General gaming

General gaming

Diablo 3 Will Let You Auction Your Loot For Real Money

Posted: 01 Aug 2011 12:01 AM PDT

In detailing the list of improvements and changes that Diablo 3 brings to Battle.net (persistent friends list, cross-game chat, PVP matchmaking, etc.), the ability to auction off items for real-world money stands out the most. Essentially, Blizzard has taken the seedy world of third-party gold and items or characters for money trading, and institutionalized the practice.

Executive vice president of game design Rob Pardo describes the currency-based auction house as a solution to a multitude of economy-related problems from previous Diablo installments. People used to have to drop items on the floor and click with blind faith that they were getting what they expected. Websites that were basically nothing but fronts for scammers would prop up to capitalize on the exploitable (through duplication and manipulation of client-side characters) economy. Even trying to make the transaction was annoying, as you'd have to put up with players constantly spamming the chat channels with item listings.

Diablo 3 Will Require Players to be Online When Playing

Posted: 01 Aug 2011 12:01 AM PDT

Remember when you first heard stuff like how either Steam or StarCraft 2 require you to be online for authentication purposes? That the process to play or utilize either service offline can be a bit circuitous, but at least it's still possible to be offline. But, Diablo 3 differs in that you must be online to play at all -- not just for authentication.

Executive vice president of game design Rob Pardo notes that the wealth of improvements and features Diablo 3 brings to Battle.net necessitate the always-online requirement. Specific additions that he refers to include:

Diablo 3 1UP Community FAQ: We Answer Your Questions

Posted: 01 Aug 2011 12:01 AM PDT

Let me get this out of the way first: there is no news about the Diablo 3 beta. Sure, I've played most of the beta's content (basically, the first half of Act One, up until the player defeats the Skeleton King who, for lorehounds, is the resurrected King Leoric from Diablo), so I know it exists in some form. But beyond letting us play it, and talking about some other announcements, Blizzard personnel wouldn't discuss the timeframe for the playable beta.

Still, the developers provided a very detailed presentation for each of the playable character classes, in addition to the auction house and our own beta playthrough. Before leaving, I took note of a bunch of questions from the 1UP Community Q&A Thread, and can now answer them through either directly asking Blizzard on some, and from my own experience. If there are any major lingering concerns, you can either ask in the comments or a new blog I posted here. Also, I mostly play as a Demon Hunter, since ranged classes are my thing; but I also dig the Witch Doctor, if only because he can fill a screen with frogs.

Posted by Shri Krishna

MMOGaming News

MMOGaming News

[Exclusive] Dragona English Version Interview

Posted:

Since the game has just launched recently, I figured doing a question & answer interview would be an awesome way for us to learn more about the game and to share that info with MMOsite readers.

BAG Entertainment Joined Hands with Bungalo Interactive to Enter Global SNG Market

Posted:

BAG Entertainment Co., Ltd. announced that they recently concluded the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Bungalo Interactive Inc. at COEX in Samsung-dong, southern Seoul. The two companies have merged and are now sharing strategies to enter the global market in developing and publishing SNG games for Facebook.

Red5 CEO: Firefall Launching in December in North America

Posted:

Firefall is one of the most anticipated games at ChinaJoy 2011. The game didn't let Chinese players down, and they gave players of the world some surprises, too.

chaose5's In-depth Analysis on Prefix Effect I: Weapon

Posted:

A new prefix system for armors and weapons was introduced since the lvl50 cap opens. This article will present an in-depth analysis on the prefix effect of armor and weapon.

World-Famous MMORPG Ragnarok Online Comes to Your iPhone

Posted:

Gravity Interactive, Inc. is very proud to announce the release of their most popular and famous MMORPG Ragnarok Online as a single-player iPhone/iPad application which can be found on the Apple's App Store on August 5, 2011. ;

Dragon Nest 5th Profession Academic Gameplay Video Debuted

Posted:

Dragon Nest developer Eyedentity has officially announced the 5th profession Academic at its official site.

Weekly Shot: The Alpaca That Loves Me So Much

Posted:

We set up a new gallery in MMOsite called "Weekly Shot" which present the best images posted by all of you every week.

Guild Wars 2 Heads Over to Gamescom with Brand New Demo!

Posted:

It has been a while since we last heard the news of Guild Wars 2. With the upcoming gamescom, Europe's largest game expo, which held from August 17-21 in Cologne, Germany, ArenaNet is having a big surprise in the pipeline for all the Guild Wars 2 fans. They will bring a brand new demo that features a slew of new content they haven't showed off before.

An Anime based MMO that Has Normal Sized Heads? Nowai!

Posted:

Beat 'em ups and Slash 'em ups always appealed to me. Probably because they remind me of my innocent childhood where I played Battle Toads & Double Dragon on my older brother's SNES with or without his permission. - A peek into the Rusty Hearts CBT.

Special Force Celebrates Singapore's Birthday!

