| An early look at Phosphor's survival pseudo-MMO Nether Posted: 14 Sep 2013 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Horror, Galleries, Screenshots, Video, Business Models, Game Mechanics, New Titles, Previews, PvP, PvE, Opinion, First Impressions, Events (Massively's Coverage), Post-Apocalyptic, Miscellaneous, Buy-to-Play When I first learned I'd be jetting off to meet with Phosphor Games for a first look at its upcoming title Nether, I must admit I wasn't enthusiastic. I expected to see just another zombie-esque first-person shooter in a genre already overstuffed with shotguns and undead targets. But now that I've seen the demo in person, I might just have changed my mind. It's not really an MMO, not with 64 people on a map, but it's certainly skirting the boundaries; I'd consider it a happy marriage between Left 4 Dead and DayZ, so it's certainly the type of game fans of post-apocalyptic survival pseudo-MMOs will want to watch. The game's backstory features a near-future world, about a decade after a major mutation event called "the Cull" in the game's lore. Thanks to the Cull, the majority of the population transformed into zombies violent mutated humanoid creatures. I guess there's an attempt to avoid the classic zombie trope in Nether, but who's fooled, really? Continue reading An early look at Phosphor's survival pseudo-MMO Nether  An early look at Phosphor's survival pseudo-MMO Nether originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 14 Sep 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| WRUP: The new Warchief isn't edition Posted: 14 Sep 2013 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Massively Meta, Miscellaneous So the big thing this week was talking about the identity of the new Warchief of the Horde in World of Warcraft, which is probably exactly who you expected if you've paid any attention to the game's lore over the past two years. Rather than spoil that reveal right here, I'm going to tell you what the new Warchief isn't. The new Warchief of the Horde is not a basic campfire. The new Warchief is not a piece of furniture, nor is the new Warchief a Sith. The new Warchief is not distributed via flyers to your home, does not go on icy to dull the pain, and should not be applied directly to the forehead. The new Warchief is neither your boyfriend nor your girlfriend. Most importantly, the new Warchief is not WRUP. This is WRUP. It's right here past the cut with some of our staff members discussing what we'll be doing over the weekend. And then let us know what you'll be doing, which hopefully includes just finding this out so we can stop pretending it's a spoiler. Continue reading WRUP: The new Warchief isn't edition WRUP: The new Warchief isn't edition originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 14 Sep 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Daily Grind: What MMO has the cutest pets? Posted: 14 Sep 2013 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous The picture above is a Goobbue Sproutling from Final Fantasy XIV. Unfortunately, the picture doesn't fully convey how adorable it is, since a static image cannot occasionally shake its head and yawn, but you get the idea. Also not pictured above is the small spherical lizard that looks at you and squawks for food or the baby behemoth that tries to roar but succeeds only in looking ridiculously precious. The point is, cute minipets. Players love having pets in games since they can serve as status symbols as well as just being cute to look at (without the usual feeding/walking/waste management issues created by real pets). So as fluffy as they are, we ask you today about these little bundles of squealing joy. What game has the cutest pets? Is it a game you still play, one you've left behind, or one that you have never played but still squeal about when you spy its cute critters?  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 MMO has the cutest pets? originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 14 Sep 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| MMObility: Perfect World's new mobile lineup Posted: 13 Sep 2013 07:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Interviews, New Titles, Previews, PvP, PvE, Free-to-Play, Mobile, Casual, Miscellaneous, MMObility, MOBA When I first heard that Perfect World was finally moving into the mobile space, I was excited and a bit worried. The gaming giant publishes a wide variety of games but tends to stick with classic, three-dimensional, client-based MMOs and has even rescued or bought out a few "Western" titles. If you want a publisher with a ton of different F2P games to play, Perfect World is a solid one. So how will it tackle the mobile world? Will it offer as much variety as it does with its other games? Will these mobile games be MMOs or pseudo-MMOs that are attached to social networks? I was able to snag some answers from Fabian Pierre Nicolas, General Manager of Mobile for Perfect World Entertainment. Continue reading MMObility: Perfect World's new mobile lineup MMObility: Perfect World's new mobile lineup originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 13 Sep 2013 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Betawatch: September 7 - September 13, 2013 Posted: 13 Sep 2013 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, MMO Industry, News Items, Betawatch, Miscellaneous If you're reading this, odds are you're going to have to wait quite a while for Black Desert. Yes, the game is finally getting ready to move into its closed beta phase, but this article is being written in English. You're likely reading this somewhere other than Korea, which means that you're not invited