MMOGaming News

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Diablo: Reaper of Souls Available, March 25, 2014 Pre-purchase Now! Posted: Diablo III's first expansion entitled Reaper of Souls is now available to pre-order via the Battle.net Shop. Only digital versions of the game can be pre-purchased. While Diablo III. was available for free to everyone, who has subscribed to the Annual Pass (12 month subscription to World of Warcraft), this expansion needs to be purchased. There are two editions: Continue reading Diablo: Reaper of Souls Available, March 25, 2014 Pre-purchase Now!.

Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft Closed Beta Review Posted: Hearthstone is a free to play card game created by the guys at Blizzard. The cards in the game are based on characters from the Warcraft universe and for some reason, the artwork reminds me of Magic: The Gathering. While Hearthstone seems like an interesting game, it takes a while to get started due to how new cards are obtained. Continue reading Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft Closed Beta Review.

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MMORPG Reviews

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Aura Kingdom’s Closed beta item pack giveaway Posted: 20 Dec 2013 07:27 PM PST Aeria Games is partening with FREEMMORPGlist.com and MMOReviews.com to celebrate a Closed Beta item pack giveaway for Aura Kingdom. The game is a free to play fantasy based MMORPG where players get to step in the shoes of eight adventuring classes chosen by the planet itself to act as its saviour. With spiritual abilities awoken […] The post Aura Kingdom’s Closed beta item pack giveaway appeared first on MMORPG Reviews.

The Mystic arrives to C9 – Continent of the Ninth Seal Posted: 20 Dec 2013 03:06 AM PST WEBZEN has unleashed the Mystic, a new basic class for its dungeon-based MMORPG C9 – Continent of the Ninth Seal, which will be available for all players who have the game's fourth expansion. The Mystic is a melee fighter armed with a mighty hammer, that can perform powerful omnidirectional attacks and hit multiple enemies at the same time. […] The post The Mystic arrives to C9 – Continent of the Ninth Seal appeared first on MMORPG Reviews.

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General Gaming Article

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• OPPO N1 Launching With CyanogenMod Installed
• GPU-Z Update Adds Support for 12 Additional Graphics Cards, Stomps Out Bugs
• Winamp Sale Could Save Media Player From Extinction, Shoutcast Too
• XFX is Busy Building a Super Cool and Quiet Radeon R9 290X Graphics Card
• Acer Announces 20-inch FT200HQL Capacity Touch Display for $199
• BlackBerry Bleeds Red Ink on Massive Charges, Posts $4.4 Billion Loss
• Newegg Daily Deals: Asus RT-N66U N900 Wireless Router, Intel 530 Series 240GB SSD, and More!

OPPO N1 Launching With CyanogenMod Installed Posted: 20 Dec 2013 04:00 PM PST Cyanogen teams up with Oppo for the first dedicated CyanogenMod smartphone CyanogenMod has come a long way from its roots as an alternate ROM for the HTC Dream. Its latest milestone is the impending launch of the first smartphone running CyanogenMod straight from the factory: the CyanogenMod OPPO N1.   It's a limited edition version that repurposes the existing OPPO N1 White hardware with CyanogenMod 10.2 in tow. That's a good thing because the N1 White packs a Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 Quad-Core 1.7GHz processor, a 5.9-inch (1080x1920) Gorilla Glass 3 screen, and a rotating 13-megapixel camera.  What makes the incoming N1 particularly interesting is that it's already passed Google's compatibility test suite (CTS) which means that the Google Play Store will be available on the device by default. The partnership seems to be more than just a simple install at the factory. "This was an awesome, and incredibly challenging project given the crazy timeline we were on," wrote Cyanogen co-founder Steve Kondik in a Google+ post. "Myself and a bunch of other guys have not slept for over a month now." If this sounds like something you'd want, it'll be available starting Dec. 24—probably at a price close to the N1 White which costs $600 for the 16GB version and $650 for the 32GB version. Follow Ben on Twitter.

