MMO News

---

• World of Ants now available in English
• New details revealed about Eudemons’ Vampire
• MMOHut Weekly Recap #40 June 27 – Team Fortress 2, City of Heroes, & More

World of Ants now available in English Posted: 27 Jun 2011 12:35 PM PDT World of Ants is now available globally for all English-speaking players. It is published by Neonga, which also publishes A Mystical Land and the upcoming DragonSoul. World of Ants is a browser-based strategy game, where players must develop their own ant-hill, collect resources, and develop an army of soldier ants. The game includes features such as terraforming, trade, guilds, war, and over a dozen unit and research types to develop to improve one’s growing colony. World of Ants Gameplay Screenshot Source: The worldwide ant war is on! Today, globally operating online games publisher Neonga (www.neonga.com) is announcing the English version of its free-to-play browser game "World of Ants" (www.worldofants.com). English-speaking players can easily access the game and take part in the race for the biggest and world's strongest ant population now. To get to the top of the international ant-ladder, players have to develop their anthill step by step. They have to build up ressources and do research on soldier ants – all this to create the most powerful and most successful colony on the planet. Already tens of thousands European gamers are participants in the exciting race for the largest ant colony. The game uses an item shop which offers players the opportunity to save time or boost production while they are building up their colonies. The premium currency is sugar which makes the ants work harder. Features: -          Terraforming -          Foundation of fortresses and cities -          Playable free of charge in the browser and on facebook -          No download necessary -          Creation of an indefinite number of one's own colonies -          Foundation of fortresses and cities -          Collection of resources such as stone, iron, water and wood -          Research -          Trade -          Guild system -          Combat system with more than a dozen types of units "The launch of the English version of World of Ants marks another milestone on our path to the international expansion of our product portfolio. In the upcoming weeks and months, more and more languages will be added. This strategy will make the World of Ants universe available for millions of players around the globe", says Rolf Kloeppel, Neonga AG's CEO. Player can join the fun on www.worldofants.com!

