| Massively Rewind: Introducing Massively's news video show Posted: 10 Jan 2014 09:00 AM PST Filed under: Video, MMO Industry, News Items, Opinion, Massively Meta, Humor, Miscellaneous, MMORPG, Massively Rewind For the inaugural episode of Massively Rewind, we feel it's appropriate to define what this show is because, frankly, explaining what it isn't would take far too long. (It isn't a cookie. It isn't a poodle. It isn't underwater yodeling. See?) Every week Massively Rewind will recap some of the top gaming news stories and present them in rib-tickling video morsels. It's a lot like time travel without the DeLoreans, world-ending paradoxes, and showing up suddenly without any clothes. This week, we take a look at a dedicated factionless World of Warcraft player, Smedley putting out SOE fires, and why it's good to be the emperor in the Elder Scrolls Online. Continue reading Massively Rewind: Introducing Massively's news video show  Massively Rewind: Introducing Massively's news video show originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 10 Jan 2014 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Experience EQ Next Landmark at Community Celebration event Posted: 10 Jan 2014 08:30 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Events (Real-World), MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Free-to-Play, EverQuest Next, Sandbox If you live in the San Diego area (or are willing to spring for airfare), you can get your own hands-on experience of EverQuest Next Landmark during the EQNL Community Celebration on Friday, January 31st. From 10:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. PST (1:00 to 9:00 p.m. EST), fans can congregate at the SOE San Diego campus and check out a demo of the sandbox on a local server, mingle and interact with devs, share EQ memories, and win prizes. The only catch is you can't tell us about your experiences: All participants at the event will be required to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA). Experience EQ Next Landmark at Community Celebration event originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 10 Jan 2014 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Guild Wars 2 posts first Q&A of The Dolyak Express initiative Posted: 10 Jan 2014 08:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, News Items, Guild Wars 2, Community Q&A, Buy-to-Play Last month, Guild Wars 2's Community Team launched a new initiative, dubbed The Dolyak Express, to give players a chance to ask development questions that require simple answers (as opposed to long discussions). After gleaning questions from the community, the team has posted the initiative's first set of answers. What do devs have to say about Dwarves as a playable race? So many were turned to stone that there aren't really enough of them left to make a playable race now, but maybe many years down the road is possible. What about changes to WvW and PvP in 2014? You can get the answers to these questions and more, along with a look into how stories will be presented in the future, in this inaugural Q&A. Guild Wars 2 posts first Q&A of The Dolyak Express initiative originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 10 Jan 2014 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| MMObility: CES highlights for mobile gaming enthusiasts Posted: 10 Jan 2014 07:00 AM PST Filed under: Culture, Events (Real-World), Previews, Mobile, Events (Massively's Coverage), Miscellaneous, MMObility Most years, I am unimpressed by CES, the Consumer Electronics Show held in Las Vegas. Sure, I watch the feeds and keep an eye on the latest bits of technical glitter that pop out of the event, but generally I find 4K televisions that cost thousands of dollars to be about as exciting as a bag of dead hamsters. I don't care about the next wave of supercomputers, and I certainly have no interest in technically advanced cars that mostly innovate on ways to make people spend money. What excites me about almost any trade show is the stuff you find in the corners of the show room: the smaller booths, the indie developers or the hints of up-and-coming tech that will eventually make our lives easier and more fun. And of course, I'm always excited to see tech that might bring mobile MMOs to the place they deserve to be, a place in our everyday lives. CES is exciting to me because it shows the potential and possibly inexpensive future of tech. Thanks to Engadget, one of our sister sites, I was able to get more than an eyeful of neat mobile tech! Continue reading MMObility: CES highlights for mobile gaming enthusiasts MMObility: CES highlights for mobile gaming enthusiasts originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 10 Jan 2014 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| League of Angels goes live today Posted: 10 Jan 2014 06:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Events (In-Game), Launches, New Titles, Browser Hybrid turn-based fantasy MMO League of Angels will officially launch today, and publisher R2Games is celebrating with events rewarding in-game items and LoA merchandise. In addition, fans will get a peek at special event cosplay from "established names in the community" by signing up for the game's newsletter. League of Angels features a training system for your team of angels, massive PvP arenas, crafting, and character customization with mounts, cosmetics, and other accessories. Interested players can sign up and play straight from the game's official site. [Source: R2Games press release] League of Angels