MMO Updates

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• The Game Archaeologist: The silent world of Tibia
• WRUP: Statuesque
• The Daily Grind: Would you play a pacifist character if it were compelling?
• Xsyon adds over 200 tutorial panels
• Elite: Dangerous newsletter clarifies alpha and beta phases
• Betawatch: April 26 - May 2, 2014
• Pathfinder Online announces a second guild land rush
• EVE Fanfest 2014: EVE's Kronos expansion is an industrial revolution
• Star Citizen issues its monthly report to backers and fans
• Neverwinter offers doubled experience until May 5th
• Eternal Crusade delivers sneak peek of new website and founder's program heroes
• Camelot Unchained promises 'bat-shit crazy' reveals in May
• Landmark reduces teleport costs and brags about player creativity
• ArcheAge player sentenced to 13 hours in jail by peers
• The Stream Team: Catch the Redguard red-handed in The Elder Scrolls Online
• Guild Wars 2 is half off until May 11
• SWTOR's double XP weekend starts at 2:00 p.m. EDT

The Game Archaeologist: The silent world of Tibia Posted: 03 May 2014 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, MMO Industry, Free-to-Play, The Game Archaeologist If I were to tell you that there's a Western MMO out there that's as old as Ultima Online and yet still has a half-million players, would you believe me? Heck, I wouldn't believe me even if I came back from the future of having written this article to talk to the past version of me who had yet to start it! But that's Tibia for you: a weird underdog of an MMO that's cruised underneath most players' radars for over a decade and a half. From its origins as a student project, Tibia jumped in the unexplored waters of the early MMO era and dog paddled for all its worth. This 17-year-old title remains one of the very few active MMOs from the '90s and one of only a handful that stubbornly stuck to a 2-D graphics format even as 3-D swept the gaming genre. And trust me, those aren't even the most interesting facts about it! Continue reading The Game Archaeologist: The silent world of Tibia The Game Archaeologist: The silent world of Tibia originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 03 May 2014 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

WRUP: Statuesque Posted: 03 May 2014 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Massively Meta, Miscellaneous Welcome back to Massively's What Are You Playing, the game where we tell you what we're playing this weekend and you get sad all over again because World of Darkness. But hey, at least we got some phallic statues, right? Continue reading WRUP: Statuesque WRUP: Statuesque originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 03 May 2014 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Daily Grind: Would you play a pacifist character if it were compelling? Posted: 03 May 2014 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous I don't know what got my mind on this train of thought the other day, but I got a little incensed that MMO developers constantly equate "hero" with "mass murder of hundreds of sentients," not to mention the fact that as a character, I'm more or less pushed into being a weapon. Yes, I can kill to protect and save, but the killing wears on the virtual soul after a while. My mind then turned to the prospect of being a pacifist in these combat-oriented worlds. Sure, there are always people who go far out of their way to figure out paths to leveling without killing, but what if the game made fighting optional rather than mandatory? I'm not talking about just sitting in a hovel crafting but solving quests through deduction, puzzle-solving, diplomacy, and sheer moxie. How cool would it be to be a mage whose spellbook was full of utility spells instead of fireballs and could use those to help NPCs? Would you play a pacifist character if the game made it compelling enough? 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: Would you play a pacifist character if it were compelling? originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 03 May 2014 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Xsyon adds over 200 tutorial panels Posted: 02 May 2014 07:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Patches, Xsyon, Post-Apocalyptic, Sandbox Let it not be said that Xsyon is trying to discourage new players from learning how to play this sandbox. On the contrary, today's patch primarily focuses on including a detailed tutorial that includes "over 200 panels of instructions." The new tutorial serves to guide players through various in-game mechanics, such as building fires, foraging, and crafting. New players to the game now begin with several tools and items to aid in their survival. From the get-go, a player should be able to craft a set of grass armor and all of the basic tools. Because nothing says "survival" like pasting lawn clippings onto your torso! Other improvements with today's patch include interface refinements, tweaks to campfires (which also look better), and adjustments to energy, hunger, and thirst mechanics. Xsyon adds over 200 tutorial panels originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 02 May 2014 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Patch notes