to that first beta and will have to wait until it gets released, then gets localized, then gets a release over here. I'm not saying it's never going to happen, but I am saying it'll probably be around 2038. Other than that, it's been a quiet week for game betas. But there are still a lot of games in testing in the list down below, so you can certainly check one of them out. And as always, if something sneaked its way into having a full cash shop and no character wipe or something similar, let us know down in the comments. Continue reading Betawatch: September 7 - September 13, 2013 Betawatch: September 7 - September 13, 2013 originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 13 Sep 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| PlanetSide 2 launches Operation: Make Faster Game Posted: 13 Sep 2013 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Game Mechanics, Patches, News Items, Free-to-Play, MMOFPS, PlanetSide 2 It's easy for most players not to think about optimization. Games run the way they run, and you turn down options until you strike a balance between graphical prettiness and acceptable framerates. But developers spend a lot of time thinking about these things, and that thinking is precisely what's informing the new major development project for PlanetSide 2. Tech director Ryan Elam explains what this means in a letter to the community about what the team is planning to do with the game. Elam explains that at this point the team feels that the core game mechanics are where they need to be. What the game does need is to trim out bits of visual fluff and effects that force the game to run more slowly than it should. So the developers are working on simple ways to do that, like slowing the rate of updates on adjacent players to speed up large battles and simplifying the physics engine to not render changes that players cannot see or interact with. For a full list of the optimization projects, take a look at the letter. [Thanks to Gustavo for the tip!] PlanetSide 2 launches Operation: Make Faster Game originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 13 Sep 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Crew's creative director on RPG aspects and the open world Posted: 13 Sep 2013 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Real-Life, Video, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Consoles From the better-late-than-never department, VG247 has released a Gamescom-era video about UbiSoft's upcoming open world racer known as The Crew. There's plenty of gameplay footage on display, as well as commentary from creative director Julian Garrity that highlights the title's RPG aspects. "Of course we've got tons and tons of cars," Garrity explains, "but we really want people to be playing with one car and taking it everywhere." He mentions all sorts of tuning kits, individual parts, and even the ability to tear down and rebuild a vehicle in order to access and maximize specific components. The video also touches on the size, complexity, and detail of the gameworld. Driving across the U.S., Garrity says, will take between one and two hours of real time. The game's version of New York City is about the same size as Liberty City from the Grand Theft Auto series. There's much more info if you're interested, all of which is contained in the video after the cut. Continue reading The Crew's creative director on RPG aspects and the open world The Crew's creative director on RPG aspects and the open world originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 13 Sep 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| You should watch this Elite: Dangerous trailer Posted: 13 Sep 2013 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Trailers, Video, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Sandbox, Crowdfunding, Elite: Dangerous In space, no one can hear you scream, but funnily enough they can hear explosions, laser blasts, and engine noise. Which is fantastic, of course, particularly in the case of the latest Elite: Dangerous trailer. The two-minute-and-44-second symphony of sci-fi destruction also features a spiffy orchestral soundtrack by composer Erasmus Talbot. In fact, the video itself was used as part of Frontier's composer selection process, while the newly minted trailer track was part of Talbot's pitch for the job. Frontier's YouTube verbiage says that the video also serves as a development tool for things like the game's GUI layout, special effects, and ship materials. Have a look -- and a listen -- after the break. Continue reading You should watch this Elite: Dangerous trailer You should watch this Elite: Dangerous trailer originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 13 Sep 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Shroud of the Avatar makes progress on homes and cloth armor Posted: 13 Sep 2013 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Dev Diaries, Housing, Shroud of the Avatar Hey gals and guys, you know what we've been wondering? We've been wondering how Shroud of the Avatar's been doing. Should we check in with Richard Garriott's upcoming title to see how it's cooking? Oh, let's! Two updates this month have highlighted several projects that the team's been tackling. First up are the four home models that will go in the game, including ones for founders, benefactors, and those who shell out $50 for a giant Viking home. Floorplans, exterior shots, and interior views are all included. The second update is a hodge-podge of smaller topics, including motion capture videos, the revamp of the male avatar, and cloth armor concept art. Cloth armor: when you positively, absolutely must be bludgeoned with