New details revealed about Eudemons’ Vampire Posted: 27 Jun 2011 12:16 PM PDT The Vampire class is coming to Eudemons Online on June 30, along with the rest of the Edge of Night expansion. Today, new details were revealed about this mysterious new class. Vampires will have demonic skills (Blood Frenzy, Bloody Wings, Soul Touch, Blood Oath), and a blend of ranged and closed combat abilities. Other skills will include the controlling spell Hypnosis and the Penetration buff. Vampires will get their own exclusive mount, the Ghostly Horse. This mount’s shape and speed is determined by its players Blood Soul Star Level, meaning that mounts will grow with their owners rather than having to be trained. A special pet system will also be in place for Vampires. What really stands out is that the Vampire converges with a Eudemon (called a Blood Soul); these have their own level and star level, which directly affects the power of the Vampire. This means that the vampire, its Eudemon, and its mount are all bound together. Eudemons Online is published by TQ Digital, which also publishes Zero Online, Crazy Tao, and Conquer Online. Eudemons Online Gameplay Screenshot Source: TQ Digital release more Vampire details Fang-tastic new class laid bare ahead of Edge of Night expansion. Online game publishers TQ Digital have released more details and screenshots of the mysterious new class to hit MMORPG Eudemons Online, the noble Vampires – flying into the game with the exciting Edge of Night expansion at the end of the month. Due June 30th, the Edge of Night expansion sees the world of Cronus plunged into darkness, causing the new playable Vampire class to rise from their thousand year sleep to join the fight. In anticipation of the release, TQ Digital have revealed more details of the skills, powers and mounts the Vampires will bring to the game, along with screenshots showing them in action. The Edge of Night expansion promises to turn Eudemons Online on it’s head – the undead Vampires shaking the steady equilibrium currently enjoyed by the game’s three other classes: Mage; Warrior; and Paladin. New Skills and Moves The Vampires are bringing a host of wicked moves to Eudemon’s Online, with agile speed boosts and terrifying area-of-effect attacks making them both accessible for newcomers and a force to be reckoned with in the hands of experienced players. A class from the underworld demands demonic skills, and with names like Blood Frenzy, Bloody Wings, Soul Touch and Blood Oath, the vampire doesn’t disappoint. The vampire will pack a heady mix of close and ranged combat abilities, making them as unpredictable as they are brilliant. Using Bloody Flash, a vampire can instantly move to an opponent and deliver a fatal blow, while the powerful Bloody Storm attack will draw an opponent into an damning abyss and cause great damage. The Vampires boast some wicked magic too. They can use Hypnosis to control anybody in their way, overcome shields and buffs with Penetration – meaning an opponents damage cannot be reduced – and even summon the class-exclusive Soul Steed, "Ghostly Horse". Exclusive Mount Vampires need to get around in style, and there’s no better way to travel than their awesome exclusive mount, “Ghostly Horse”. Summoned using the “Soul Steed” skill, the Ghostly Horse is unique both in it’s look and convenience. Unlike other Eudemons Online mounts, there’s no need for composing, ranking, training or even the use of Eudemon eggs with this trusty steed. Instead, it’s shape and speed are decided by a players Blood Soul Star Level, allowing the mount’s strength to grow in tandem with a character’s progression. Vampires are born to converge with a dark pet, but it doesn’t start in the Ghostly Horse state – you’ll need to sacrifice and level it up first. Vampires are coming with a totally different fun pet system, massively assisting in battles and evolving Eudemon’s Online in interesting new ways. Blood Souls and Sacrifices Different from the 3 other classes, Vampires are born to converge with a Eudemon, called a Blood Soul. Blood Souls come with their own Level and Star Level, which affects the Battle Power and other attributes of Vampires in a direct way. The grisly act of sacrifice is required for levelling up the Blood Souls, which, when their Star Level reaches 10, unlocks the ability to summon the Ghostly Horse into the world. The Eudemon, the mount, and the vampire character itself seem to be magically bound together, which is unprecedented in MMO games. To maintain the game balance, the powerful Vampires will only be able to summon two Eudemons, while other classes can summon three. New Class, New Looks Just because Vampires don’t have reflections, it doesn’t mean they shouldn’t look good. As well as traveling in style on their exclusive mount, the Vampires will come with a range of avatar models, outfits, and hairstyles to choose when creating a character. The robust customisation options will keep your undead warrior unique, especially when combined with the various new equipment and weapons. The Edge of Night expansion brings a slew of stylish bladed weaponry for vampires to brandish, as well as various helmets, armours and boots – each affecting your skills and abilities when equipped. Scheduled for release on June 30th, the anticipated Edge of Night expansion is just around the corner. Thanks to the new Vampire class, the team dynamics of Eudemons Online, and the world of Cronus as we know it, will be changed for good. You can sign up and play Eudemons Online for free now: http://eo.91.com/index

MMOHut Weekly Recap #40 June 27 – Team Fortress 2, City of Heroes, & More Posted: 26 Jun 2011 12:33 PM PDT MMO Weekly News #40 – Team Fortress 2, City of Heroes, & More Weekly MMO News summary for the week ended June 27 (June 20 – June 27). A quick look and discussion for every major announcement and update during the week! This week we discussed updates from the following games: Team Fortress 2, Karma Online, Lego Universe Online, City of Heroes, Warrior of Dragon, Uncharted Waters Online, The Chosen, Elsword, MapleStory, Cabal Online, Black Prophecy, Rusty Hearts, and Hellgate. You can view all the individual news articles mention over at the MMOHut.com News section.

You are subscribed to email updates from MMO Hut To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610

MMO Updates

---

• World of Tanks rolling toward retail
• Massively Exclusive: Battle of the Immortals reveals two new instances
• Deep Black Online coming to consoles and PC this summer
• Warhammer's 1.4.3 patch goes live today
• City of Heroes Issue 20: Incarnates Ascend update live today
• The Daily Grind: What's your favorite MMO political system?
• Gunshine releases new gameplay video
• Lost Pages of Taborea: Content needs to meet the versatility of gear-upgrading
• The Tattered Notebook: Fan Faire knowns and unknowns
• Fallen Earth dev blog talks Alpha County, factional territory control, and more
• Flameseeker Chronicles: Why you need to play Guild Wars right now
• One Shots: Welcome to gear week!
• Massively Exclusive TERA lore: Day in the life - Uchamba
• Wings Over Atreia: Bribing for Balance
• New Final Fantasy XIV producer's letter covers balance changes, guildleves