Elite: Dangerous newsletter clarifies alpha and beta phases Posted: 02 May 2014 06:30 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-Fi, Business Models, Game Mechanics, News Items, Elite: Dangerous In the latest edition of the Elite: Dangerous newsletter, David Braben and crew refine the game's alpha and beta schedule. "The final stage of the Alpha [Alpha 4] will be released on May 15th and will be followed two weeks later by the first stage of the Premium Beta on May 30th," the letter states. Until then, Premium Beta purchasers are able to download the single-player combat build. Frontier also talks up Alpha 4's 400 billion star systems, discusses its proprietary Cobra software tech, explores the Boötes constellation, and dishes on the game's three modes of travel: conventional drives, frame shift drives, and upgraded frame shift drives that permit full hyperspace jumps. [With thanks to Cotic for the tip!] Elite: Dangerous newsletter clarifies alpha and beta phases originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 02 May 2014 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Newsletter #21

Betawatch: April 26 - May 2, 2014 Posted: 02 May 2014 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Business Models, Events (Real-World), MMO Industry, News Items, Massively Meta, Betawatch, Miscellaneous, Crowdfunding This week, SOE's sandbox Landmark rolled out its development plans for the next four months of beta, including tidbits on the crafting upgrade, loot, death, and combat. What else is new in the land of MMO betas? LEGO Minifigures Online promised open beta this June. Guild Wars 2's Chinese open beta and head-start began. WildStar posted patch notes for its latest weekend beta round. Transformers Universe rolled out new (and very pricey) founder's packs. Record of Lodoss War Online was announced; it's set to alpha this summer. Elite: Dangerous declared the final stage of alpha 4 will end on May 15th, to be followed by the first stage of premium beta on May 30th. Read on for the complete Betawatch roundup! Continue reading Betawatch: April 26 - May 2, 2014 Betawatch: April 26 - May 2, 2014 originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 02 May 2014 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Pathfinder Online announces a second guild land rush Posted: 02 May 2014 05:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Guilds, News Items, Crowdfunding, Pathfinder Online Pathfinder Online's Lee Hammock today announced the three winners of Goblinworks' promotional guild competition: The Empyrean Order, Pax Aeternum, and The Seventh Veil. The guilds will helm the first three PC settlements when the game hits early enrollment. But you don't care because you're probably not in any of those guilds, right? So Goblinworks hopes to command your attention with a new account system that will pave the way for you to claim a chunk of the game world for you and your mates. Anyone's who's bought a crowdforger or early enrollment package for the game can form a guild for this second "Land Rush," which will go on for 10 weeks and allow teams to jockey for position and territory long before the game goes live. More details on how to finagle a guild settlement once the new system is active can be found on the official blog. Pathfinder Online announces a second guild land rush originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 02 May 2014 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Dev blog

EVE Fanfest 2014: EVE's Kronos expansion is an industrial revolution Posted: 02 May 2014 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, EVE Online, Economy, Events (Real-World), Expansions, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, Patches, Previews, PvP, Endgame, News Items, PvE, Events (Massively's Coverage), Dev Diaries, Sandbox, Crafting, MMORPG The EVE Online keynote presentation finished just a few hours ago at EVE Fanfest 2014, and it looks as if there are big plans for the year ahead. This summer will bring us the Kronos expansion, which is scheduled for June 3rd and aims to revolutionise every aspect of industrial activity in EVE Online in terms of both gameplay and accessibility. The economy has become quite stagnant over the past year as players have long since worked out all the most efficient ways to manufacture and trade, so CCP has planned its very own industrial revolution with a complete overhaul of industrial gameplay. Kronos also marks another important milestone for CCP, as the company will be switching from releasing two major expansions per year to a more agile strategy of releasing 10 smaller updates each year. The Kronos release was originally planned as a full expansion before the changeover to a 10-release schedule, so it's as packed as a full expansion. In addition to a deluge of industry overhauls, we'll be getting a shiny new mining ship, major pirate faction ship revamps, an enhanced new player experience, and a cool new effect when players warp into or out of an area. Read on for a breakdown of the EVE keynote presentation and to find out why CCP is moving away from its usual two expansions per year. Continue reading EVE Fanfest 2014: EVE's Kronos expansion is an industrial revolution EVE Fanfest 2014: EVE's Kronos expansion is an industrial revolution originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 02 May 2014 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Star Citizen issues its monthly report to backers and fans Posted: 02 May 2014 04:30 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-Fi, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, News Items, Sandbox, Crowdfunding, Star Citizen As they do every month, Star Citizen's studio leads have just posted the latest report for Cloud Imperium's upcoming sci-fi sandbox. The highlights? Dogfight Producer and holder of one of the most epic job titles ever Travis Day recaps the Arena Commander demo at PAX and discusses technical strides made by his team. Austin director Eric Peterson details work on overall code integration, the planetside module, and the persistent universe part of the game. Manchester lead Erin Roberts steps up to talk Squadron 42 and capital ship controls. Other team leads mention work on art, audio, finalizing multi-orgs membership, and at least a million other things. It's probably more information than anyone but Massively's Jef wants to know, but hey, if you wanted transparency, this newsletter is it. Star Citizen issues its monthly report to backers and fans originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 02 May 2014 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: April monthly report

