengar for the tip!] Get the scoop on ArcheAge's fishing and factions originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 19 Jul 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Tauntaun mounts are migrating to SWTOR Posted: 19 Jul 2013 08:30 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Patches, Previews, Free-to-Play, Star Wars: The Old Republic Tired of cold, sterile vehicles toting your Force-using butt all over the galaxy? Star Wars: The Old Republic is about to give you a living, snorting mount in the near future. That's right: Tauntaun mounts are coming to the game. Images were given out of SWTOR's first animal mounts at the San Diego Cantina Tour. Apart from the pictures, we have no specific information concerning the mounts' speed, possible varieties, or release. We're also curious if they'll come with the ability to slice them open with a lightsaber as a makeshift sleeping bag if you're caught out in the cold. [Thanks to Austin for the tip!] Tauntaun mounts are migrating to SWTOR originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 19 Jul 2013 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Repopulation gives an overview of its siege system Posted: 19 Jul 2013 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-Fi, PvP, Dev Diaries, Sandbox, The Repopulation That's a mighty fine city you have on your hands -- mind if we take it from you? If you're part of a heavily armed group in The Repopulation, you might be able to say this. Doing it, however, is another thing entirely. That's why Above & Beyond has created an intricate siege system to allow players to assault and protect towns. The team said that it was quite mindful of typical tactics like zerging and 3:00 a.m. takeovers when it designed the system. Sieges have a cost assigned to them that goes above just a body count and will take place over three days to allow both the attackers and defenders adequate time to rally to their cause. There are also emergency energy shields and siege weapons to consider as well. The official site has an overview and sample timeline of a proposed siege, so check it out and see if this might be the next evolution of PvP battles. The Repopulation gives an overview of its siege system originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 19 Jul 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| 7 Days to Die has 27 days to raise funds Posted: 19 Jul 2013 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Horror, Trailers, Video, New Titles, Post-Apocalyptic, Miscellaneous, Crowdfunding Excuse me, but you got your zombies all over my Minecraft. What, that's the intent? Well then, carry on! Dubbing itself "the survival horde crafting game," 7 Days to Die is appealing to Kickstarter patrons to help fund this new title to completion. The game puts players in an Arizona county that has largely survived nuclear fallout but is infested with zombies throughout. Players will scavenge for materials, level up classes, build up defenses to survive each night, and use destructible terrain and buildings to their advantage. It remains to be seen whether or not 7 Days to Die crosses over into MMO space; the creators boast a multiplayer feature that may be expanded if stretch goals are met. The Fun Pimps, the developing studio, is looking to raise $200,000 to expand its full-time team. We've got the pre-alpha trailer for you to check out after the break. [Thanks to Dengar for the tip!] Continue reading 7 Days to Die has 27 days to raise funds 7 Days to Die has 27 days to raise funds originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 19 Jul 2013 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Daily Grind: Do you genderbend in MMOs? Posted: 19 Jul 2013 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Culture, MMO Industry, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Races, Roleplaying, Miscellaneous I've complained about genderlocked classes in MMOs before, but the truth is, genderlocking is abnormal for MMOs. Barring anomalies like Prime World, in which you're required to play a character matching your account's declared gender, most MMOs let us choose, and choose we do. Some people prefer to stick to their own gender with their characters, maybe because they feel more comfortable when roleplaying or don't want to confuse potential teammates on voice chat. Others welcome the chance to don different shoes, possibly motivated by a wish to see the world through new eyes (or cast those eyes on a shapely rear-end... ahem). And players of Cube World (shown in the pic) are thinking the question is silly since there's hardly any difference between the genders anyway, and besides, frogmen. So what about you? Do you roll characters as the gender you identify with in the real world, or do you genderswap? Why do you do what you do, and has it ever caused you any problems or provided a new perspective?  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: Do you genderbend in MMOs? originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 19 Jul 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Aion 4.5 to introduce 'magical mechanical mounted' Aethertech class Posted: 18 Jul 2013 07:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Aion, Classes, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, Patches, News Items, Free-to-Play NCsoft has announced a new class coming to Aion in the game's 4.5 patch. It's called the Aethertech, and it uses "magical mechanical mounts to unleash both short- and long-distance attacks," according to an NCsoft press release. "The Aethertech can form Gatling guns, rail guns, blades, electric whips, gigantic fists, and even rocket launchers," the firm says. Aion's 4.5 update will debut on the game's Korean test servers on July 29th. The patch will "arrive on North American servers after the normal localization process." We've tucked the brand-new trailer behind the break! [Source: NCsoft press release] Continue reading Aion 4.5 to introduce 'magical mechanical mounted' Aethertech class Aion 4.5 to introduce 'magical mechanical mounted' Aethertech class originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 18 Jul 2013 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Summoner's Guidebook: When to buy LoL's Tear of the Goddess (or not) Posted: 18 Jul 2013 06:30 PM PDT |