World of Tanks rolling toward retail Posted: 28 Jun 2011 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Historical, Real life, MMO industry, News items, War, Free-to-play, World of Tanks The retail box hasn't quite succumbed to the digital download onslaught, at least if World of Tanks and Wargaming.net have anything to say in the matter. Yes, fans of clutter and old-school box collecting rejoice, as WoT is on its way to a game store near you thanks to a new partnership with Interactive Gaming Software. The World War II-based tank MMO will be available at retail for $19.99, and Wargaming.net CEO Victor Kislyi hopes that the new deal will result in increased exposure around the globe. "We're extremely proud to say that our headliner will finally appear in stores," Kislyi said via press release. "[We] hope that [IGS'] tremendous expertise in distributing retail production will help in bringing the popularity of World of Tanks to a completely new level." World of Tanks is a free-to-play action MMO that launched last April. The game features squad-based tank combat, traditional MMO progression, and a strategic territorial meta-game based on a large-scale map of World War II-era Europe. World of Tanks rolling toward retail originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Massively Exclusive: Battle of the Immortals reveals two new instances Posted: 28 Jun 2011 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Free-to-play, Battle of the Immortals, Dev Diaries Sharpen your swords and fletch your arrows, because when the Titan update hits in Battle of the Immortals, it'll be time to dive into two of the fiercest dungeons known to mankind. While we've looked at some of the lore behind the Titan update last week, now it's time to get into the nitty-gritty details of what this patch will bring. Perfect World has created two new maps for players to explore -- and exploit -- in their efforts to become big, rich and powerful: Black Dragon Lair and Giants Kingdom. The update will also include the much-awaited Generation III pets, which can be bred with two Generation II pets of both genders. Generation IIIs feature faster attack speeds and higher damage output, so it's safe to say they'll be highly desired by players. Battle of the Immortals' Titan update is scheduled for a July release, but in the meanwhile you can read up on the new dungeons in an exclusive dev blog after the jump! Continue reading Massively Exclusive: Battle of the Immortals reveals two new instances Massively Exclusive: Battle of the Immortals reveals two new instances originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Deep Black Online coming to consoles and PC this summer Posted: 28 Jun 2011 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Free-to-play It's not every day that we get to tell you about a new MMOTPS (that's third-person shooter if you're wondering), so without further delay: Hey guys, check out this new MMOTPS! It's called Deep Black, though we're wondering why it's not called Deep Blue since much of the action apparently takes place underwater and in the air via various forms of jetpack. Don't worry, land-lubbers, there's plenty of action on terra firma as well. The title is being developed by Biart Studio, a Russian outfit headquartered in the Moscow equivalent of Silicon Valley, and the game will feature "fully customizable [character] appearance, more than 30 types of sci-fi weapons, and three game modes at launch," according to a Biart press release. The game is a F2P instanced shooter featuring eight to 24 players, and it's coming to an Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, or PC near you in the near future. You can check out our sister site's Deep Black reveal from last summer, and you'll also want to head to the game's official website to learn more. Deep Black Online coming to consoles and PC this summer originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Warhammer's 1.4.3 patch goes live today Posted: 28 Jun 2011 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, MMO industry, Patches, Warhammer Online, News items It's patch day in Warhammer Online, and we've got your your 1.4.3 update at a glance. In case you're trying to sneak in a few minutes of play during your workday, we're sorry to inform you that Mythic's servers are currently down (the good news is that there's an expected up time of 1:30 p.m. EDT according to the note posted yesterday on the official website). So what's new and exciting in this patch? For starters, Sigmartide. This two-week live event sees Order players basking in the glow of the faction's first emperor while they "seek out corruption, cleanse the wicked, and honor the age-old bonds with the Dwarfs." Destruction types, meanwhile, will actively oppose all the revelry by desecrating celebration altars and doing all the things that bad guys do. Also falling under the 1.4.3 banner are new temporary RvR accessory sets and a shakeup of WAR's scenario lineup. Hit up the official website for more details. Warhammer's 1.4.3 patch goes live today originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