Posted:

Special Force will celebrate its first anniversary in Singapore on August 9th, 2011 with some of the best game updates on the first birthday!

Are You Proud of Being Called Casual Player / Hardcore Grinder?

Posted:

To me, I kinda like they call me casual player instead of hardcore. Sometimes, it will make me feel like they're calling me 'nerd' or something.

Rusty Hearts Review

Posted:

In my opinion, this is their fist game that is not based on the original system designed and reskinned from Perfect World. So far, the game only has 3 characters, but the sihlouette for a 4th is already there.

Riot Games Has Released a Fresh Movie for League of Legends

Posted:

This week, three champions of the League disappeared in the woods near Summoners Rift amid whispers of a powerful artifact had been spotted. These intrepid treasure hunters struck off into the jungle, disregarding rumors of strange happenings, abnormal behavior among the wildlife, and a mysterious presence so terrifying that even the most courageous dare not speak its name.

Vindictus Announced European Version with a New Teaser Site

Posted:

NEXON Europe launched a brand new teaser website(http://vindictus.nexoneu.com/) for the much anticipated free-to-play Action MMORPG Vindictus Europe, which will be released in Europe this autumn.
Posted by Shri Krishna


General Gaming Article

General Gaming Article

Foxconn Adding 1 Million Robots Over The Next Three Years To Replace Chinese Workers

Posted: 31 Jul 2011 02:05 PM PDT

Robot AssemblyManual labor is dead. You know how we know? Foxconn announced today that it would start phasing out its rampant hiring, and add over 1 million robots to its manufacturing process over the next three years. A spokesmen for the company claims the robots will help cut rising labor costs, improve efficiency, and help keep Foxconn competitive. 

When a company can save money by installing robots to replace workers who are making less than $300 per month, it's safe to say it's time to brush up on your robot maintenance skills. We're all going to need them. 

The robots are intended to replace workers doing mostly simple tasks such as spraying, welding, and basic assembly currently done by mostly Chinese laborers. Foxconn currently uses about 10,000 robots, a number which will jump to 300,000 next year, and 1 million in three. 

Foxconn is the world's largest manufacturer of computer components, assembling products for Apple, Sony and Nokia from its headquarters in China. 

Intel Details The Ultrabook Three Year Roadmap

Posted: 31 Jul 2011 10:07 AM PDT

UltrabookThe x86 market isn't in jeopardy by any stretch of the imagination, but Intel has seen the future, and mobile is where the moneys at. As tablets based on the arm architecture slowly evolve into convertible PC's, Intel knows it will need to make laptops that are even more compelling if it's going to survive the long haul. We know the Ultrabook is one of Intel's most important strategies going forward, however in a blog post on Thursday they finally detailed the three year roadmap for what they believe is a completely new product segment, and we can't wait to see what the future holds.

Phase 1: The first generation of "Ultrabooks" will be based on Sandy Bridge, and using the new Ultra-Low Voltage processors similar to those found in the Macbook Air. Asus, Dell, Sony, and Hewlett-Packard have already announced their intention to build products based on these parts, and will be arriving en-mass this fall.

Phase 2: The second generation of Ultrabook will feature Intel's Ivy Bridge CPU's, and will feature more advanced I/O's such as USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt. Expect to start seeing these ship by Summer 2012. 

Phase 3: The third generation of Ultrabooks will be based on an upcoming micro-architecture currently code named Haswell. So far we don't know much about Haswells capabilities, but expect it to up performance and battery life. Haswell is currently on the roadmap for a 2013 release.  

20-Year-Old Man Dies After Marathon Gaming Session

Posted: 31 Jul 2011 09:21 AM PDT

Take a BreakHave you ever wondered why the first 2-3 pages of a Nintendo manual have more health warnings than a box of cigarettes? It's not because gaming is a particularly dangerous hobby, but like everything in life some people just don't understand the old adage "all things in moderation". According to the UK's Sun newspaper, one such example is 20-year-old Chris Staniforth, a truly dedicated gamer who passed away last week during one of his 12+ hour marathon Halo sessions as a result so much inactivity.

The Autopsy confirmed that Staniforth's died from a blood clot which resulted from deep vein thrombosis, an ailment brought on by large stretches of little to no movement. The doctors consulted in the matter reminded reporters that while inactivity was the cause, it was still a very unlucky co-incidence that happens more often to long haul flight passengers, where getting up and moving around can be difficult.

Chris Staniforth's father says he doesn't blame Microsoft and that his son lived for his Xbox. Not surprisingly when asked for comment Microsoft would say only that, "we recommend gamers take breaks to exercise as well as make time for other pursuits."

Sound advice. 

Can Your Browser Choice Really Betray Your True IQ?

Posted: 31 Jul 2011 08:33 AM PDT

GumpIf you've tried everything you can think of to convert your friends and family over to your browser of choice, we've come up with a pair of new weapons for your arsenal. The tools we're offering you here are not only persuasive, but involve an entertaining mix of both science and shame. According to AptiQuant Psychometric Consulting, a person's IQ has at least a slight influence on which browser they are likely to use, and unfortunately for Microsoft the headlines haven't been kind.

