| Get your Steampunk on with a free City of Heroes booster pack from Massively! Posted: 01 Jun 2011 10:30 AM PDT Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, City of Villains, Contests, Giveaways The newest booster pack from City of Heroes arrives in the NCsoft store today, sending steampunk fans into a Victorian-style tizzy. If you are one of those fans, we've got a little something to make both your character and your wallet very happy: free Steampunk Packs! The packs include new auras and emotes, more than 60 new costume pieces, and Steam Jump travel tower -- essentially a Victorian-style jetpack. With so many new toys, the options seem endless, so we're going to ask you to get creative. We've got 15 of these packs to give away, and all you have to do to enter is leave a comment telling us what sort of steampunk ensemble you'll put together for your character. Will she or he make use of a few handy accessories or go full-on, head-to-toe steampunk? Will you roll a new character to fit the look from the ground up or revamp a current one? Will your toon play in-character with his or her look or just enjoy the accessories? Tell us your plans for this pack before noon EDT tomorrow, June 2nd, and we'll draw 15 of the best ideas to win one of these packs. Make sure you check our contest rules and watch the video below for another look at what's in the pack. Good luck! Continue reading Get your Steampunk on with a free City of Heroes booster pack from Massively!  Get your Steampunk on with a free City of Heroes booster pack from Massively! originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 01 Jun 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Mad Catz creates new studio to make flight sim MMOs Posted: 01 Jun 2011 10:00 AM PDT |
| Frogster hints at expansive new TERA update Posted: 01 Jun 2011 09:30 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, MMO industry, New titles, Patches, News items, TERA TERA's Korean client is getting a big update, and the game's European publisher has issued a press release that details quite a few changes coming to the action fantasy MMORPG. Frogster's press release doesn't mention a date, nor does it mention why the EU publisher is reporting on the Korean client of a title that has yet to launch in Europe (nor why En Masse, the North American publisher, is silent). In terms of the update itself, it boasts a level cap increase from 50 to 58, 10 new zones, a large new city, and four new dungeons. Guild masters may also declare war on opposing guilds and ignite no-holds barred conflicts that last for seven days, and there's also an interesting new skill customization feature that allows for players to choose which abilities to connect via combos. You can learn more about TERA at the game's official website. Frogster hints at expansive new TERA update originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 01 Jun 2011 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Perfect World releases Rusty Hearts E3 trailer Posted: 01 Jun 2011 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Free-to-play We've known for a couple of weeks that Perfect World Entertainment's anime-infused Rusty Hearts MMO is coming to this year's E3. Now we've got video evidence, as PWE has released a new trailer showing off two of the game's spikey-haired warriors and ample evidence of the title's action-centric nature. PWE describes Rusty Hearts as its ultimate hack 'n' slash dungeon crawler, and after seeing the manga-inspired trailer we're... unsure what to make of the title thus far. Gameplay footage is pretty scarce, but there's atmosphere in spades (along with English voice dubs and an electric guitar-driven soundtrack). We do know that players will take control of pre-existing mercenary characters for both dungeon-crawling excursions and PvP arena battles. Stay tuned to our E3 coverage next week for more info, and while you're waiting, check out the trailer after the cut. Continue reading Perfect World releases Rusty Hearts E3 trailer Perfect World releases Rusty Hearts E3 trailer originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 01 Jun 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Richard Garriott's Portalarium project gets more funding Posted: 01 Jun 2011 08:30 AM PDT Filed under: MMO industry, News items, Browser, Casual Portalarium, the social networking startup founded by Richard " Lord British" Garriott, is picking up a bit of momentum thanks to a round of new funding. London-based m8 has contributed an undisclosed amount of capital to Garriott's Austin, Texas studio, which thus far has published two Facebook gambling games ( Port Casino Poker and Port Casino Blackjack). Total funding for Portalarium stands at $3.6 million, and the company plans to release CenterPort sometime in 2012. CenterPort is a graphically advanced social networking app that " will be the virtual world social hub for the OpenLife ecosystem, a broad yet fully integrated meta-community" according to the studio's website. Garriott, most famous for his seminal Ultima series which culminated in the release of Ultima Online in 1997, launched Portalarium in September 2009. Richard Garriott's Portalarium project gets more funding originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 01 Jun 2011 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Age of Empires Online launching August 16th Posted: 01 Jun 2011 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Launches, Free-to-play, MMORTS There are just a couple of months yet until you can conquer the world from the comfort of your bedroom, but that's no excuse to let your hygiene slip. Microsoft Game Studios announced that Age of Empires Online will be released on August 16th with two initial civilizations: the Greeks and Egyptians. As the latest in the long-running civilization sim franchise, Age of Empires Online will allow players to build up persistent towns, establish trade between other players, work on crafting and quests, and even go to war when needed. While the initial core gameplay will be available for free, Microsoft hopes that players will get so hooked that they'll gladly purchase Age of Empires Online "Premium Content Packs" to enhance their experience. These packs will include new civilizations and game modes. 