GPU-Z Update Adds Support for 12 Additional Graphics Cards, Stomps Out Bugs Posted: 20 Dec 2013 01:10 PM PST Handy utility displays your GPU's DNA and vitals Every power user has a set of go-to programs and utilities that he or she carries around on a USB thumb drive. One that should be included is GPU-Z, a lightweight utility that takes up all of 1.3MB or 1.4MB of space (depending on whether you want the standard version or the one with an Asus ROG skin). Even though it has a teeny-tiny footprint, it can tell an awful lot about your graphics card, which can come in handy when troubleshooting. The newest update -- version 0.7.5 -- released today adds support for 12 more discrete GPUs and an additional integrated GPU. They include: AMD Radeon R7 260 AMD Radeon HD 7600A AMD Radeon H 8850M AMD Radeon HD 8400 AMD Radeon HD 8240 AMD Radeon HD 7620G Nvidia GeForce 705A Nvidia GeForce GTX 645 Nvidia GeForce GTX 650 OEM Nvidia Grid K260Q Nvidia Quadro K5100M Nvidia Quadro K6000 Intel GMA (Bay Trail) HD 4200 In addition to recognizing a bunch of new GPUs, the latest release fixed a few issues, including one that caused the utility to hang or crash on Nvidia Optimus and/or during CUDA detection. Voltage monitoring support has been added for new Bonaire/Pitcairn SKUs, Windows 8.1 is now detected properly, and sensor data in shared memory will now update once per second, as intended. You can download GPU-Z from TechPowerUp. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Winamp Sale Could Save Media Player From Extinction, Shoutcast Too Posted: 20 Dec 2013 11:40 AM PST Don't turn out the lights, the party might not be over If you've been crying crocodile tears over the impending demise of Winamp, you can put that box of tissues back in the bathroom, the popular media player form yesteryear may not be getting unplugged after all. AOL is reportedly close to finalizing a package deal involving both Winamp and Shoutcast, and if completed, both would continue to exist under new ownership. News of the potential deal comes from TechCrunch, which is owned by AOL. TechCrunch says Microsoft was previously in talks to purchase both Winamp and Shoutcast, though it's not clear if the Redmond software giant is the mystery suitor this time around. Even if the negotiations run past today, TechCrunch's source says its unlikely either service will shut down, so long as a potential deal is on the table. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

XFX is Busy Building a Super Cool and Quiet Radeon R9 290X Graphics Card Posted: 20 Dec 2013 11:00 AM PST Another card for the Litecoin miners to snatch up It's starting to get a little bit easier to find AMD Radeon R9 290X graphics cards in stock, but before you pounce on one, you may want to hold off and see what XFX is cooking up. The enthusiast brand is supposedly working on a custom cooled Radeon R9 290X that's both quieter and much chillier than AMD's reference design, the latter of which means there's less chance of the card throttling down its clockspeed. The folks at news and rumor site Fudzilla claim that one of these cards is currently being shipped to its office, with XFX telling the site that its card is "considerably quieter" than the stock cooling solution. "According to XFX the new cooler is very powerful as it manages to keep the GPU temperature under 85 degrees Celsius," Fudzilla says. "The AMD reference cooler is not as good and the reference card can hit 95 degrees with relative ease." XFX took some dark and blurry photos of the card, but there are some specs to share. The cooler features 7 heat pipes, a copper base that makes direct contact to the GPU, dual double dissipation 90mm fans, and more. It's supposed to run just 32dB versus 57dB put out by the reference cooler; its idle noise level is just 15dB to 20dB. Image Credit: XFX via Fudzilla Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Acer Announces 20-inch FT200HQL Capacity Touch Display for $199 Posted: 20 Dec 2013 10:06 AM PST A small but affordable touchscreen display Microsoft has never hidden the fact that Windows 8 works best when you're able to touch, tap, swipe, and get hands-on with your display. The problem there is that most existing monitors lack touch support, so if you want that functionality on your desktop, you're looking at investing in a new panel. Acer's new 20-inch FT200HQL is one such option, and though the 19.5-inch screen is on the small side, it supports 10-point capacitive touch input. It's also VESA wall-mountable. If you prefer to plop it on your desk, the stand tilts from 10-90 degrees, which Acer claims is especially beneficial for touch-friendly activities like playing games, viewing photo albums, flipping through cookbooks, and surfing the web. Acer's FT200HQL sports a native resolution of 1600x900 with a 5ms response time, viewing angles of up to 170 degrees horizontally and up to 160 degrees vertically, and a 100,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio. It also has built-in dual speakers, a VGA port, and two HDMI ports. You can find the Acer FT200HQL selling now for $199 with a three-year warranty. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