goes live today originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 10 Jan 2014 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Daily Grind: What constitutes a 'core gamer'? Posted: 10 Jan 2014 05:00 AM PST Filed under: MMO Industry, Opinion, Massively Meta, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous In the last week, analysts have told us that the PS4 is winning with "core gamers," and a League of Legends rep (perhaps, ahem, a bit overzealously) called his game "pretty much the first successful free online game in the west that core gamers actually really like and play." But both did so without agreeing on what, precisely, constitutes a core gamer. Wikipedia defines the archetype in that broad, nebulous zone between casuals and hardcores, two groups that themselves seem hard to pin down: "a player with a wider range of interests than a casual gamer [who] is more likely to enthusiastically play different types of games, but without the amount of time spent and sense of competition of a hardcore gamer," someone who "enjoys games but may not finish every game [he or she buys], doesn't have time for long MMO quests, and is a target consumer." But the term always bugs me because it provokes gamers to fall for the false-consensus effect: We assume we're normal and define ourselves within the safe zone of "core" and then assume that the games we like are therefore also "core." What do you think -- what constitutes a core gamer and a core MMO gamer? And do you likewise think the term is too broad and malleable to be useful?  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 constitutes a 'core gamer'? originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 10 Jan 2014 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Guild Counsel: Recruitment tips in the age of free-to-play Posted: 09 Jan 2014 05:00 PM PST Filed under: Business Models, Guilds, MMO Industry, Opinion, The Guild Counsel, Miscellaneous Free-to-play is here to stay, and in just a few short years, the MMO landscape has changed dramatically. It seems like just yesterday that games like SWTOR and RIFT were adamantly insisting that the subscription model was the best plan for them. And four years ago, if you had suggested that most MMOs would adopt a free-to-play business model, people would question your sanity. Today, if you claim that the subscription model is the best bet, you'll get funny looks. The change has had an impact on guilds, and it's caused many guild leaders to have to rethink the way they recruit and manage their guilds. Let's take a look at how the free-to-play movement can actually help guilds build and maintain a healthy roster. Continue reading The Guild Counsel: Recruitment tips in the age of free-to-play The Guild Counsel: Recruitment tips in the age of free-to-play originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 09 Jan 2014 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Diablo III: Reaper of Souls is expected to begin pre-downloading in January Posted: 09 Jan 2014 04:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Expansions, Diablo III, Buy-to-Play While Diablo III: Reaper of Souls isn't due to come out until March 25th, players should be able to pre-download the expansion some time this month. On the Diablo III forums, Community Manager Stephany Johnson confirmed that Blizzard is trying to get data to customers in January: "The exact date that the predownload will start is still TBD, but we're targeting this month if all goes well. Note: this download will begin automatically (meaning, you shouldn't need to do anything special)." Johnson went on to say that if players don't pre-download, they'll get the same data when they patch up to 2.0.1. While Blizzard typically makes some features available once its pre-expansion patches go live, the meat of Reaper of Souls -- the new class, the new act, and adventure mode -- won't be playable until March 25th. Diablo III: Reaper of Souls is expected to begin pre-downloading in January originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 09 Jan 2014 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Firefall getting 'rare legendary weapon drops,' lots of other stuff [Updated] Posted: 09 Jan 2014 03:30 PM PST Filed under: Sci-Fi, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Free-to-Play, Firefall Did you catch Red 5's dev round table on Twitch earlier today? I didn't either, but fortunately the Firefall Twitter account susses out several of the more interesting tidbits. The team mentioned the MMO shooter's revamped progression curve, which has changed to the point that "you will feel the difference." In-game mailboxes, separate chat channels, "rare legendary weapon drops," and clicking-on-player-names-to-whisper are just a few of the features in the works. The game's HUD is now drag-and-droppable, and the crafting UI has a new and less confusing layout. There's more where that came from, too, so click through the links below to read all about it. [Update: The official site has updated with a dev blog outlining the Q&A!] Firefall getting 'rare legendary weapon drops,' lots of other stuff [Updated] originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 09 Jan 2014 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Legislation introduced to resolve 38 Studios lawsuit Posted: 09 Jan 2014 03:00 PM PST |
