| Working As Intended: Endgame is the worst thing that ever happened to MMOs Posted: 14 Mar 2014 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, EverQuest, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, PvE, Opinion, Ultima Online, Miscellaneous, Sandbox, WildStar, Dungeons, MMORPG, Working As Intended Endgame is the worst thing that ever happened to MMOs. I tweeted this last year, and it won't stop rattling around in my head. Every time a developer dodges concerns and leaps to his version of the "elder game," every time a reader claims a reviewer who doesn't get to endgame is irrelevant, and every time someone justifies a weak game mechanic because it doesn't matter at max level anyway, it rattles around some more. Endgame is the worst thing that ever happened to MMOs. Having an endgame, thinking you need one, and designing your game around it -- this is the core problem of the MMO genre. No matter how hard you spin it, when you create a game with an endgame, you create a game with an end... and not much else. Continue reading Working As Intended: Endgame is the worst thing that ever happened to MMOs  Working As Intended: Endgame is the worst thing that ever happened to MMOs originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 14 Mar 2014 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| New vids detail Entwood, Isengard, inventory changes from LotRO's Update 13 Posted: 14 Mar 2014 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Lord of the Rings Online, Game Mechanics, Lore, MMO Industry, Patches, News Items, PvE, Free-to-Play Fan site LotRO Players has sussed out a few details on Turbine's upcoming Update 13. Lord of the Rings Online will be heading to Entwood and a flooded version of Isengard, both of which are detailed in lengthy new videos captured on the Bullroarer test server. Update 13 will also introduce significant changes to LotRO's inventory system, including the ability to purchase additional slots. You can watch all three videos after the break, but be aware that the first two contain spoilers relating to LotRO's epic story quest. [Thanks everyone who tipped us!] Continue reading New vids detail Entwood, Isengard, inventory changes from LotRO's Update 13 New vids detail Entwood, Isengard, inventory changes from LotRO's Update 13 originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 14 Mar 2014 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Infinite Crisis launches open beta, new trailer Posted: 14 Mar 2014 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Super-hero, Trailers, Video, MMO Industry, New Titles, PvP, News Items, Free-to-Play, MOBA, Infinite Crisis DC multiverse MOBA Infinite Crisis is now in open beta, and Turbine has released a new trailer to celebrate. Open beta adds Green Arrow, Aquaman, and Mecha Superman to the roster of playable heroes and villains. Players may battle across three distinct maps including Gotham Divided and Gotham by Gaslight. You can watch the open beta trailer after the break! [Source: Turbine press release] Continue reading Infinite Crisis launches open beta, new trailer Infinite Crisis launches open beta, new trailer originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 14 Mar 2014 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Elite's 3.0 alpha is here, as is docking and a new video Posted: 14 Mar 2014 07:30 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-Fi, Trailers, Video, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Sandbox, Crowdfunding, Elite: Dangerous, Buy-to-Play Frontier has officially released version 3.0 of the Elite: Dangerous alpha. If you've backed Elite or bought alpha access previously, you can update your client immediately and begin testing the new update. "After successfully proving out the moment-to-moment combat gameplay and multiplayer technology in Alpha phases one and two respectively, phase three starts to move towards building out the game by adding docking, an early version of hyperspace jumps between multiple locations, and ship outfitting within an iconic Coriolis space station," explains the latest Elite press release. The firm has also released a 3.0 trailer, which you can view along with the full press release after the break. Continue reading Elite's 3.0 alpha is here, as is docking and a new video Elite's 3.0 alpha is here, as is docking and a new video originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 14 Mar 2014 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Here's Final Fantasy XIV's 2.2 trailer Posted: 14 Mar 2014 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, Patches, News Items, PvE, Final Fantasy XIV, Dungeons, Crafting, Subscription Square has released an eight-minute trailer for Final Fantasy XIV's 2.2 patch. Titled Through the Maelstrom, the clip shows off a boss fight with The Whorleater along with new hairstyles, gardening, a fishing update, hard-mode versions of existing dungeons, and more. Click past the cut to have a look! [Thanks zengar!] Continue reading Here's Final Fantasy XIV's 2.2 trailer Here's Final Fantasy XIV's 2.2 trailer originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 14 Mar 2014 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Daily Grind: What would you pay to leave a dying server? Posted: 14 Mar 2014 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Lord of the Rings