BlackBerry Bleeds Red Ink on Massive Charges, Posts $4.4 Billion Loss Posted: 20 Dec 2013 07:39 AM PST More sour grapes for BlackBerry BlackBerry can't seem to catch a break no matter what it does. This was a year of change for BlackBerry, from a shakeup in management to new devices and even a new name. However, the end result is still the same -- losses. The latest loss comes to $4.4 billion for the Canadian handset maker's three month period ended November 30, 2013. No company wants to be staring at $4.4 billion loss, though the majority of that red ink is due to charges. Not including pre-tax charges of $4.6 billion associated with long-lived assets, inventory and supply commitments, and previously announced restructuring costs, BlackBerry's losses for the quarter came to $354 million (PDF), or $0.67 per diluted share, compared with a $248 million loss in the prior quarter. There's still not a lot of solace to be taken in those adjusted figures. Part of the problem BlackBerry faces is that customers aren't flocking to its newer BlackBerry 10 devices as the company anticipated. Of the 4.3 million smartphones it sold during the third quarter, 3.2 million were BlackBerry 7 devices. BlackBerry remains optimistic as it continues its restructuring effort. As part of that, the company announced a 5-year strategic partnership with Foxconn, the same company that builds the bulk of Apple's iPhone and other mobile products. Under the new relationship, BlackBerry says the two will jointly develop and manufacture certain BlackBerry devices, with the initial focus on a smartphone for Indonesia and other fast-growing markets in early 2014. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Newegg Daily Deals: Asus RT-N66U N900 Wireless Router, Intel 530 Series 240GB SSD, and More! Posted: 20 Dec 2013 06:37 AM PST Top Deal: Think all wireless routers are essentially the same? Like most other hardware, features and performance separate one router from another, and the one you choose can be the difference between getting the Internet service you're paying for, or not. One model that's definitely up to the task is the topic of today's top deal -- it's an Asus RT-N66U Dual Band Wireless N900 Gigabit Router for $125 with free shipping (normally $170; Free 5-port gigabit switch w/ coupon code: [EMCWVWL23]). Dubbed the "Dark Knight," this router rose to the top of our Best of the Best list when we reviewed it back in 2012, earning a perfect 10/10 score. It's range is incredible, it's fast, the antennas are upgradeable, and it even supports DD-WRT. Other Deals: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-1600C9D-16GXM for $130 with free shipping (normally $150; use coupon code: [EMCWVWL22]) Intel 530 Series SSDSC2BW240A4K5 2.5-inch 240GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) for $155 with free shipping (normally $200; use coupon code: [EMCWVWL224]) Asus GTX660-DC2O-2GD5 GeForce GTX 660 2GB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card for $180 with free shipping (normally $200; use coupon code: [EMCWVWL98]; additional $20 Mail-in rebate) Seagate Constellation CS ST3000NC002 3TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5-inch Enterprise Internal Hard Drive Bare Drive for $165 with free shipping (normally $200; use coupon code: [EMCWVWL33])

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MMO Updates

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• Star Citizen livestream happening right now, and Massively's liveblogging it
• SWTOR on its second anniversary: Winning an uphill battle
• EverQuest Producer's letter talks race/class combos, scaled Heroic Adventures
• The Stream Team: Counting cards in the Hearthstone arena
• Tamriel Infinium: Marketing, modeling, and modding the Elder Scrolls Online
• The Daily Grind: What's your MMO of the year?
• ANet talks GW2's Job-o-Tron, uses the word 'accoutrements' in a sentence
• The Stream Team: Happy Holidays from RIFT's Fae Yule
• EverQuest Next Landmark alpha coming 'last half of January'
• Win some Gil and more in Final Fantasy XI's latest Mog Bonanza
• Elite: Dangerous newsletter talks 'accessibility plus depth'
• Hands-on with Albion Online's alpha
• World of Warplanes' first update brings planes and also planes
• Perfect World putting new resources toward console development
• Trove will rejuvenate MMO worlds by blowing them up
• Pick up MMOs on the cheap in Steam's holiday sale
• Hearthstone open beta pushed into 2014
• The Stream Team: 'Tis the season (for Krampus) in The Secret World
• MechWarrior Online's Bullock on golden mechs and future content
• Field Journal: The true meaning of MMO holiday events
• Defiance now offers unlimited free trial
• Diablo III: Reaper of Souls coming March 25th, 2014
• Casting for Warcraft movie continues