Neverwinter offers doubled experience until May 5th Posted: 02 May 2014 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Events (In-Game), News Items, Free-to-Play, Neverwinter Are you ready for the imminent release of Neverwinter's next major patch? Oh, you're not. You aren't nearly ready. This is going to be a problem, isn't it? Quick, maybe you can catch up this weekend before it comes out. Helping you in that catch-up goal is the fact that the game is offering doubled experience from now until May 5th, 1:00 p.m. EDT. So what's doubled? Oh, just experience from killing creatures, clearing quests, professions, invocations, Foundry missions... you know, pretty much everything you could possibly be doing in the game. And even if you've already hit the level cap, Companions will still gain the increased experience, although those Companions will not get the upgrade from Sword Coast Adventures. So if you're looking to race up to the level cap before the next patch hits, you've got a weekend full of play ahead of you. Neverwinter offers doubled experience until May 5th originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 02 May 2014 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Double XP Weekend

Eternal Crusade delivers sneak peek of new website and founder's program heroes Posted: 02 May 2014 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-Fi, MMOFPS, Warhammer 40k Behavior Associate Producer Mathieu Fecteau penned a new producer's letter today in which he showed off both a mock-up of the upcoming Warhammer 40,000: Eternal Crusade website and some concept art of the founder's program heroes. The website will be launched in the early summer, Fectaeu said. "I'm really proud of the direction the design is taking. Ghislain Barbe (Art Director) helped by Nicolas Brunoni (Lead UI/HUD) and I are working closely with Turbulent to get something immersive, dynamic and appealing for our dear crusaders!" As for the founder's program heroes, the sketches provided in the producer's letter merely give an idea of what they will look like when comleted. Fecteau said that all factions will have heroes, special units that are sent out for certain situations, but are "mostly aesthetic." Eternal Crusade delivers sneak peek of new website and founder's program heroes originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 02 May 2014 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Producer's Letter

Camelot Unchained promises 'bat-shit crazy' reveals in May Posted: 02 May 2014 02:30 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Historical, Business Models, Events (Real-World), MMO Industry, News Items, Promotions, Anniversaries, Crowdfunding, Camelot Unchained, MMORPG Camelot Unchained has something big to celebrate today: the first anniversary of its successfully funded Kickstarter bid. According to today's newsletter, City State Entertainment has raised a total of $5.6 million dollars -- $2.6 million from backers and $3 million from investors, including $2 million from studio head honcho Mark Jacobs himself. How will the studio be celebrating the anniversary? Jacobs revealed via video that during May, CSE will be hosting a multi-day reveal event he's calling "bat-shit crazy days in May." Expect all-day streaming, contests, scoops on major game systems (like magic, crafting, combat, and levels), subscription details, new lore, map discussion, the official name of the game, guys in bunny suits, and flying ducks. Seriously. The video's embedded below! [Thanks to tipster Guinness!] Continue reading Camelot Unchained promises 'bat-shit crazy' reveals in May Camelot Unchained promises 'bat-shit crazy' reveals in May originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 02 May 2014 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Dev blog, YouTube