Online, Business Models, Economy, MMO Industry, Opinion, Star Wars Galaxies, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous, Sandbox, MMORPG One hundred and thirty-five bucks -- that's what Lord of the Rings Online charges for six character transfer tokens to move your fleet of alts from a dying server to one with a bright future. Nevermind that you weren't the one who turned the server into a ghost town and that it's entirely within a studio's power to make merges happen some way or another; you're the one who foots the bill to escape a dead server. And sometimes that bill is just not worth paying. I admit to shelling out a huge amount of money (a few hundred dollars) to consolidate and transfer my old Star Wars Galaxies accounts and characters, and it was worth every penny because it was my favorite MMO and I played it every single day and needed a vibrant server and economy to have a good time. But when it comes to an MMO I play as casually as Lord of the Rings Online, I have to draw the line. Especially as a crafter, I just won't pay that kind of money (or ask my guildies to do the same) to move my alts, which often means I don't go back at all and the game gets nothing from me. What about you -- what would you pay to leave a dying server? How much do you have to love the game before shelling out for transfers is worth it?  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 would you pay to leave a dying server? originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 14 Mar 2014 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Transformers Universe won't be RuneScape with robots Posted: 13 Mar 2014 07:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Interviews, News Items, Free-to-Play, Transformers Universe, MOBA Jagex Chief Creative Officer Alex Horton recently spoke to PC Gamer about the transformation of Transformers Universe and how the "MOTA" title will differ from the MMORPG sandbox Jagex is most famous for. "Whilst staying true to what Jagex is best at (pushing forward the free-to-play, browser-based gaming arena), we moved away from delivering ' RuneScape: The Cybertron Edition' and focused on upping the emphasis on action and the different skills of a collection of Transformers Warriors," he explained. "We've created a collaborative and competitive combat experience with deep MMO heritage. A game for today. The Transformers are the center of the game, rather than the original notion of building your own Transformers warrior that is your avatar." He also addresses balancing the game to appeal to casuals, core gamers, and genre fans. Transformers Universe won't be RuneScape with robots originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 13 Mar 2014 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Think Tank: Housing or bust! Right? Posted: 13 Mar 2014 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Game Mechanics, Opinion, Massively Meta, Miscellaneous, Housing, The Think Tank, Player-Generated Content With Star Wars: The Old Republic's new player apartment system apparently on the way and several other major MMOs set to launch with or receive housing this year, what better time than now to debate whether housing belongs in MMOs? Sandbox fans are probably choking on the idea that it might not, raised as they were on the idea that housing is such an obvious hub for social interaction and creativity, but a lot of gamers can take it or leave it, figuring that they don't really need another resource-intensive place to stash loot in between raids or PvP matches. I polled the Massively team members to see whether they consider player housing a vital component of MMORPGs. Feel free to chime in! Continue reading The Think Tank: Housing or bust! Right? The Think Tank: Housing or bust! Right? originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 13 Mar 2014 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Marvel Heroes promises a weekend of luck and legends Posted: 13 Mar 2014 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Super-hero, Events (In-Game), Patches, Previews, News Items, Free-to-Play, Marvel Heroes March 17th is St. Patrick's Day, and that means it's time for everyone to get lucky. Especially players of Marvel Heroes, since the game is running its Lucky & Legendary Weekend in celebration. And what does that boil down to? Why, it means you have a lot of options to get lucky with legendary items in (potentially) legendary ways. You might need to get a bit lucky to get everything you want, though. The biggest element of the weekend event is crafting the legendary Pot of Gold, crafted with dropped pieces of rainbows that can be found during the event. There's also a new random costume case that allows for a chance at all sorts of different outfits for your heroes and a game-wide reworking of drops to be more festive for the duration of the weekend. So if you feel like staying up all night to get lucky in the game, you've at least got some convenient reasons for doing so. Marvel Heroes promises a weekend of luck and legends originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 13 Mar 2014 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| City of Titans unveils a bounty of concept art Posted: 13 Mar 2014 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Super-hero, Previews, News Items, Crowdfunding You could build the best superhero