Star Citizen livestream happening right now, and Massively's liveblogging it Posted: 20 Dec 2013 09:00 AM PST Filed under: Sci-Fi, Business Models, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Events (Massively's Coverage), Sandbox, Crowdfunding, Star Citizen, Buy-to-Play Guess what, Star Citizens? It's time for another Cloud Imperium livestream, that's what. It's not one of those 24-hour marathons, fortunately, but today's presentation should give us a better idea of where development stands on the space sim sandbox's dogfighting module. According to the teaser post on the official website, Chris Roberts and company will also be talking up the latest hangar module tweaks as well as the Squadron 42 stand-alone campaign. If you're stuck at work or otherwise unable to tune into CIG's Twitch broadcast, don't sweat it. Massively's is here to liveblog the full event. Be sure to refresh this post and its comments every so often to see what's happening. Star Citizen livestream happening right now, and Massively's liveblogging it originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 20 Dec 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

SWTOR on its second anniversary: Winning an uphill battle Posted: 20 Dec 2013 08:30 AM PST Filed under: Sci-Fi, Events (Real-World), Events (In-Game), Expansions, Patches, PvP, Endgame, PvE, Opinion, Free-to-Play, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Anniversaries, MMORPG At the beginning of the year, Star Wars: The Old Republic was struggling to find its place in the MMO world. As you are likely aware, 2012 was a rough year for SWTOR, but because of the free-to-play launch in November, the tide began to turn, at least financially. Players began flooding back to the game because BioWare tore down the paywall, but that was really the beginning of battle. If SWTOR really wanted to see success, it was going to have to keep those players around. Thus began the uphill battle of making the game successful in 2013. The game began the year with a few flops, and although not everyone was completely satisfied with all the decisions this year, SWTOR certainly upped its game. The game we saw at the end of 2012 morphed into something different and more satisfying by the end of this year. It started with the reopening of the western shelf on Ilum, continued to the launch of the game's first expansion, and ended with a second expansion. Continue reading SWTOR on its second anniversary: Winning an uphill battle SWTOR on its second anniversary: Winning an uphill battle originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 20 Dec 2013 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

EverQuest Producer's letter talks race/class combos, scaled Heroic Adventures Posted: 20 Dec 2013 08:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest, Game Mechanics, Patches, News Items, Free-to-Play, Dev Diaries Want your favorite race/class combination to make it into EverQuest for its 15th anniversary? Then you'd better jump on the site and vote! The December Producer's Letter noted that the semi-final round just started, with three Elvenkind and one Iksar battling to be the chosen one. But the news doesn't stop there: The letter goes on to say that Call of the Forsaken: Hate Rising -- the first large free content update for those who own that expansion -- is launching in January, bringing new raids, new rare loot, and new Heroic Adventures to Norrath. On top of that, Heroic Adventures are getting tweaked so that they will be scaled by level, giving players the opportunity to play this content even earlier. EverQuest Producer's letter talks race/class combos, scaled Heroic Adventures originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 20 Dec 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments December Producer's letter

The Stream Team: Counting cards in the Hearthstone arena Posted: 20 Dec 2013 07:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Hands-On, Trading Card Games, Livestream, The Stream Team, Hearthstone Have you heard the news? Mages got hit with the nerf bat this week in Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft. While they still have copious amounts of direct damage removal spells, their major freeze spells (Cone of Cold, Blizzard, Frost Nova) all got bumped up in mana, cost giving opponents some breathing room. Join Massively's Richie live at 10:00 a.m. EST as he constructs a brand-new arena deck and seeks the thrill of victory. Game: Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft Host: Richie "Bog Otter" Procopio Date: Friday, December 20th, 2013 Time: 10:00 a.m. EST Enjoy our Steam Team video below. Continue reading The Stream Team: Counting cards in the Hearthstone arena The Stream Team: Counting cards in the Hearthstone arena originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 20 Dec 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Tamriel Infinium: Marketing, modeling, and modding the Elder Scrolls Online Posted: 20 Dec 2013 06:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, MMO Industry, Opinion, The Elder Scrolls Online, MMORPG, Tamriel Infinium I knew Massively readers would have a lot to say regarding the release date for the Elder Scrolls Online and how it measures up against other upcoming MMOs, but I had no idea about the breadth of topics that would come up. We heard the old standard, that nothing will ever beat the two-ton gorilla, World of Warcraft. Other readers argued that other games releasing about the same time are so much better. But what I'm most interested in is in the deeper discussions about why one franchise would choose one date while another would choose to wait. And because I included the launch-day-announcement video, readers had an opportunity to give their input on the aesthetics of the game as well as the overall expected performance. These topics also sparked discussion on modding for ESO. I love all these topics and frankly couldn't settle on one to talk about this week. So I'm just going to hit on them all: marketing, modeling, and modding. Continue reading Tamriel Infinium: Marketing, modeling, and modding the Elder Scrolls Online Tamriel Infinium: Marketing, modeling, and modding the Elder Scrolls Online originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 20 Dec 2013 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Daily Grind: What's your MMO of the year? Posted: 20 Dec 2013 05:00 AM PST Filed under: MMO Industry, Opinion, Massively Meta, The Daily Grind, Final Fantasy XIV, Miscellaneous Yesterday, we published Massively's 2013 awards, including our pick for MMO of the year, Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, which carried off that top award in something of a landslide, even if it was tempered by the recent housing patch debacle. Wizardry Online, Defiance, Darkfall Unholy Wars, Age of Wushu, Neverwinter, DUST 514, Marvel Heroes, MechWarrior Online, and a slew of other smaller games were all in the running for MMO of the year, being the short list of MMOs that formally launched in 2013. Did we nail it, or would you have voted for another title? What's your MMO of the year? 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 MMO of the year? originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 20 Dec 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