Landmark reduces teleport costs and brags about player creativity Posted: 02 May 2014 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Contests, Free-to-Play, Sandbox, Landmark Getting around quickly in Landmark is now a lot cheaper, as Director of Development Dave Georgeson tweeted that teleport casts have been reduced. Returning to home or the hub costs only one shard and triggers a 10-minute cooldown, while jumping from the gallery to a particular claim is free with no cooldown. SOE also posted a video today showing off some of the most creative efforts from the playerbase and encouraging fans to try their hands at the "Landmarks of Landmark" contest. You can check out the video after the jump! Continue reading Landmark reduces teleport costs and brags about player creativity Landmark reduces teleport costs and brags about player creativity originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 02 May 2014 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Dave Georgeson Twitter

ArcheAge player sentenced to 13 hours in jail by peers Posted: 02 May 2014 01:30 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Video, Game Mechanics, Free-to-Play, ArcheAge, Sandbox ArcheAge's court system came into the limelight yesterday when a player in beta was sentenced to over 13 hours of in-game jail time by a jury of his or her peers. Players who break the various laws in the game and then die have a choice to either accept a short prison sentence or go to court and plead their case to a jury of five other players. These players then vote on the defendant's guilt or innocence, and in the case of the former, sentence the defendant to prison. Prisoners can wait out their sentence, play soccer in the jail courtyard, or attempt to tunnel their way to freedom. This particular player had over 100 criminal charges, which incurred a high amount (770 minutes) of jail time. If you want to learn more about ArcheAge's criminal justice system, check out the video after the break! Continue reading ArcheAge player sentenced to 13 hours in jail by peers ArcheAge player sentenced to 13 hours in jail by peers originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 02 May 2014 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: MMO Fallout, BoneFire TV

The Stream Team: Catch the Redguard red-handed in The Elder Scrolls Online Posted: 02 May 2014 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Livestream, The Elder Scrolls Online, The Stream Team, Subscription She just can't do it. A pirate at heart, Massively's MJ cannot refrain from peeking into all the barrels, boxes, and urns that lie so temptingly around The Elder Scrolls Online. But what's the harm, right? It's not as if anyone will miss a few wine grapes here or thin broths there. And clearing out those lockpicks is just helping the previous owners avoid thieving temptations, so it's really a community service! Face it, there's no way she's going to make through her adventures without pilfering a thing or two, so join us live at 3:00 p.m. to catch her Redguard red-handed. Game: The Elder Scrolls Online Host: MJ Guthrie Date: Friday, May 2nd, 2014 Time: 3:00 p.m. EDT Enjoy our Stream Team video below. Continue reading The Stream Team: Catch the Redguard red-handed in The Elder Scrolls Online The Stream Team: Catch the Redguard red-handed in The Elder Scrolls Online originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 02 May 2014 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Guild Wars 2 is half off until May 11 Posted: 02 May 2014 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, MMO Industry, News Items, Guild Wars 2, Promotions, Buy-to-Play ArenaNet has cut Guild Wars 2's price in half for a limited time. Starting today, you can purchase the Digital Heroic Edition and Digital Deluxe Edition for 50 percent off. The promo ends on May 11th. Guild Wars 2 is half off until May 11 originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 02 May 2014 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Announcement

SWTOR's double XP weekend starts at 2:00 p.m. EDT Posted: 02 May 2014 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Events (In-Game), Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, News Items, PvE, Free-to-Play, Star Wars: The Old Republic If, like me, you've got an account full of Star Wars: The Old Republic characters who still haven't seen the other side of level 50, you'll want to take advantage of this weekend's accelerated experience gain. And hey, if you're already maxed, you can still enjoy double Legacy XP. The promotion starts at 2:00 p.m. EDT and runs through Monday at 3:00 a.m. EDT. Full details are available at the official SWTOR website. SWTOR's double XP weekend starts at 2:00 p.m. EDT originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 02 May 2014 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Announcement

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MMORPG News

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• Child of Light: A Beautiful Tale
• Camelot Unchained: May Shaping Up to Be Newsy
• Age of Conan: Unchained: May Producer's Letter Targets End of May Patch Release
• EVE Online: Summer Expansion, Kronos, Announced
• Elder Scrolls Online: Checking out the New Emperor's Groove
• Xsyon: Prelude: Quality of Life Improves for New Players
• Landmark: New Video Shines Light on Player Creativity
• Dragons and Titans: Hellfire Starter Pack Giveaway!
• Elder Scrolls Online: AuA and the Road Ahead
• General: God of Destiny Enters CBT #2
• WildStar: Rowsdower Plushie Giveaway -- Part Deux!
• Landmark: New Props and a Teleport Feature

Child of Light: A Beautiful Tale Posted: 01 May 2014 05:08 PM PDT Ubisoft's Child of Light is an experiment of sorts from the company known best for churning out Assassin's Creed every year. Based on the same UbiArt Framework that classic platformer Rayman uses, Child of Light is a side-scrolling, 2D (but gorgeously rendered) turn-based RPG about a girl who dies and winds up trapped in the fantasy world of Lemuria, striving desperately to get back to her grieving father.