City of Heroes Issue 20: Incarnates Ascend update live today Posted: 28 Jun 2011 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, City of Villains, Patches, News items City of Heroes' Issue 20 brought with it a wealth of new content for endgame players, including a number of new unlockables in the Incarnate System. The downside, though, was that there were only two Incarnate Trials in which to unlock them. Today's Issue 20: Incarnates Ascend update looks to fix that. The update adds a brand-new Incarnate Trial in the Keyes Island Reactor. That's not all, though. Also included in the update are new Lore pets, new Merit Rewards, a few quality of life upgrades, and an expansion to the League system. So what are you waiting for, heroes and villains (and anti-heroes, and sidekicks, and femmes fatales)? Get out there and see the new content for yourselves. City of Heroes Issue 20: Incarnates Ascend update live today originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Daily Grind: What's your favorite MMO political system? Posted: 28 Jun 2011 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Culture, Economy, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Opinion, The Daily Grind Politics is a nebulous word when it comes to MMORPGs. Relatively few companies market the "political" aspects of their games, mainly because these aspects are player-driven. There are a few exceptions, and though En Masse is getting a lot of press for the TERA political system that it unveiled at this year's E3, it's not a new idea. Games as diverse as ArchLord, RF Online, and Aika have toyed around with the idea, and Star Wars Galaxies even offered a Politician profession and light-duty mayoral tasks related to the game's player cities. For today's Daily Grind, we'd like to know your take on MMORPG political gameplay. Do you prefer completely free-form player-created content such as that found in Darkfall, EVE Online, and Perpetuum, or would you rather see a mixture of hard-coded mechanics and player interaction similar to what En Masse is hyping for TERA? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind! The Daily Grind: What's your favorite MMO political system? originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Gunshine releases new gameplay video Posted: 27 Jun 2011 07:00 PM PDT Filed under: Trailers, Video, News items, Free-to-play, Post-Apocalyptic It's summer, so you know what that means: It's time to lie back and bask in the Gunshine. Er... wait, what? Oh, right! Forget the outdoors; Gunshine wants you to stay in and get a nice monitor tan as you blast and slash your way through the baddies of Dawnbreak city. To help entice you to come play, the game's creator Supercell has released a new gameplay video to show players what to expect from the action RPG. So if romping through a scummy city while filling everything in your path full of lead sounds like a good time to you, head on past the cut for the brand-new trailer, and don't forget to check out our own Beau Hindman's hands-on coverage of the game. Continue reading Gunshine releases new gameplay video Gunshine releases new gameplay video originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 27 Jun 2011 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Lost Pages of Taborea: Content needs to meet the versatility of gear-upgrading Posted: 27 Jun 2011 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, Opinion, Free-to-play, Runes of Magic, Lost Pages of Taborea Last week I compared looting and class-bending in Runes of Magic with similar features found in RIFT. RoM's system of gear customization was a part of that article. This week, I want to talk business. Don't worry, I'm not a business major about to sling pie charts at you or talk about quarterly earnings. I want to talk a bit about business, specifically about how it might relate to decisions developers make concerning what kind of balance to put into an MMO. RoM's gear system is extremely flexible on the outside, but inside there are some restrictions. Some of these restrictions are imposed by the game, but some are imposed by players. In this week's Lost Pages of Taborea, let's take a look at how the flexibility and choice of RoM's gear system -- and other systems -- are in opposition to the game's content and some desires players have. Continue reading Lost Pages of Taborea: Content needs to meet the versatility of gear-upgrading Lost Pages of Taborea: Content needs to meet the versatility of gear-upgrading originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 27 Jun 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Tattered Notebook: Fan Faire knowns and unknowns Posted: 27 Jun 2011 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest II, Opinion, The Tattered Notebook As we inch closer to Fan Faire, speculation begins to mount about what news EverQuest II fans will finally get to hear. Last year, players were smarting from the announcement of EQII Extended, the free-to-play server, and it seemed to deflate the mood among EQII Fan Faire attendees. This year, EQII is full of knowns and unknowns, to borrow a phrase from former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. We have known knowns, which are things that we know we know. And then there are known unknowns, or things that we know but we actually don't know. Lastly, there are unknown unknowns, which are things that we don't know we don't know. That's where things are in EQII currently. Confused? Me too! This week's Tattered Notebook will look at what we know and what we hope to find out more about at this year's Fan Faire. Continue reading The Tattered Notebook: Fan Faire knowns and unknowns The Tattered Notebook: Fan Faire knowns and unknowns originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 27 Jun 2011 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Fallen Earth dev blog talks Alpha County, factional territory control, and more Posted: 27 Jun 2011 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Fallen Earth, Game mechanics, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play, Post-Apocalyptic, Dev Diaries There's a new Fallen Earth dev blog in town, and it's so big that it requires the input of two devs. Producer Marie Croall outlines the game's upcoming development schedule and even drops a release date for the much-anticipated Alpha County/Progress Towns/combat changes patch. That date is July 6th, and Croall provides a recap for those of you who've forgotten about the fact that the update will raise the level cap to 55 and introduce new resources, gear, missions, and a town to fight over. Croall also hints at upcoming changes to Fallen Earth's fast travel system, and she's quick to point out that the team isn't "dumbing anything down -- just putting emphasis on the features that drive the game." Speaking of features, we learned that a world event system is coming, as is faction territory control. It sounds as if the details haven't been ironed out just yet, as Croall doesn't offer any specifics. She also invites players to ask plenty of questions "so [they] can explore all angles together." GamersFirst's Joseph "Linus" Willmon checks in to update players on the status of the PTS as well as the new monitoring tools that G1 is putting in place to isolate those pesky server performance issues. Finally, there's a quick blurb about skill and faction respec items that have been added to the Fallen Earth store. Catch up on all of this and more at the official Fallen Earth dev blog. Fallen Earth dev blog talks Alpha County, factional territory control, and more originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 27 Jun 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Flameseeker Chronicles: Why you need to play Guild Wars right now Posted: 27 Jun 2011 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Guild Wars, Guild Wars 2, Flameseeker Chronicles The fourth pillar is story. Raise your hand if you are completely sick of hearing that statement or some variant of it. It was about a year ago that "story" became the watchword for MMO studios, and since then it's been tossed around a lot. I've honestly gotten to the point that I sort of roll my eyes when I hear it, but I've been rethinking lately thanks to Guild Wars 2. I know it sounds fangirly, but hear me out -- follow along after the jump and I'll explain further. Continue reading Flameseeker Chronicles: Why you need to play Guild Wars right now Flameseeker Chronicles: Why you need to play Guild Wars right now originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 27 Jun 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