ANet talks GW2's Job-o-Tron, uses the word 'accoutrements' in a sentence Posted: 19 Dec 2013 05:30 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, MMO Industry, News Items, Guild Wars 2, Dev Diaries, Buy-to-Play The mind of a writer can be a scary place, and it makes for equally scary -- not to mention verbose -- blog posts when the creative writing process is laid bare. Don't believe me? Get a load of this Guild Wars 2 dev diary that outlines the strange journey of Job-o-Tron as he goes from idea to in-game asset. ArenaNet details all aspects of its "intrepid employment-seeking golem" through the eyes of those devs who know him best. Also, the company manages to fit five-dollar words like denouement and accoutrements into a single paragraph. Read all about it via the links below. ANet talks GW2's Job-o-Tron, uses the word 'accoutrements' in a sentence originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 Dec 2013 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Job-o-Tron

The Stream Team: Happy Holidays from RIFT's Fae Yule Posted: 19 Dec 2013 05:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Events (In-Game), Events (Massively's Coverage), RIFT, Livestream, The Stream Team >It's that time of year again! Digital presents and pixel snow are cropping up in our favorite MMOs and RIFT's yearly holiday event, Fae Yule, is in full swing with everything Fae-y and Yule-y. Join Massively's Jasmine as she quests her way through the holiday cheer live at 8:00 p.m. EST! Game: RIFT Host: Jasmine Hruschak Date: Thursday, December 19th, 2013 Time: 8:00 p.m. EST Enjoy our Steam Team video below. Continue reading The Stream Team: Happy Holidays from RIFT's Fae Yule The Stream Team: Happy Holidays from RIFT's Fae Yule originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 Dec 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

EverQuest Next Landmark alpha coming 'last half of January' Posted: 19 Dec 2013 04:30 PM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, New Titles, News Items, Free-to-Play, EverQuest Next, Sandbox, Player-Generated Content Remember back when SOE said that EverQuest Next Landmark's alpha would happen on or before February 28th, 2014? According to CEO John Smedley, players will likely be seeing the game a month (or more) sooner than that. Smedley tweeted, "It's looking like our alpha for EQNL is going to start sometime in the last half of January." That's some pretty good news for folks who are excited to get in and test the building tools in the sandbox for themselves. EverQuest Next Landmark alpha coming 'last half of January' originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 Dec 2013 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Smed's Twitter

Win some Gil and more in Final Fantasy XI's latest Mog Bonanza Posted: 19 Dec 2013 04:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Final Fantasy XI, Events (In-Game), News Items, Anniversaries Are you the gambling type? Does the chance of winning oodles of cash or special items in a lottery thrill and excite you? Then hold on to your helms -- Final Fantasy XI's Mog Bonanza has returned! Until January 23, 2014, at 3:00 a.m. EST, players can purchase Mog Bonanza marbles (up to 10 per character) and inscribe five numbers on each in hopes of winning various prizes, from Gil to a Kraken Club to a Chocobo suit. The cost of each marble is 1,111 Gil, and winning numbers will be announced February 13th at 3:00 a.m EST. For a complete run-down of the rules and a full list of possible prizes, visit the official site. Win some Gil and more in Final Fantasy XI's latest Mog Bonanza originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 Dec 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Mog Bonanza returns