Camelot Unchained: May Shaping Up to Be Newsy Posted: 01 May 2014 05:29 PM PDT The latest update for Camelot Unchained has been posted. In it, there are some really terrific concept art shots and the news that hiring is going at a fast pace. In addition, we're teased with the idea that May could be a big news month for those clamoring to know more about the game.

Age of Conan: Unchained: May Producer's Letter Targets End of May Patch Release Posted: 01 May 2014 05:25 PM PDT The latest Age of Conan Producer's Letter has been published. The discussion kicks off with the news that the next major patch is targeting an end of May release. This patch includes the PvP events, Daily Missions and Age of Conan's 6th Anniversary Event.

EVE Online: Summer Expansion, Kronos, Announced Posted: 02 May 2014 02:19 PM PDT During this weekend's CCP Fanfest 2014, the EVE Online team took to the stage to discuss its new development model that will see up to ten meaningful, yet smaller, content expansions released each year. The summer's first installment in the new development model is Kronos.

Elder Scrolls Online: Checking out the New Emperor's Groove Posted: 02 May 2014 02:13 PM PDT The first emperor in Elder Scrolls Online has been elected and the official site has been updated with an interview to find out just who it is that sits on the Ruby Throne.

Xsyon: Prelude: Quality of Life Improves for New Players Posted: 02 May 2014 01:41 PM PDT Xsyon is making life a bit easier for the game's newest players with the release of today's patch. Several key features have been put into place to make entering Xsyon a more welcoming experience.

Landmark: New Video Shines Light on Player Creativity Posted: 02 May 2014 01:38 PM PDT Sony Online Entertainment and the Landmark team have released a fantastic new video to shine the spotlight on the creativity of the game. The video shows off some amazing creations including sky castles and even spaceships. Check it out and let us know what you think in the comments.

Dragons and Titans: Hellfire Starter Pack Giveaway! Posted: 02 May 2014 12:29 PM PDT MMORPG.com has partnered with the folks behind Dragons & Titans to give away 20 Hellfire Starter Packs for the F2P game available on Steam.

Elder Scrolls Online: AuA and the Road Ahead Posted: 02 May 2014 06:26 AM PDT Yesterday the Elder Scrolls Online community was provided two useful sources of information to quell their burgeoning questions and to whet their appetite for things to come. The first was Game Director Matt Firor's the Road Ahead and the second was an Ask us Anything (AuA) hosted on Reddit by the Zenimax Online Studios team.

General: God of Destiny Enters CBT #2 Posted: 02 May 2014 09:28 AM PDT The God of Destiny team has announced that the upcoming MOBA has entered its second closed beta phase and has had several key new features added including a new map, teammate functins, a ranking list and optimized hero graphics.

WildStar: Rowsdower Plushie Giveaway -- Part Deux! Posted: 02 May 2014 09:14 AM PDT Everyone's favorite fluffy recurring character, the Rowsdower, has been subject to incredible abuse at the hands of the evil Stephan 'the Brofessional' Frost. After watching Frost blow up a whole army of Rowsdowers, WildStar fans had enough and petitioned Carbine for a Rowsdower plushie in hopes the proceeds would serve as a sufficient bribe to get Frost to cease the abuse. Also, Rowsdowers were in need of hugs, lots of hugs!

Landmark: New Props and a Teleport Feature Posted: 30 Apr 2014 06:08 PM PDT This week's Landmark livestream felt light on the surface, what with a discussion of a set of rustic-themed props being the primary sort of feature discussion. Hidden among the informative tidbits this week, however, is the awesome new power that will be wielded by beta testers for visiting other folks' claims once the latest patch comes in: teleportation!

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