| The Stream Team: Searching the Savage Coast's Lair in The Secret World Posted: 09 Jan 2014 02:00 PM PST Filed under: Horror, Real-Life, Video, The Secret World, Livestream, The Stream Team, Buy-to-Play Apparently Hel was lonely because she kept her vistitors much longer than expected last time! But with no holiday events to distract, Massively's MJ will finally get to venture into another one of The Secret World's Lairs. These overland dungeon runs aren't to be trifled with, and they are a good place for cabals to collect some gear. Will MJ and her team make it through to end and find some great treasure in Savage Coast? Join us live at 5:00 p.m. and watch the action unfold. Game: The Secret World Host: MJ Guthrie Date: Thursday, January 9th, 2014 Time: 5:00 p.m. EST Enjoy our Steam Team video below. Continue reading The Stream Team: Searching the Savage Coast's Lair in The Secret World The Stream Team: Searching the Savage Coast's Lair in The Secret World originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 09 Jan 2014 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Study shows intense gaming can cause changes in real-life perception Posted: 09 Jan 2014 01:00 PM PST Filed under: Culture, MMO Industry, News Items, Virtual Worlds, MMOFPS, MMORTS, Miscellaneous, MOBA, MMORPG A new study published in the International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction has linked changes in visual perception and "pseudo-hallucinatory experiences" with intense video gaming. According to the study, intensive playing can cause the player's mind to perceive real-life objects through a gaming lens and can also create a situation in which the mind generates visual distortions based on gameplay. Examples offered in the study, which was done by gathering 656 posts from 54 different forums, include a subject seeing the Mass Effect dialogue wheel in his or her mind during conversations and another mistaking in-flight airplanes for Modern Warfare 2 UAVs. Mentioned as a basis for the study are the visual "waviness" some gamers experience after long sessions with Guitar Hero, the " Tetris effect" that involves seeing how real-life items could stack after playing the famous puzzler, and " Minecraft sickness" in which gamers see square-shaped themes in everyday objects. The full study breaks down a number of different types of gaming after-effects as reported by participants and proposes that the effects can be caused by "the interplay of physiological, perceptual, and cognitive mechanisms." Study shows intense gaming can cause changes in real-life perception originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 09 Jan 2014 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Forbes: ESO's subscription model is just 'a compounding factor' to risk Posted: 09 Jan 2014 12:30 PM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Business Models, MMO Industry, The Elder Scrolls Online, Subscription, Pathfinder Online Forbes is firing back at Pathfinder Online CEO Ryan Dancey, rebutting his faith in the subscription model by observing, "The general, obvious trend is that games are moving to microtransactions or optional subscriptions at best." Forbes contributor Paul Tassi casts doubt on the subscription chart estimates provided by Dancey, saying that they leave out costs and other factors and are mere guesses to boot. The article points out that virtually all newer MMOs have either launched with a hybrid or mictrotransaction model or have moved to free-to-play in recent years. "With rumors of a massive budget, indicators that the game itself isn't anything phenomenal, and the insistence of the subscription model across all platforms, I stand by my assertion that Elder Scrolls Online has the potential to be a huge miss for ZeniMax and Bethesda," the article concludes. "Honestly, even a free-to-play ESO would have seemed incredibly risky by itself, and the subscription fee is just a compounding factor." Forbes: ESO's subscription model is just 'a compounding factor' to risk originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 09 Jan 2014 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Stream Team: Electric lizard boogaloo in FFXIV's Halatali Posted: 09 Jan 2014 12:00 PM PST |
| Star Wars: The Old Republic highlights bomb(er) ships Posted: 09 Jan 2014 11:30 AM PST Filed under: Sci-Fi, Game Mechanics, Previews, News Items, Free-to-Play, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Subscription Bombers are not the sort of ships that dart hither and yon in Star Wars: The Old Republic. They don't skitter about in elaborate dogfights. No, they are the ships that approach their targets, use heavy shields to weather some incoming fire, and then watch as a field of mines explodes around all those ships with the darting and the skittering. The latest development blog on the official site discusses more about how bombers play in Galactic Starfighter. Various mines are available to bombers, ranging from straightforward damage mines to shield-and-power draining Ion Mines to seek-and-destroy Seeker Mines. Bombers can also field stationary Drones for both offensive and defensive purposes, with Sentry Drones taking shots at enemy ships and Repair Drones fixing up the hull of allied craft. Take a look at the full entry for more details, especially if you think you're the sort of player who might want to drop a bomb on someone. Star Wars: The Old Republic highlights bomb(er) ships originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 09 Jan 2014 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Albion Online dishes out details on the game's mechanics Posted: 09 Jan 2014 11:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Game Mechanics, Previews, News