Elite: Dangerous newsletter talks 'accessibility plus depth' Posted: 19 Dec 2013 03:30 PM PST Filed under: Sci-Fi, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Dev Diaries, Sandbox, Crowdfunding, Elite: Dangerous, Buy-to-Play Frontier has released its 15th Elite: Dangerous e-newsletter. The publication focuses heavily on the sandbox space sim's recent alpha kickoff, and it features plenty of developer commentary on everything from art and audio to code and design. There's also a handy run-down of game development jobs and terminology, so if you've ever wondered what a renderer does or what Frontier's core design mandate happens to be ("accessibility plus depth"), look no further than issue 15. [Thanks Peteris!] Elite: Dangerous newsletter talks 'accessibility plus depth' originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 Dec 2013 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments ED #15

Hands-on with Albion Online's alpha Posted: 19 Dec 2013 03:00 PM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Culture, Game Mechanics, Previews, Opinion, Hands-On, First Impressions, Miscellaneous Ever miss the old MMO days when crafting had meaning? When your friend could join up with you and on day one you could both go somewhere pretty cool, and just having that extra person could make things a smidge easier? Wish you could go back to those days without dealing with mindless grinds? Sandbox Interactive's Albion Online is perhaps something you should look into. In fact, those are the very reasons I signed up for the alpha back when I first heard about it. And now that I've played around with it a bit, I've been pleasantly surprised with my experience, though there are a few things newcomers will want to watch out for. For starters, Albion's alpha is an actual alpha, not a retitled beta for marketing purposes. If you're going to play any future alpha phases, know that they'll be rough, unfinished, and non-functional in some areas. There's no actual character creation at the moment. Heck, there isn't even a female option (sorry ladies!). You can change your portrait, but that doesn't change the way your character looks. Because it's an alpha, I'm going to only lightly cover what I couldn't play and focus more heavily on those I could. Continue reading Hands-on with Albion Online's alpha Hands-on with Albion Online's alpha originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 Dec 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

World of Warplanes' first update brings planes and also planes Posted: 19 Dec 2013 02:30 PM PST Filed under: Historical, Launches, Patches, PvP, News Items, War, Free-to-Play, World of Warplanes Pilots of World of Warplanes likely noticed that Update 1.1, the game's first content patch, is now live. Update 1.1 brings two battle maps, 14 planes, and new training missions. The new aircraft in update 1.1 include nine German Focke-Wulf warplanes and five tier V premium planes: the UK's Miles M. 20, Russia's Curtiss P-40 M-105, the US's Grumman XF4U-1, and the German Messerschmitt Me 209V. Wargaming.net also noted that it has made improvements to mouse and joystick controls along with a few balance tweaks and other performance adjustments. Players who log in to World of Warplanes between December 23rd, 2013, and January 16, 2013, will receive the exclusive Curtizz Model 68C Hawk III premium aircraft. [Source: Wargaming.net press release] World of Warplanes' first update brings planes and also planes originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 Dec 2013 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Perfect World putting new resources toward console development Posted: 19 Dec 2013 02:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-Fi, MMO Industry, PvP, News Items, PvE, Star Trek Online, Free-to-Play, Consoles, MMOFPS, Post-Apocalyptic, Neverwinter, MMORPG Perfect World Entertainment, the mega-publisher behind games like Neverwinter, Torchlight II, RaiderZ, and Star Trek Online, has just announced that it is launching a new in-house division dedicated to console development. According to general manager of publishing Andrew Brown, investing in console development offers Perfect World a way to "better connect with players." The console division will be dedicated to bringing new and existing PWE titles to consoles. Brown seemed optimistic about expanding into the console world, explaining, "You can expect Perfect World to be a major player in the console marketplace." No specific games were named for release. [Thanks to Paul for the tip!] Perfect World putting new resources toward console development originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 Dec 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments GamesIndustry.biz