1UP reports that in addition to the typical digital download, Microsoft will be shipping out retail boxes in order to snag a larger audience -- although these boxes will merely contain instructions how to download the game. Age of Empires Online launching August 16th originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 01 Jun 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Bigpoint unleashes new Mummy Online site and trailer Posted: 01 Jun 2011 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Horror, Trailers, Video, New titles, Free-to-play It's been almost a year since Bigpoint announced The Mummy Online, and we were starting to suspect that the project had been sealed back up in a tomb... forever. We even listed it as one of our top MMOs that went MIA in 2010. But it turns out that Bigpoint was just running quiet as it whipped up a whole new site and trailer for us to enjoy. The Mummy Online is a continuation of the hit film series, which seeks to meld high adventure with historical horror. Bigpoint's Arash Amini feels that there's a lot of material for the team to mine: "Working with such a rich franchise not only enables us to leverage an incredible story; it also lends itself to further exploration and development perfectly suited for an online game that can evolve over time." This free-to-play browser title is set at the southern tip of the Nile, where tombs, burial grounds, oases, and ruins wait for the intrepid grave robber. It looks to have fast-paced action (with guns!) in a 3-D isometric viewpoint. Bigpoint's hoping to get The Mummy Online to release by this fall, but in the meantime you can check out the lore and screenshots on the official site as well as the teaser trailer below. Continue reading Bigpoint unleashes new Mummy Online site and trailer Bigpoint unleashes new Mummy Online site and trailer originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 01 Jun 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Daily Grind: Has an MMO made you sentimental? Posted: 01 Jun 2011 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous It's a fact of life around the Massively offices that one can often find members of the staff engaging in sentimental gestures from time to time. Whether it be Shawn singing softly to his Tabula Rasa box or Larry lighting a candle to hold vigil for Darth Vader, we are no strangers to the pull of nostalgia and fond attachments. So we totally understand that MMOs can make one quite sentimental from time to time. I was reminded of this while reading a recent post at Contains Moderate Peril, where the author took part of a final parade across Lord of the Rings Online in Europe before the service was transferred from Codemasters to Turbine. While end-of-the-world events are often steeped in sentimentality, they don't have to be the only times where such expressions emerge. Has an MMO ever made you sentimental, and if so, will you share with the rest of the class? It's OK, we won't share it with your significant other, promise.  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: Has an MMO made you sentimental? originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 01 Jun 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Black Panther prowls into Super Hero Squad Online Posted: 31 May 2011 07:00 PM PDT Filed under: Super-hero, Galleries, Screenshots, Trailers, Video, News items, Free-to-play, Casual, Family, Super Hero Squad Online Roar! Black Panther leaps into Super Hero Squad Online with a set of new screenshots and a new trailer. So if you'd prefer the agile, cat-like martial arts of the King of Wakanda over the brute-force style of Gladiator Hulk, you're in luck. Players can hop into the shoes of T'Challa and show their claws starting now! Black Panther joins the other recent additions to SHSO, standing toe-to-toe with Thor and Gladiator Hulk in the newly introduced Asgard. For the new screenshots of everyone's favorite African ruler/super-hero, you can check out the SHSO gallery below. After you're done ogling, jump past the cut for Black Panther's new trailer. Continue reading Black Panther prowls into Super Hero Squad Online Black Panther prowls into Super Hero Squad Online originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 31 May 2011 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Game Archaeologist sees The Shadow of Yserbius Posted: 31 May 2011 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Virtual worlds, Humor, The Game Archaeologist Really, I blame my parents for not being filthy rich. If they were, we could've afforded the $130/month unlimited subscription fee to the ImagiNation Network (INN) back in the early '90s. Just think! All of the gaming, the socializing, and the