| Continent of the Ninth Seal unveils the Demonisher Posted: 18 Jul 2013 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Video, News Items, Free-to-Play, Anniversaries, MMORPG Playing a Shaman in Continent of the Ninth Seal just got a touch more interesting, as Webzen has unveiled the Demonisher, a new class advancement available to players who follow the shamanic ways. The Demonisher is a long-range and melee attacker who uses an orb to initiate magical attacks. Demonishers have a wide range of abilities at their disposal, including evasion tricks, powerful offensive volleys, and a transformation skill that increases movement speed and the power of some attacks. Demonishers also offer debuff skills for use in groups. The addition of the Demonisher isn't all that Webzen has planned this month. To celebrate C9's first anniversary, the studio will hold a number of special events on July 24th. These include in-game giveaways, massive online competitions for real-life peripherals, and the chance for new players to start a character at level 20. Check out the demonisher in action after the break. [Webzen press release] Continue reading Continent of the Ninth Seal unveils the Demonisher Continent of the Ninth Seal unveils the Demonisher originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 18 Jul 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Hi-Rez exploring Tribes: Ascend user mapmaking tools Posted: 18 Jul 2013 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, News Items, Free-to-Play, Player-Generated Content Tribes: Ascend may be on Hi-Rez Studios' back burner, but that doesn't mean the game is dead. Rock, Paper, Shotgun recently interviewed CEO Todd Harris, who said that Ascend will be getting user-generated mapmaking tools at some point. "The one thing we're going to be working on next is a path for users to basically add their own maps," Harris explained. "We just feel like it's at a good point to have users maintain it. We feel that it's a complete experience, and we want to give users the tools to add their own maps vs., say, us adding more guns that wouldn't benefit [the experience]." When can we expect the tools, then, and what form will they take? "There's actually some community work toward an SDK [software development kit] that's been started, and I expect more details from us in the next month. It's not anything that has a date yet or a full feature set, but that's the only real feature that we have in the works -- aside from some small bug fixes," Harris said. The mapmaking tool proper is a "fresh concept" that lacks a firm release date, but Harris said that six months is the current target. Hi-Rez exploring Tribes: Ascend user mapmaking tools originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 18 Jul 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| SOE reveals new Recruit Rewards program Posted: 18 Jul 2013 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Super-hero, EverQuest, EverQuest II, MMO Industry, News Items, Free-to-Play, MMOFPS, DC Universe Online, Promotions, PlanetSide 2 SOE has taken the wraps off its new Recruit Rewards program which currently covers EverQuest, EverQuest II, DC Universe Online, and PlanetSide 2. The firm has created an achievement system of sorts, with reward tiers starting at two recruits and going all the way up to 25. Each tier offers titles, in-game items, and in-game achievement points. Recruits receive a free welcome kit upon logging in initially, and once they make a qualifying purchase, both the recruit and the recruiter get to choose from a selection of rewards. SOE has put together a lengthy FAQ on the subject, which you'll find at the company's official website. [Thanks Kinya!] SOE reveals new Recruit Rewards program originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 18 Jul 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| EVE Online shows off Second Decade Collector's Edition Posted: 18 Jul 2013 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, EVE Online, DUST 514, Promotions, Sandbox, Anniversaries, Subscription EVE Online's 10th anniversary is a big deal to CCP, which is why the studio is coming out with a special collector's edition of the game. In a new video the team reminisces about the origins and growth of EVE Online (spoiler: beer has something to do with it), after which the devs reveal the contents of the new edition. The CE is full of physical items, including a model of one of EVE's ships, a copy of the board game that helped to fund EVE, a book of the history of EVE, and a music recording of a symphony orchestra playing EVE's score. There are also plenty of digital items packed in for both EVE Online and DUST 514, which you can see in the picture above. Check out the anniversary video after the jump! Continue reading EVE Online shows off Second Decade Collector's Edition EVE Online shows off Second Decade Collector's Edition originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 18 Jul 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Ultima Forever delays release until later this summer Posted: 18 Jul 2013 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Launches, Ultima Online, Free-to-Play, Mobile While Canada has been enjoying the fruits of Ultima Forever, the rest of the world's been waiting to get a hold of this mobile online RPG. Unfortunately, it looks as though the wait will be extended a little longer, as Mythic announced that the Ultima Forever's iOS launch has been delayed a few weeks. Mythic called upon players' Sacrifice virtue regarding the delay: "Our world-wide launch has been pushed back a handful of weeks, due to the need to spend a little more time tuning the economy and wrangling performance across all devices." The studio said that it will spend the time fine-tuning the game and incorporating tester feedback. Ultima Forever delays release until later this summer originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 18 Jul 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Crew aims for Q1 2014 release Posted: 18 Jul 2013 01:30 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Video, Launches, Free-to-Play, Consoles, Miscellaneous