game in the world, but if your only options for costuming consist of a gray jumpsuit people are going to be disappointed. Superheroes need elaborate costumes, armors, nifty gadgets, and hopefully jumpsuits in shades other than gray. The development team working on City of Titans knows that, which is why the most recent development update focuses chiefly on the concept art from old artists and new. Among the pieces on display is a design for one of the game's villains, several armor and costume designs, and several hairstyle options. Sure, it's not an update on all of the possible game mechanics that might be in the game, but don't you want to look at some of the keen potential art? If so, go ahead and check out the latest update on the game's Kickstarter page. [Thanks to Nonsensicles for the tip!] City of Titans unveils a bounty of concept art originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 13 Mar 2014 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Secret World's Scenario Weekend starts March 14th Posted: 13 Mar 2014 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Horror, Events (In-Game), MMO Industry, News Items, PvE, The Secret World, Dungeons, Buy-to-Play From Friday, March 14th, until Tuesday, March 18th, The Secret World will be hosting a little something that Funcom calls a Scenario Weekend. Players can take advantage of a 50 percent Aureu boost both when looting scenario loot tokens and when receiving Aureu as an end-of-scenario reward. The firm is also gifting five scenario cooldown removers to everyone who logs in over the weekend. Finally, TSW's cash shop features 30% extra Funcom points with every purchase. The Secret World's Scenario Weekend starts March 14th originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 13 Mar 2014 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Minion rounds up Elder Scrolls Online addons Posted: 13 Mar 2014 02:30 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, The Elder Scrolls Online, Subscription It's Addon Day here at Massively, and as such we have another handy-dandy platform to help you manage your mods. ZAM has started an open beta for Minion, an addon management software designed to work with Elder Scrolls Online. Minion will help you install, manage, and update your addons for next month's ESO. It includes automatic updates and options to support additional future titles (such as World of Warcraft) and it claims to be safe from viruses, malware, and keyloggers. Minion is available for both Windows and OS X systems. Minion rounds up Elder Scrolls Online addons originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 13 Mar 2014 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Hitting the Mark: Turbine's sublime Rohan recreation in Lord of the Rings Online Posted: 13 Mar 2014 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Expansions, Game Mechanics, Lore, MMO Industry, PvE, Opinion, Free-to-Play, Hands-On, First Impressions I've written before about my on-again- off-again love affair with Lord of the Rings Online, and after finally getting my launch-day character to Rohan a few weeks ago, I think it's most definitely on again. Yeah, I'm still a sandbox fan first and foremost, and yeah, LotRO is still a dyed-in-the-wool nod to the World of Warcraft school of linear MMO development. But it's got a pleasing topcoat of Tolkien paint that often masks the pedestrian mechanics, and nowhere is this more evident than in the Riders of Rohan and Helm's Deep expansions. Continue reading Hitting the Mark: Turbine's sublime Rohan recreation in Lord of the Rings Online Hitting the Mark: Turbine's sublime Rohan recreation in Lord of the Rings Online originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 13 Mar 2014 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Curse opens its doors to WildStar addons Posted: 13 Mar 2014 01:30 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-Fi, Video, WildStar, Subscription Curse would like to become your one-stop shopping hub for all of your future WildStar addon needs. The site announced that it's expanding its focus to include addons for Carbine Studios' upcoming MMO. Curse will be supporting WildStar mods with a new version of the CurseForge platform, which purportedly will streamline tools and better fit players' needs. The site is also open to authors creating and submitting their own projects to fill up the categories. Speaking of WildStar, Bogotter has a first-hand tour of the Dominion adventure, Riot in the Void, which you can watch after the break. Which path will he take? Who knows, but it will almost certainly end in glorious disaster! Continue reading Curse opens its doors to WildStar addons Curse opens its doors to WildStar addons originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 13 Mar 2014 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Meet Pantheon's undead minotaurs and be gored by them Posted: 13 Mar 2014 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Lore, Races, Subscription, Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen You know the saying: You can't keep a good berzerking minotaur down. And in the multiverse of Pantheon, you won't have to. In a Pantheon dev blog posted today, the team introduced the Taurokians, giant, fearsome minotaurs plucked from their home planet and put on Terminus to survive: "Their martial prowess