roleplaying that you could handle -- for such a low price! I mean, sure, there were hourly options, but who'd want to play for a mere five hours a month? So instead of becoming part of a growing online community, I had to be content with my SNES and copy of Chrono Trigger -- hard times, indeed. Sometimes I think how my life would've been different if we had subscribed to Sierra's colorful online world, because I would've had a chance to get in on one of the first graphical MMOs: The Shadow of Yserbius. It was a step forward in graphic quality from the text-only MUDs of the day but perhaps a step backward from the complexity that many MUDs brought to the table. Still, for a few shining years, it entranced thousands who lined up to delve dungeons deeply alongside their friends (and a couple of complete strangers with odor disorders). Today we're going to take a quick peek at one of the first MMOs that stepped into the realm of lush color and animations and see what made The Shadow of Yserbius so enduring. Continue reading The Game Archaeologist sees The Shadow of Yserbius The Game Archaeologist sees The Shadow of Yserbius originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 31 May 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Order & Chaos Online rakes in $1 million in first 20 days Posted: 31 May 2011 05:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, MMO industry, News items, Mobile Gameloft's iOS MMORPG Order and Chaos is reporting gains of over $1 million in revenue during its first 20 days of availability. The game itself has drawn many comparisons to World of Warcraft ( even by our own Beau Hindman) but brings the genre to iOS-enabled devices for added mobility. Order & Chaos runs on a subscription model, with three months included in the $6.99 application purchase cost. Gameloft's senior VP of publishing Gonzague de Vallois is clearly content with the game's success. " We are pleased to know that our customers have embraced our innovative business model, and we are anxious to further enrich the gaming experience with this first update, which is eagerly anticipated by our fans," he says. The aforementioned update is said to include new quest content and server transfer services, amongst other features. The game is available on the Apple Store, and more information can be found on the official forums. Order & Chaos Online rakes in $1 million in first 20 days originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 31 May 2011 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Hyperspace Beacon: The hybrid Posted: 31 May 2011 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Classes, Game mechanics, New titles, Opinion, Star Wars Galaxies, Hyperspace Beacon As many of you know, BioWare revealed the Trooper progression video for last week's Friday update. This surprised me because I was expecting a light update -- after all, E3 is next week, and Star Wars: The Old Republic is going to have a major presence at the expo. During the video, we witnessed many of the different Trooper abilities. The AoE of the gatling-like blaster, the heals from remote droids, the root from the carbonite grenade, and all the other abilities attest to the range of roles the Trooper can play in a group. The Trooper is not the only class that can possibly fill every role of the group dynamic. In fact, we know four of the eight classes have the choice of being full DPS, healer, or tank: Trooper, Consular, Bounty Hunter, and Inquisitor. There is much debate on what this means for group dynamics and boss fights as well. Although most of the community would agree that having these hybrid classes isn't going to stop anyone from buying or playing the game, they might have an impact on the staying power of the MMO. For me, it boils down to a couple of different schools of thought. On the Galactic Underground, an internet radio show, the hosts and the IRC audience spoke about the differences between a hard and soft trinity gameplay and which they preferred. For me, how the hybrid works depends on whether the game is set up with a hard or soft trinity. The definition of hard and soft trinity is a bit subjective. After the break, I will outline what I mean by hard and soft trinity and detail how I think the hybrid classes fit in Star Wars: The Old Republic... Continue reading Hyperspace Beacon: The hybrid Hyperspace Beacon: The hybrid originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 31 May 2011 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Age of Conan merging U.S. servers today, EU tomorrow Posted: 31 May 2011 04:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Age of Conan, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play It's server merge time in Hyboria. Age of Conan's launcher indicates that the U.S. servers are offline for up to 24 hours while the American PvP shards (Cimmeria and Tyranny) are consolidated. Tomorrow will see the European servers undergo a similar process, with Crom, Hyrkania, and Ishtar merging into a single PvE mashup and Fury, Aquilonia, and Stygia joining forces as the remaining PvP shard. Funcom has thrown up a server merge FAQ for your reading pleasure during the downtime, and in it you'll find details on everything from duplicate character names to duplicate guild names to the fate of guild-controlled battlekeeps. " Since build spots for battlekeeps are limited on each server, all build spots will be cleared and guilds will be reimbursed the resources for their battlekeep. This is to make sure that the guild gets the needed resources again and every guild gets the same chance," says the FAQ. Read up on all the details at the official AoC forums. Age of Conan merging U.S. servers today, EU tomorrow originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 31 May 2011 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Community Detective Issue #23: Perpetuum Posted: 31 May 2011 04:00 PM PDT |