One Shots: Welcome to gear week! Posted: 27 Jun 2011 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Galleries, Screenshots, Aion, One Shots This week's theme on One Shots is gear. If you can wear it or wield it, we're showing it off this week. Adam kicks off the theme with an image from Aion: This is my Spiritmaster showing off one of Aion's PvP armor sets. The amount of detail in the game's equipment is staggering, even moreso after the graphical upgrades in 2.5! Besides, how many games let you wear a Vega/Jack-of-Blades-style mask? I plan to reskin this set onto subsequent PvP outfits for a long, long time. Ready to show off your gear? Send a screenshot of your favorite items to oneshots@massively.com along with your name, the name of the game, and a paragraph or two telling us what your items are and how you got them! Gallery: One Shots: 2011 One Shots: Welcome to gear week! originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 27 Jun 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Massively Exclusive TERA lore: Day in the life - Uchamba Posted: 27 Jun 2011 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Galleries, Screenshots, Lore, News items, TERA TERA fans, it's time for another treat! A few days ago, we got our first look at the fearsome wendigos of TERA. Today, we delve even further into the culture of these clever creatures with a day in the life of Uchamba, the leader of the wendigo clan that guards the Thysrivvar -- known to the mortal races of TERA as the Azurice Shrine. Unlike the wendigos of many other MMORPGs, which are often portrayed as yetis or other abominable-snowman-esque creatures, TERA's wendigos are massive, crystalline creatures with a penchant for equally massive, crystalline weapons. Also unlike their traditionally savage and dim-witted counterparts, these wendigos seem to be presented as clever, honorable, and brave creatures fighting not for pleasure, but for their very survival. For the full story of Uchamba and his clan's struggle for survival against their mortal enemies, the giants, click on past the cut. Gallery: TERA screenshots Continue reading Massively Exclusive TERA lore: Day in the life - Uchamba Massively Exclusive TERA lore: Day in the life - Uchamba originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 27 Jun 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Wings Over Atreia: Bribing for Balance Posted: 27 Jun 2011 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Aion, PvP, Opinion, Wings Over Atreia Nope, this isn't a new game show on a cable network but rather the idea behind the latest program from NCsoft to help increase and balance the populations of the servers in Aion. In a game heralded for its PvPvE, keeping enough enemies around to ensure PvP is more than just a passing fancy -- it's vital to the welfare of the game. And of late, on some servers it almost seems as if Asmodians are just mythical creatures that Elyos tell stories about. Although I won't speculate (here at least) on the decline, Asmodian populations have dwindled across many servers as has their participation in PvP. Besides the universal events that celebrated the release of patch 2.5, Aion has aimed some new (or revamped) events specifically at reversing this population trend. The basic premise is this: If you bribe them, they will come. The plan, unveiled in May, would encourage players to return to their furry-backed roots or even try some claws on for the first time by offering special faction incentives. Couple this with the free trial and the hope was that servers would see an influx of Asmodians and a return to the days of faction warfare glory. Just what exactly are the incentives and -- more importantly -- how well are they working? Glide past the cut for details and to join in a discussion on the matter. Continue reading Wings Over Atreia: Bribing for Balance Wings Over Atreia: Bribing for Balance originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 27 Jun 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