Trove will rejuvenate MMO worlds by blowing them up Posted: 19 Dec 2013 01:30 PM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Interviews, Previews, Free-to-Play, Sandbox I'll confess that even after having chatted with Trion Worlds CEO Scott Hartsman about this new Trove project and reading Shawn's very early impressions piece, I was still having difficulty understanding what, exactly, this game was about. Was it just some sort of kiddy LEGO hack-and-slasher with a nod to housing thrown in? How was Trion going to make good on its promise to continually provide a sense of new adventures? And was Trove just a blatant ripoff of Cube World, as some have claimed? Because Trove isn't quite a typical MMO, I needed another phone session with Trion to get a clearer picture of this game. Creative Lead Andrew Krausnick spent an hour with me patiently answering any and all of my questions. The big one had to be asked from the get go. Were you really going to be blowing up the world all the time? Krausnick confirmed that yes, Trion will be doing exactly that. More than that, he said that it would be the factor that would set Trove apart from all of the other games out there right now. Continue reading Trove will rejuvenate MMO worlds by blowing them up Trove will rejuvenate MMO worlds by blowing them up originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 Dec 2013 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Pick up MMOs on the cheap in Steam's holiday sale Posted: 19 Dec 2013 01:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Darkfall, EVE Online, Final Fantasy XI, Events (Real-World), MMO Industry, PvP, News Items, PvE, The Secret World, Miscellaneous, Sandbox, Defiance, MMORPG, Buy-to-Play It's that time of year again, folks -- the time when grandfather Valve slides down the chimney and offers you a huge pile of reasonably priced games. Yes, Steam's holiday sale is now in full effect, bringing with it some nice deals on a few MMO titles. Here's what we've found so far: Guns of Icarus Online - $3.74 (75% off - flash sale!) The Secret World - $14.99 (50% off) The Secret World: Massive Edition - $29.99 (50% off) Darkfall Unholy Wars - $13.58 (66% off) Defiance- $4.99 (50% off) Final Fantasy XI: Ultimate Collection Seekers Edition - $15.99 (60% off) EVE Online - $4.98 (75% off) Keep in mind that sales change daily and that some games above do require subscription fees. The Steam holiday sales ends January 2nd, 2014. Pick up MMOs on the cheap in Steam's holiday sale originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 Dec 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Hearthstone open beta pushed into 2014 Posted: 19 Dec 2013 12:30 PM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Launches, New Titles, PvP, News Items, PvE, Free-to-Play, Miscellaneous, Hearthstone Despite Blizzard's hope of launching Hearthstone into open beta sometime this month, it appears as though bug-catching, card-tweaking, and fine-tuning have gotten the better of the team. The studio today announced that Hearthstone's open beta has been delayed to ensure the game is "ready for wider testing." According to Blizzard, Hearthstone's open beta is still "very close." Blizzard tempered the bad news with an announcement that it is expanding the closed beta substantially; everyone who opted in before December 16th, 2013, should have received an invite. If you haven't yet opted in, you have until January 7th, 2014, to sign up. No further card data wipes are planned as Hearthstone edges its way to launch. Hearthstone open beta pushed into 2014 originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 Dec 2013 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments WoW Insider

The Stream Team: 'Tis the season (for Krampus) in The Secret World Posted: 19 Dec 2013 12:00 PM PST Filed under: Horror, Real-Life, Video, Events (In-Game), Massively Meta, The Secret World, The Stream Team, Buy-to-Play This holiday season isn't all about cute little elves and brightly lit packages, especially not if you are a part of The Secret World. Instead of a giant jolly old elf dressed in red velvet, Massively's MJ is on the lookout for a cloven-hoofed beast with horns. Rumor has it he can even open a portal to a realm of frost and ice. A new place to explore... where do we sign up? Join us live at 3:00 p.m. for some holiday shenanigans, and maybe a lair, too. Game: The Secret World Host: MJ Guthrie Date: Thursday, December 19th, 2013 Time: 3:00 p.m. EST Enjoy our Steam Team video below. Continue reading The Stream Team: 'Tis the season (for Krampus) in The Secret World The Stream Team: 'Tis the season (for Krampus) in The Secret World originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 Dec 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