Buckle up, racing fans: You might be sitting in the driver's seat of The Crew early next year. In an investor's call, Ubisoft said that it's aiming for a Q1 2014 release for the persistent online racing world. Production Director Pete Young said in a recent blog post that the studio is striving to connect players through this racing title: "We're making it extremely easy to see the players that are around you, quickly group up with those guys, make new friends and take on missions cooperatively." The Crew will be available for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC. If it's got you itching for more info, check out Ubisoft's guided gameplay video from last month after the break. Continue reading The Crew aims for Q1 2014 release The Crew aims for Q1 2014 release originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 18 Jul 2013 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Darkfall patches in new boats, a new dungeon, and other improvements Posted: 18 Jul 2013 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Darkfall, Game Mechanics, Patches, News Items, Subscription Maybe you've already been on a boat in Darkfall Unholy Wars, but you haven't been on the newest boats. You couldn't have been. They've just been patched in today, allowing players new ways to be unstoppable due to their aquatic mode of transportation. But that's just the least of what's been changed in the latest patch being deployed today. In addition to having new boats, the patch features a new dungeon known as Svartvann as well as the new Darkbrood family, infesting Svartvann as well as Aldan Enak and Grivendale. There are also some noteworthy changes to Primalist spell functionality as well as a new skill meant to disable perpetual blocking. And you can have a new ship module if you can't get enough of aquatic antics. If none of the above strikes your fancy, you can at least enjoy the requisite bug fixes and UI updates that should make the game more fun to play for everyone. [Thanks to LanMandragon for the tip!] Darkfall patches in new boats, a new dungeon, and other improvements originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 18 Jul 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Tom Clancy's The Division due in late 2014 Posted: 18 Jul 2013 12:30 PM PDT Filed under: Real-Life, Video, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Consoles, MMOFPS, MMORPG Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot dropped the tiniest tidbit of information in regard to the studio's upcoming open-world, shooty title The Division during a call with investors this morning. According to Guillemot, the game should land on Xbox One and PS4 sometime near the end of 2014. No specific date was given, though Guillemot did note that players should expect the game to land "closer to the end of the year than the beginning." The Division is a persistent-world online tactical shooter that combines elements of MMOs, RPGs, and the normal Tom Clancy-type stuff we've all come to know and expect. Check out the E3 gameplay reveal after the break to see it in action. Continue reading Tom Clancy's The Division due in late 2014 Tom Clancy's The Division due in late 2014 originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 18 Jul 2013 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Neverwinter adds ghost and angel-snake companions Posted: 18 Jul 2013 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Free-to-Play, Neverwinter Hold on tight to your wallets, kids, because Cryptic's knocking on your door with a couple of new companion offerings for Neverwinter. The studio is releasing the Ghost and Lillend companions, although snagging one is going to require coughing up some cash (or playing the ZEN market smartly). The Ghost is a former Halfling who's fallen on hard times. She deals necrotic damage and has a neat ability that tosses a DoT onto an enemy while healing allies simultaneously. Lillend is... well, she's interesting. She looks like the cross between a snake and an angel, and as if that didn't give her enough fodder for dinner conversation, she can play the harp. Lillend is the game's first purple-quality healer companion. While you can buy the Ghost with ZEN, it looks as though Lillend is obtained only as a chance reward for purchasing a professions pack. Neverwinter adds ghost and angel-snake companions originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 18 Jul 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Perfect Ten: MMO commercials that take us back Posted: 18 Jul 2013 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: World of Warcraft, Video, Asheron's Call, Final Fantasy XI, Guild Wars, Opinion, Star Wars Galaxies, Ultima Online, Humor, Perfect Ten, Miscellaneous I don't see a lot of commercials these days. I like to imagine that I'm a one-man force out to frustrate advertisers, ducking and weaving whenever they try to wing a 30-second spot at me. A lot gets through, but I've long since canceled cable, and the only traditional commercials I sit through are the ones for the occasional YouTube video. But there's something about a good commercial that can take us back on a wave of "remember whens?" and community bonding. I hear more discussions about creative ad spots the day after the Superbowl than the game itself. Commercials can even be a time capsule that unlocks memories for us of favorite movies, toys, and experiences. But what about MMOs? Well, they have commercials too, although not as many have made it to the standard airwaves. They're out there, though. Lurking. Emitting nostalgia rays from the past. And I've been hunting them down, looking for commercials that take us back to a simpler, goofier time. A few thousand dead brain cells later, I've got 10 of the margh make it sop pleaze pleaaa... Enjoy. Continue reading The Perfect Ten: MMO commercials that take us back The Perfect Ten: MMO commercials that take us back originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 18 Jul 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Failed Surface RT strategy costing Microsoft millions of dollars
Lower cost Atom tablets part of Intel's turnaround strategy
GPU maker still paying the price for defective chips