New Final Fantasy XIV producer's letter covers balance changes, guildleves Posted: 27 Jun 2011 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Patches, News items, Final Fantasy XIV, Dev Diaries Square Enix's Naoki Yoshida popped by the Final Fantasy XIV forums today to present the community with the latest Final Fantasy XIV Producer's Letter. The post deals with the game's upcoming patch 1.18 and the changes that it will bring. In particular, the letter addresses upcoming balance reforms, which will see Final Fantasy XIV's "shift from being a grind-centric game to one that offers enjoyment for all playing styles and circumstances with its ever-expanding variety of content." Yoshida also discusses the changes coming to guildleves, noting that at the game's launch, "it was stated... that guildleves [would] form the heart of the game." That claim has now been retracted, as Yoshida notes that central content "isn't a static thing" and that it's "new content that we continually develop for our fans' enjoyment, with no one item indefinitely bathing in the spotlight." All-in-all, the letter seems promising for the ongoing adjustments to the game. For the full text, head on over to the Final Fantasy XIV forums. New Final Fantasy XIV producer's letter covers balance changes, guildleves originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 27 Jun 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

You are subscribed to email updates from Massively To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610

General gaming

---

• Cave Story on 3DS Pushed Back Again
• This Week in the 1UP Community 6/19/11
• PS3 Hacker GeoHot Hired by Facebook
• This Summer's XBLA Games Get Priced and Dated
• Battlefield 3 vs. Modern Warfare 3: Which is More Promising?
• Journey Closed Beta Begins Tomorrow
• Senator Yee Hopes to Reintroduce Videogame Violence Law
• No, You May Not Delete Your Resident Evil: Mercenaries 3D Save Data
• LulzSec Shuts Itself Down, Battlefield Heroes Data Leaked
• California Videogame Law Struck Down by Supreme Court

Cave Story on 3DS Pushed Back Again Posted: 27 Jun 2011 04:49 PM PDT First Cave Story 3D was pushed out of June and into August, and now it's been delayed once again. NIS America today announced the game is set to launch on November 8, not on August 9, as previously planned. This is "due to additional game improvements," a press release states. "We are currently undergoing improvements to enhance gameplay," said NIS producer Jack Niida. "Changes are in the small details, but in order to satisfy both the fans and the new players we need to make sure the game is done right. Please look forward to it this holiday season. Cave Story 3D will be a blast." Despite not being a completely original title, Cave Story 3D has been one of the most anticipated games on 3DS. The original started out as a free PC game released in 2004 by Daisuke Amaya (who spoke at GDC about pragmatic game design). Since then it's been ported to both WiiWare and DSiWare, the latter of which has been available on 3DS since the eShop launched earlier this month. The new, 3DS-specific version adds the obligatory 3D support and is a remake rather than a straight port. It will also be the first time the game is made available at retail.