originated from their culture that was steeped in brutal warfare and ritualistic dark arts. They learned to master the secrets of steel and iron, forging some of the finest armor and weapons ever wielded on Terminus." While they did fine for a while, their small numbers coupled with a battle gone sour resulted in the Taurokians' extermination. But magic being what it is, the minotaurs came back as hulking undead skeletons looking for more fights. Meet Pantheon's undead minotaurs and be gored by them originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 13 Mar 2014 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Latest Heroes of the Storm blog post details heroes, mounts, and more Posted: 13 Mar 2014 12:30 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, New Titles, News Items, Dev Diaries, MOBA Want more information on Blizzard's upcoming MOBA Heroes of the Storm while waiting for your technical alpha invite? The latest blog post dishes details on the availability of heroes, a try-before-you-buy feature, leveling, earning in-game currency, acquiring new skins, and mounts. Every player starts with a basic horse mount. For the free-to-play crowd, five heroes will be available to play each week, with the list rotating every Tuesday. Players can buy other heroes at any time using cash or with in-game gold that is earned after reaching level 5. Various skins with tint slots can also be bought. For more info or to apply for alpha, check out the official site. We've got the video first look of the alpha after the break. Continue reading Latest Heroes of the Storm blog post details heroes, mounts, and more Latest Heroes of the Storm blog post details heroes, mounts, and more originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 13 Mar 2014 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Black Gold's Skycaller class designed for crowd control, support Posted: 13 Mar 2014 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Classes, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, PvE, Free-to-Play, Steampunk, Black Gold If you're a fan of crowd control classes, chances are good that you'll like Black Gold Online's new Skycaller class. An update on the steampunk MMO's website says that the newly announced archetype is "capable of high-level single-target crowd control abilities plus excellent support." The Skycaller also boasts "long-range area attacks with light damage but crippling effects." Skycallers wear light armor, and they can be played by either the Kosh or Yutonian races. Snail has also provided a description of the class's special moves as well as a bit of lore, all of which you can read via the links below. Black Gold's Skycaller class designed for crowd control, support originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 13 Mar 2014 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Arcane Legends announces The Dragon Enclave expansion Posted: 13 Mar 2014 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Galleries, Screenshots, Trailers, Video, Expansions, Previews, News Items, Browser, Mobile Spacetime Studios has just announced the newest expansion for its most recent browser-and-mobile MMO, Arcane Legends. The new update, which launches today and brings the game's total number of expansions to five, will lift the level cap to 41 and introduce a brand-new island with new dungeons, bosses, daily quests, currency, gear, and crafted items. Enjoy the new screenies and video below! [Source: Spacetime Studios press release] Continue reading Arcane Legends announces The Dragon Enclave expansion Arcane Legends announces The Dragon Enclave expansion originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 13 Mar 2014 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| ArcheAge Russia IP blocks only apply to new accounts, Mail.Ru 'negotiating' with XL Posted: 13 Mar 2014 10:30 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, ArcheAge, Sandbox The saga of ArcheAge Russia continues today as publisher Mail.Ru has updated the game's website with the status of its "negotiations" with developer XLGAMES. As we reported yesterday, XL requested IP blocks for the Russian release of its popular sandpark title, presumably due to an influx of both Korean and Western enthusiasts. Today's update, courtesy of Google translate, says that the IP blocks only apply to newly registered accounts, which would explain why many Western ArcheAge users were able to continue playing even after yesterday's announcement. Some ArcheAge fans are speculating that the popularity of the Russian release stems from huge post-launch changes made by XL to the Korean version of the game. Said changes were intended to make ArcheAge more accessible for a wide audience, but fans who have followed the title for years were reportedly turned off by the removal of sandbox elements and subsequently decided to play the pre-patch Russian version. [Thanks everyone who tipped us!] ArcheAge Russia IP blocks only apply to new accounts, Mail.Ru 'negotiating' with XL originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 13 Mar 2014 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Valve's controller adds more buttons
10 great games from 10 years of Unreal Engine 3
A gaggle of gaming laptops by Gigabyte
More Chrome OS hardware is coming
Happy Pi Day, math fanatics!
Another online hangout for gamers