Items, Mobile, Community Q&A Albion Online has some pretty ambitious design goals as a top-down multi-platform MMORPG with free-for-all PvP. A few players have gotten a chance to try the earliest testing build out, and there were some obvious questions, enough for the development team to post several answers. While the game is still early in alpha testing, it's an interesting look at the design philosophy and how harsh the environment really will be. The core of Albion Online is that characters don't have specific levels or stats raised via levels; instead, everything comes down to what you can craft, which is increased as you gain more fame. According to the answers, unarmored characters will all have about 1000 life points. Items constantly degrade and can be looted by other players in combat, which means that there's always a drive to get more items, but finding more valuable materials will require a trek to more dangerous parts of the world. Check out the full list of answers for more details on how the designers look to keep the game lively and interesting. [Source: Sandbox Interactive press release] Albion Online dishes out details on the game's mechanics originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 09 Jan 2014 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Weekly updates coming to PlanetSide 2 Posted: 09 Jan 2014 10:30 AM PST Filed under: Sci-Fi, Patches, News Items, Free-to-Play, MMOFPS, PlanetSide 2 Would you like your favorite game to update more often or less often? Odds are you're prefer the former; barring the occasional update that badly breaks something, updates are a good thing. That's why creative director Matt Higby took to the PlanetSide 2 forums to break the happy news that the game's update schedule will be increasing to weekly patches. Yes, that's weekly, starting next Wednesday and continuing through the remainder of the year. Higby explains that the new schedule will have several benefits, starting with the team no longer requiring frequent hotfixes to take care of minor bugs and performance issues. It also means that each individual update will be a bit smaller, resulting in fewer moving pieces and a lower chance of introducing bugs with any given update. Larger features are still being developed, and they'll be moved into the new weekly schedule, but players will be able to expect at least something once a week. Weekly updates coming to PlanetSide 2 originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 09 Jan 2014 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Ask Massively: Giveaways, zombies, and capturing the spirit of Ultima Online Posted: 09 Jan 2014 10:00 AM PST Filed under: MMO Industry, Opinion, Ultima Online, Massively Meta, Ask Massively, Perpetuum, Miscellaneous, Sandbox This week in Ask Massively, we're answering questions about eerily quiet games, giveaways, and capturing the spirit of classic sandboxes and The Walking Dead. Holden asked, "Why has Perpetuum dropped off the map? I never hear about it anymore. The only time I even remember it is when I am doing searches for (more) robot/mech desktop wallpapers. Once monoclegate blew over, it was as if Perpetuum fell of the face of the earth, but it seems that it is still around from glancing at the website." This was such a good question that we went digging for an answer before we even added it to Ask Massively. It had been a long time since we'd reported on Perpetuum because it had been a long time since Perpetuum had made a big splash in the news. Readers speculated that the game's playerbase has shrunk over the last two years, but in fact over the winter holiday, developer Avatar Creations posted a dev blog detailing plans for a newbie tutorial island intended to bolster the new player population. Hopefully Holden and other fans of the game will enjoy this "island of noobs" (Avatar's words, not mine!). Continue reading Ask Massively: Giveaways, zombies, and capturing the spirit of Ultima Online Ask Massively: Giveaways, zombies, and capturing the spirit of Ultima Online originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 09 Jan 2014 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Legend of Edda closes its doors for good January 22nd Posted: 09 Jan 2014 09:30 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, MMO Industry, News Items, Free-to-Play, Sunsets If you'd always meant to check out the cute free-to-play title Legend of Edda but never quite got around to it, you're almost out of luck. GamesCampus has announced that the game is shutting down on January 22nd, 2014. Citing hacking attempts, gold purchasing, and game crashes that created an unstable gaming environment, the studio said "there is no way to continue providing support to the game financially." Legend of Edda closed down temporarily between 2011 and 2012 in order to overhaul and improve the game; unfortunately, this time the closure will be permanent. GamesCampus is currently in the process of working out compensation packages for all players who have been active for the past three months. [Thanks to Mehighlow for the tip!] Legend of Edda closes its doors for good January 22nd originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 09 Jan 2014 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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First cases to feature four-way motherboard mounting options
A briefcase gaming rig
Lenovo has figured out a recipe for success
Tomorrow's solid state storage options
Funky fresh fan, heatsink, and case designs