| EVE Online Incursion patch 1.6 is live Posted: 31 May 2011 03:30 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Patches, News items  EVE Online's Incursion patch 1.6 has now been deployed! It's a small patch that brings a few bug fixes as well as the introduction of CarbonUI, the " new UI rendering framework." According to CCP, " CarbonUI is an evolution of the existing UI framework, with a completely new rendering layer." What does this mean for players? " [CarbonUI] gives the EVE UI designers and UI programmers a range of new possibilities for creating exciting user interfaces in EVE going forward." Check out more on this new addition to the game at the EVE Online dev blog. The patch announcement article also notifies players about a known issue with T3 ships that players have previously viewed: " These ships have engaged their reverse thrusters causing them fly backwards. Clearing your cache will reset their on-board computer and cause them to fly in the correct direction again." Flying in the proper direction is often a very useful ability, so players are encouraged to take action immediately. For the full notes, as well as a link to the patch discussion thread, hit the full article on the official site. EVE Online Incursion patch 1.6 is live originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 31 May 2011 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Fallen Earth gets cozy with GamersFirst [Updated] Posted: 31 May 2011 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fallen Earth, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play, Rumors, Post-Apocalyptic In a recent USTREAM announcement, the developers at Icarus studios explained that the post-apocalyptic MMO Fallen Earth is on the move. GamersFirst, which is well-known for having purchased and resurrected third-person shooter MMO All Points Bulletin, is taking the sandbox MMO under its wing. The full video has not been posted as of yet, but we are prodding GamersFirst and Icarus for more information. Will this mean that Fallen Earth is moving to a free-to-play model? Or is GamersFirst just helping the indie studio gain industry exposure? The Fallen Earth website is currently down and is due back online at 11 p.m. EDT. Hopefully, when the site comes back online everything will be revealed. Massively will stay on top of this story, and we will relay it all back to you as soon as more comes to light, so stay tuned! [Update: As of 8 p.m. EDT, the Fallen Earth team is once again broadcasting live over USTREAM and answering questions about the game and the transition. We've also got the video from earlier in the day. Check out the embeds after the cut!]Continue reading Fallen Earth gets cozy with GamersFirst [Updated] Fallen Earth gets cozy with GamersFirst [Updated] originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 31 May 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| One Shots: Flying the friendly skies Posted: 31 May 2011 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Galleries, Screenshots, Vanguard, One Shots Mount week continues on One Shots thanks to Ardwulf, who's been enjoying a griffin's-eye view of the world of Vanguard: The fantastic Griffin mounts are still the most awesome flying mounts in any game I've seen, thanks in part to the beuatiful terrain you can fly over. The developers of so many games have a great time with the mount system, letting their creativity shine and giving their quirky sense of humor free rein. This is the week to show off your greatest, funniest, or most hard-earned mount. Send us a screenshot at oneshots@massively.com along with your name and the name of the game, and tell us a little about what your awesome ride is and how you came by it. We'll show it off here on One Shots for everyone to admire! One Shots: Flying the friendly skies originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 31 May 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Soapbox: Grinding skill instead of gear Posted: 31 May 2011 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Game mechanics, PvP, Endgame, PvE, Opinion, Massively meta, The Soapbox, Miscellaneous Disclaimer: The Soapbox column is entirely the opinion of this week's writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Massively as a whole. If you're afraid of opinions other than your own, you might want to skip this column. One of the most troubling things I see in gamers these days is their incessant pursuit of loot. If you happen to play World of Warcraft, you know that getting into a pick-up raid involves a lot of people waving around GearScore like it's an actual measurement of player ability. Ever tried to get into an Ultra-Max Security group in Global Agenda? I hope you've got top-quality token gear and are level 50 because the time you spent getting those things matters a lot more than actually having any sort of skills. As a tournament fighting-game player, I take offense to this. You don't need to have an epic'd-out Chun Li to win in Street Fighter. In online games, gear is important, but it isn't the first thing you should be