This Week in the 1UP Community 6/19/11 Posted: 27 Jun 2011 03:58 PM PDT Hey, everyone! The weekend is here is almost here so what better time to unwind and relax than to catch up on highlights from this past week's 1UP Community. This week, the site has been brimming with giveaway opportunities for games such Trenched and Uncharted 3 to name a few. The boards have been alive with Star Wars media, discussion of favorite games and recently watched movies. In blogs, read about a criticism of current game reviews, how war games one member's career choice and more. IN GIVEAWAYS:

PS3 Hacker GeoHot Hired by Facebook Posted: 27 Jun 2011 03:28 PM PDT Less than two months after a settlement was reached in Sony's case against hacker George "GeoHot" Hotz, Facebook gave him a job. The 21-year old first became well known for his work on unlocking the iPhone. More recently, he was sued by Sony for his involvement with uncovering the PlayStation 3's root key and publishing it online. He was initially unworried by the lawsuit, but as things dragged on, Sony was accused by many of using underhanded tactics such as attempting to have the case tried in California instead of his home state of New Jersey to balloon his legal fees. The case would go on to be settled in April. "It was never my intention to cause any users trouble or to make piracy easier," Hotz said at the time. "I'm happy to have the litigation behind me." That wouldn't be end of the matter for Sony. In response to what was deemed to be an abuse of the judicial system, hacker group Anonymous launched an attack on the Sony. The PlayStation website went down briefly and then, later in the month, the PlayStation Network breach took place which compromised millions of users' personal information and caused the service to be taken down for several weeks. Anonymous was never proven to be responsible and it's unknown if the Hotz lawsuit was what prompted hackers to go after PSN. Other companies took notice of what happened, including Microsoft -- the company said late last month it would work with a young hacker who carried out phishing attempts on Xbox Live in order to "develop his talent for legitimate purposes." [Update: As it turns out, the story regarding Microsoft hiring the young hacker isn't true.]

This Summer's XBLA Games Get Priced and Dated Posted: 27 Jun 2011 02:03 PM PDT This year's lineup of Summer of Arcade titles has been both priced and dated. Things start in a few weeks with Bastion on July 20 for 1,200 Microsoft Points ($15). Following it are From Dust on July 27 for 1,200 points, Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet on August 3 for 1,200 points, Fruit Ninja Kinect on August 10 for 800 points ($10), and Toy Soldiers: Cold War on August 17 for 1,200 points. Last year's Summer of Arcade, for comparison's sake, included Limbo, Hydro Thunder: Hurricane, Castlevania: Harmony of Despair, Monday Night Combat, and Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light. Limbo ended up being the best selling of the bunch "by a long stretch," though it's anyone's guess how much had to do with its quality versus being the first of the five out of the gate.

Battlefield 3 vs. Modern Warfare 3: Which is More Promising? Posted: 27 Jun 2011 01:58 PM PDT Feature Share it: Tweet Battlefield 3 vs. Modern Warfare 3: Who Will Win? The 1UP staff looks at the two shooters that will face-off later this year. By: 1UP Staff June 27, 2011 EA and Activision are headed for a legendary showdown this holiday season. The rivalry developing between Modern Warfare 3 and Battlefield 3 is shaping up to be the stuff of legend -- Doom vs. Dark Forces; Quake vs. Duke Nukem; Street Fighter vs. Mortal Kombat. Who will win? In terms of sales, it's nearly a forgone conclusion that Modern Warfare 3 will outsell Battlefield 3 by a healthy margin. The cultural cachet that Activision has managed to develop can't be taken down in one year. That doesn't mean that Battlefield 3 can't be profitable and won't be a fantastic game. The 1UP staff tackled the question and picked which game they were most excited about.

Journey Closed Beta Begins Tomorrow Posted: 27 Jun 2011 01:26 PM PDT After promising that details on a "very limited" beta for Journey would be shared today, thatgamecompany has announced how gamers can get in and how long it will last. The beta kicks off tomorrow, June 28, and will continue through July 12. Invites will be sent to PlayStation Network users' XMB inboxes if they were among the "very earliest adopters" of Flower and are a current PlayStation Plus subscriber. The latter requirement should be fulfilled by just about everyone, as Sony gave away a free month of PlayStation Plus to everyone as part of the Welcome Back package following PSN's extended downtime. Giveaways will also be hosted for beta keys, including on the developer's Facebook page. Players will get to help test the game's network code, among other things, during weekly play sessions that take place on Tuesdays from 6PM to 10PM Pacific.