MechWarrior Online's Bullock on golden mechs and future content Posted: 19 Dec 2013 11:30 AM PST Filed under: Sci-Fi, Video, Business Models, Interviews, PvP, Free-to-Play, MMOFPS, Post-Apocalyptic, MechWarrior Online Pirahna Game's president Russ Bullock is listening to the playerbase of MechWarrior Online. He is very aware of the number of complaints that have come in after a recent announcement of the pre-order sell of Clan 'Mechs, with prices ranging from under $30.00 to $500.00 for a gold-plated version. Although the complaints come from a range of topics, many concentrate on the timing of the announcement. After all, the developers only recently announced the Project Phoenix pre-order program. Some players see this new DLC pre-order only as a chance to make more money in lieu of producing more content. Other complaints stem from the prices of the pre-orders, and it's easy to see why. When we sat down with him recently, Bullock explained the costs in a few ways. First, the highest-priced items are simply collector's items. They look cool and do not have extras that go along with them that give them an advantage during combat. Second, all of the 'Mechs on the list can be paid for with in-game funds once released, minus some of the non-combat bonuses attached, meaning that any player who wants to can continue to pay nothing at all. Bullock wanted to emphasize that despite all of this, he knows that what the playerbase is really asking for is community-based features. Continue reading MechWarrior Online's Bullock on golden mechs and future content MechWarrior Online's Bullock on golden mechs and future content originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 Dec 2013 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Field Journal: The true meaning of MMO holiday events Posted: 19 Dec 2013 11:00 AM PST Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Events (In-Game), Opinion, Star Trek Online, Guild Wars 2, Hands-On, Humor, RIFT, MMORPG, Field Journal Field Journal is a bold and exciting new take on MMO journalism. Or the meandering ramblings of a chronic game-hopper. I haven't decided yet. Each week I'll be setting for myself a new "adventure" or "field trip" into a game to explore some aspect of it in detail. I'll be sharing my thoughts and experiences, especially on games without a dedicated column. Anything from the most obscure indie to the elephant in the room is up for consideration. There just has to be something in it we think is worth gawking at and talking about! Given the timing, I wanted to kick things off with a look at seasonal events in MMOs. To make it special, I thought, why not tackle the events of a few games in one go? Oh how naive I was. Let me tell you, there's nothing like seeing the same flavor of holiday cheer over and over again in supposedly different worlds to strip away one's capacity for goodwill to all developers. Fortunately, there were a few bright spots. Continue reading Field Journal: The true meaning of MMO holiday events Field Journal: The true meaning of MMO holiday events originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 Dec 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Defiance now offers unlimited free trial Posted: 19 Dec 2013 10:30 AM PST Filed under: Sci-Fi, MMOFPS, Dev Diaries, Defiance, Buy-to-Play Defiance's free trial just got better as Trion Worlds has removed the time limit so that players can explore the game at their own pace. The trial still has a hard cap limit for 500 EGO, however. Trion also posted a dev blog talking about how the team is using stims, spikes, and revamped grenades to make the action in the recent Arkbreaker DLC even better. "Ark hunters constantly ride the dagger's edge between life and death: the addition of resource scarcity makes this danger all the more real when placed into the combat equation," Creative Lead Trick Dempsey explained. "Spikes, stims, and grenades add a huge amount of power to the ark hunter arsenal, but power always comes with the seductive possibility of becoming dependent and thus, vulnerable." Defiance now offers unlimited free trial originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 Dec 2013 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Endless free trial, Dev diary

Diablo III: Reaper of Souls coming March 25th, 2014 Posted: 19 Dec 2013 10:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Expansions, Launches, Diablo III, Buy-to-Play Get out your checkbooks (are those still used?) if you're a Diablo III fan because Blizzard has put a street date on Reaper of Souls: March 25th, 2014. This release date is for the PC and Mac only, with the PlayStation 4 release date to be announced later. Even though you won't be able to play the expansion for three months, you can pay for it today. That's so considerate of the studio, isn't it? Those who pre-purchase Reaper of Souls have the choice of three editions. The standard edition is $39.99 and the digital deluxe version (with extra goodies like a spectral hound minion) is $59.99. Alternatively, you can try to snag one of the collector's editions (with extra extra goodies) for $79.99 at select retail stores. The expansion includes a new act, the Crusader character, the Loot 2.0 system, more class skills, new modes, and more. Diablo III: Reaper of Souls coming March 25th, 2014 originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 Dec 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Release date announcementWoW Insider

Casting for Warcraft movie continues Posted: 19 Dec 2013 09:30 AM PST Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Events (Real-World), MMO Industry, News Items Two weeks ago, we heard about the first actors selected to be in the upcoming movie based on the Warcraft universe. Now we learn about two more who will be joining the cast of the movie set to release March 11th, 2014. Universal Pictures has announced that Clancy Brown and Daniel Wu will be in the production. Besides acting in movies like Homefront, Highlander, and Shawshank Redemption and television series like Sleepy Hollow, Brown has done a great deal of voice-over work, including SpongeBob SquarePants, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Wu is best known for his roles in Chinese-language films as an actor as well as a director and a producer. Casting for Warcraft movie continues originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 Dec 2013 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments WoW Insider: New actors announced

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