pursuing. Continue reading The Soapbox: Grinding skill instead of gear The Soapbox: Grinding skill instead of gear originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 31 May 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| EverQuest II game update 60 goes live today, adds new dungeons, raids, and more Posted: 31 May 2011 12:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest II, Patches, News items, Free-to-play  Perhaps one of the largest game updates in years hits EverQuest II today in the form of game update 60. The update brings a fairly large laundry-list of new content to the game. Notable additions are new level 90 dungeon and raid zones in the form of the Crystal Caverns (making its return from Velious in EverQuest) and the Fortress of Drunder, which itself holds three new group dungeons, a new x2 raid zone, and not just one (or two!) but three new x4 raid zones. On top of those big chunks of endgame content, the update adds some new solo content and balance changes for EQII players. These include new shard-rewarding solo quests, new Othmir tradeskill quests, some sweeping changes to the Berserker class, and PvP mechanic changes. An interesting bullet-point on the EQ2 Wire article is, " Was it Tested?" The article notes that, due to the fact that the two-and-a-half week testing window for the update coincided with a double experience week, many players rolled new characters rather than test the new high-end content. As a result, some of the high-level content, particularly the new group and raid dungeons, may not have been adequately tested. For the full details on this new game update, check out the full article. EverQuest II game update 60 goes live today, adds new dungeons, raids, and more originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 31 May 2011 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Clear Skies 3 machinima undocks to excited EVE fans Posted: 31 May 2011 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Video, EVE Online, Culture, Lore, News items, Opinion, Machinima, Hands-on Three years ago, the EVE Online community stood in awe of the incredible EVE machinima Clear Skies, directed by Ian Chisholm and written by Ian Chisholm and Richie Powles. Featuring a combination of space footage filmed in EVE and scenes inside ships composed using the source SDK (Not Garry's mod), the 40-minute masterpiece delivered an impressive blend of action, story and British humour. The film spawned a cult following both inside and outside the EVE community, going on to win the award for best long-format film at 2008's annual Machinima awards. Fans cried out for more, and around a year later our patience was rewarded with Clear Skies II. It was somehow bigger, better and more polished than the first film, with a wide range of new voices and some old favourites making a return. We once again followed the adventures of captain John Rourke of the Minmatar battleship Clear Skies and loved every minute of it. The film was a huge hit with fans, but with the story wrapped up in a somewhat neat package and Ian expressing a desire to take a break from production, we weren't sure if a third film would ever see the light of day. Fans of the series were excited to find out this week that Clear Skies III has now officially undocked. Skip past the cut to watch the Clear Skies III trailer and find out about the third film in this incredible series. Continue reading Clear Skies 3 machinima undocks to excited EVE fans Clear Skies 3 machinima undocks to excited EVE fans originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 31 May 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| MMObility: Travians and socializing on any device Posted: 31 May 2011 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Galleries, Culture, Previews, Opinion, Free-to-play, Browser, Hands-on, Casual, Virtual worlds, MMObility Last week I told you a little bit about Travians, a neat little mobile- and browser-based game brought to us by the same good people who brought us Travian. (Notice the singular title of Travian, the island-based MMORTS.) I was intrigued as soon as I saw it mainly because it looked like it was doing something different: creating a mostly non-combat experience that is so very rare in today's market. I had also a lot of experience with Travian before, and despite not enjoying some of the aspects of the game, I enjoyed playing with friends. I hoped that Travians would allow a player to insert a single avatar into the greater world of Travian islands, and that's sort of what you do. If you have played The Sims before, you'll have a basic idea about the what you have to do in Travians. You must point your little person to the bathroom, aim him toward a food source, and even tuck him into bed. Your character won't die or wet the floor if you don't perform successfully, but he will lose some ability to gain experience and other points. If you have enjoyed a conversation while in an online game, found yourself crafting away an evening, or spent a great deal of time decorating your virtual home, you'll have a basic idea about the optional activities in Travians. Click past the cut and I'll tell you more! Continue reading MMObility: Travians and socializing on any device MMObility: Travians and socializing on any device originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 31 May 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Divorce Online highlights cases caused by "gaming addiction" Posted: 31 May 2011 10:30 AM PDT |