Senator Yee Hopes to Reintroduce Videogame Violence Law Posted: 27 Jun 2011 11:44 AM PDT The biggest proponent and author of the California law that would have banned the sale and rental of violent videogames to children, California Senator Leland Yee, has spoken out on today's decision by the Supreme Court. If you haven't already heard, a vote of 7-2 struck down the law in the case of Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association/Entertainment Software Association this morning. And Senator Yee is none too pleased. "Unfortunately, the majority of the Supreme Court once again put the interests of corporate America before the interests of our children," he said in a a press release posted on his website. After passing through the legislature, the bill was signed by then-Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2005. It would criminalize the sale or rental of violent games to anyone under the age of 18 and fine offending retailers $1,000 per violation. It was soon after blocked by a U.S. District Court judge who felt games are protected by the First Amendment. The case worked its way up to the Supreme Court and, after deciding to review the case last year, it was struck down for the final time today.

No, You May Not Delete Your Resident Evil: Mercenaries 3D Save Data Posted: 27 Jun 2011 10:41 AM PDT Update: Mercenaries is now listed as "Not Rentable" on GameFly, presumably as a result of the inability to delete save games. Original Story: Gamers who like to start from scratch will want to ensure they don't pick up a used copy of Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D, which comes out in North America tomorrow. Much like the Japanese version of the game, both the North American and European versions do not allow save games to be erased, as the image below shows. It's a curious decision, and one that appears to be a direct attack on the used games market. The appeal of buying a second-hand copy of the game will be diminished for some if they find out they won't be able to play the game as if it's a new copy. The tactic we've seen as of late to encourage the purchase of new games is the inclusion of a one-time-use code that allows access to certain content, usually the online mode. What makes that different is the ability to fork over some money for access to that content. With Mercenaries, you simply can't erase the data, even if you bought a new copy of the game and decide you want to start over again.

LulzSec Shuts Itself Down, Battlefield Heroes Data Leaked Posted: 27 Jun 2011 09:45 AM PDT Over the weekend, hacker group LulzSec announced that it was done. A press release claims it only intended to exist for 50 days, and with that point reached on Saturday, it is over and done with. As a parting "gift," it also dumped a huge amount of data including 50,000 users' information from "random gaming forums" and 550,000 users from the Battlefield Heroes beta. The latter caused Heroes to be temporarily taken offline. It has since been restored with a note that says an investigation is ongoing but that no personal data was compromised. That includes e-mail addresses, credit card numbers, or anything else like that. What was leaked was a list of usernames and encrypted passwords from an "early beta version of Heroes." It's reassuring that passwords were encrypted, but if you were registered in the early beta and use the same username/password combination elsewhere, you should change the offending password immediately. "For the past 50 days we've been disrupting and exposing corporations, governments, often the general population itself, and quite possibly everything in between, just because we could," LulzSec said in its Saturday statement. "All to selflessly entertain others -- vanity, fame, recognition, all of these things are shadowed by our desire for that which we all love. The raw, uninterrupted, chaotic thrill of entertainment and anarchy. It's what we all crave, even the seemingly lifeless politicians and emotionless, middle-aged self-titled failures. You are not failures. You have not blown away. You can get what you want and you are worth having it, believe in yourself."

California Videogame Law Struck Down by Supreme Court Posted: 27 Jun 2011 08:33 AM PDT The California law that would make selling violent videogames to anyone under the age of 18 a crime was appealed to the Supreme Court in 2009. It was announced last summer that it would be heard and after months of waiting for a decision in Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association/Entertainment Software Association, we have that today: In a 7-2 vote, the law was struck down because it "does not comport with the First Amendment." Update: See how the bill's author, California Senator Leland Yee, responds. The court's decision (PDF) is fairly lengthy at 92 pages but it gets right to the point: "Video games qualify for First Amendment protection." A comparison to other forms of entertainment that are protected -- books, movies, plays -- is mentioned and it's said that "'the basic principles of freedom of speech ... do not vary' with a new and different communication medium."

You are subscribed to email updates from 1UP RSS feed To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610