bare minimum protection while still looking fabulous. Shroud of the Avatar makes progress on homes and cloth armor originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 13 Sep 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The end has come for this issue of WildStar's webcomic Posted: 13 Sep 2013 01:30 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, News Items, Miscellaneous, WildStar, Subscription, MMORPG WildStar's Victor Lazarin and Mondo Zax have interesting surprises in store for one another, according to the latest update to Carbine's Tales from Beyond the Fringe: Mystery and Mayhem Issue #001. This update marks the end of Issue #001, with the next issue likely to begin next week. Mystery and Mayhem follows the experiments of Lazarin and Zax, both leading innovators for their particular factions, as they create horrible creatures and generally do mad scientist-type things. Check out the exciting conclusion to Issue #001 over on the official site. The end has come for this issue of WildStar's webcomic originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 13 Sep 2013 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| LotRO: Helm's Deep purchase required to continue the epic story Posted: 13 Sep 2013 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Expansions, Free-to-Play, Dev Diaries Lord of the Rings Online's epic story is one of the crown jewels of the game, and for the longest of time it's been available for free whether you subscribe or not. However, Turbine confirmed this week that purchasing Helm's Deep will be required if you want to see how the epic story plays out over western Rohan. On the forums, CM Rick Heaton explained the change: "The epic story in Helm's Deep is very tightly entwined with the epic battle system. The story in Helm's Deep is the epic battle we all know from the books. We've returned to the core story line from the lore and that line leads in a direct path, laid out by the Professor himself, into Helm's Deep and the battles and heroic deeds that occur there. As a result, this means the epic story requires the purchase of the Helm's Deep expansion." "Epic Story Guy" MadeOfLions also chimed in with a much more informative post about the decision. "It's a change that serves to reward the players that do pick up the expansion, and makes the expansion a better deal, more worth your time and your money," he writes. "This is just an expansion change for now -- I'm hoping we can keep the epic story free in other updates." Speaking of Helm's Deep, Turbine just posted the Champion class update dev diary for all to peruse! LotRO: Helm's Deep purchase required to continue the epic story originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 13 Sep 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| What's in a name? WoW study explores the answer Posted: 13 Sep 2013 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, MMO Industry, News Items Do your characters' names change depending on the race or class you're playing, or do they reflect your play-style as a whole? A recent article at Gamasutra by games analyst Anders Drachen explores the patterns that emerge when studying names in games. Speculating that patterns in naming exist, Drachen and colleagues studied millions of World of Warcraft character data and found a relationship between the name selection and the class and race of a character; the most popular names had virtually no overlap between classes and races. It was also discovered that unique names in the game existed at a higher frequency than in the real world. The researches found that an average of 58% of the names overall were unique and that 83% of names were unique on RP servers. Additionally, names with negative connotations were six times more common than positive ones. Taking the study beyond WoW, the researchers looked at shooters and found "hints that it may be possible to predict some aspects of play behavior or perhaps even personality of people based on their character names." What's in a name? WoW study explores the answer originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 13 Sep 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Second Wind: Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, part one Posted: 13 Sep 2013 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Classes, Game Mechanics, Opinion, Hands-On, Final Fantasy XIV, Dungeons, Second Wind The time is finally upon us, everyone: Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn is live. It has been for a few weeks now, actually. And over those few weeks, I've spent just about every spare moment of my time in the fantastical world of Eorzea, running my remarkably adorable Miqo'te tail all over creation to save the world from rampaging primals and the nefarious Garlean Empire -- and occasionally sewing some rather fetching clothes. There's no denying that Square Enix has taken titanic strides in revamping its much-maligned MMO. Whole game systems have been torn apart and rewoven into something barely recognizable, and I'm not even going to entertain whether or not the changes were for the better. They absolutely were. The real question here is whether it will be enough to change the game's course. And as it happens, that's just the question I plan to answer in this multi-part edition of Second Wind. Continue reading Second Wind: Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, part one Second Wind: Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, part one originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 13 Sep 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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