Are Internet Explorer Users Dumb? – CNN

Internet Explorer Users Have Lower IQs – The Independent

Just How Stupid Are IE Users? - CNET 

As you may have already guessed, the AptiQuant survey of over 100,000 random web users concluded that Internet Explorer users are the least intelligent on average. But don't let that shiny new auto-updated version of Chrome, Firefox, or Safari delude you into thinking you're the cream of the crop. Users of Camino, Opera, and IE with Chrome Frame scored much higher than any of the mainstream choices.  

Whether or not you choose to believe the science behind the full report is up to you, but for what it's worth the company's CEO Leonard Howard claims that his inbox is overwhelmed with hate mail from loyal IE users. In a follow up interview with the San Francisco Chronicle, Howard clarified his company's interpretation of the results, just in case you were starting to feel offended. "I just want to make it clear that the report released by my company did not suggest that if you use IE that means you have a low IQ, but what it really says is that if you have a low IQ then there are high chances that you use Internet Explorer."

There you have it folks, you're not dumb if your using IE, but if you're using IE you might be dumb. Everyone got it straight now? Glad we cleared that up!
Posted by Shri Krishna

MMO News

MMO News

MMOHut Weekly Recap #45 July 31 – Heroes of Newerth, Dragon Nest, & More

Posted: 31 Jul 2011 12:54 PM PDT

MMO Weekly News #45 – Heroes of Newerth, Dragon Nest, & More

Weekly MMO News summary for the week ended July 31 (July 25 – July 31). A quick look and discussion for every major announcement and update during the week! This week we discussed updates from the following games: Heroes of Newerth, Cross Fire, Uncharted Waters online, Realm of the Titans, Asda 2, Silkroad Online, Legend of Edda, Rusty Hearts, Dungeon Fighter Online and Dragon Nest. You can view all the individual news articles mention over at the MMOHut.com News section.

Realm of the Titans Gameplay – Dual Commentary HD

Posted: 30 Jul 2011 12:56 PM PDT

To Learn More About the Game Check out our Realm of the Titans Page.

Realm of the Titans is a 3D Moba style MMO published by Aeria Games – the same company behind Eden Eternal, Grand Fantasia, Shaiya, Last Chaos, Lime Odyssey Online, Metal Assault and numerous other titles. As a Moba style game, Realm of the Titans plays a lot like League of Legends, Heroes of Newerth, and Rise of Immortals. The game doesn’t have nearly as many playable heroes as League of Legends, but does have several unique features which some fans of the genre may really like. To learn more about Realm of the Titans check out the official MMOHut Realm of the Titans page which includes a detailed review, tons of screenshots, and additional videos.
Posted by Shri Krishna

MMO Updates

MMO Updates

The Anvil of Crom: A look inside the Forgotten City

Posted: 31 Jul 2011 10:00 AM PDT

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A couple of weeks ago I took you on a tour of the Breach, one of two new instances that debuted with Age of Conan's free-to-play Unchained patch. Today, we'll nose around the second dungeon, an outdoor playfield called the Forgotten City that -- like its predecessor -- has AoC's distinctive far-eastern flavor written all over it.

The two instances are similar in that they both scale to a player's level between 40 and 80, and they're both accessed via the Gateway to Khitai zone that serves as the entry point into AoC's Rise of the Godslayer content. That's about where the similarities end, though, as the dungeons are quite different in terms of visual style and challenge level.

Gallery: Age of Conan - The Forgotten City

Loading screenApproaching the cityPath to the cityArchway againArchway

Continue reading The Anvil of Crom: A look inside the Forgotten City

MassivelyThe Anvil of Crom: A look inside the Forgotten City originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 31 Jul 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Global Chat: These times they are a changin'

Posted: 31 Jul 2011 08:00 AM PDT

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Welcome to this week's Global Chat! We love hearing what you have to say at Massively, and we love it even more when we can share the best comments with all of our readers. Massively staffers will be contributing some of their favorite comments every week, so keep an eye out every Sunday for more Global Chat!

Today's Global Chat covers some big game changes as well as some NPCs we love to hate. As always, our readers have plenty to say about issues both game-changing and lighthearted, and much of it can be applied to the MMO field in general. How long is too long to wait for game updates? How do you balance in-game currency vs. real-world cash purchases? And seriously, is that one NPC ever going to shut up?

Hit the jump for our readers' thoughts on these burning questions.

Continue reading Global Chat: These times they are a changin'

MassivelyGlobal Chat: These times they are a changin' originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 31 Jul 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: What half-developed content intrigues you the most?

Posted: 31 Jul 2011 06:00 AM PDT

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A live MMO is like an old building, expanded and built upon time and again. And just like a large enough building, there are rooms that get built over and sealed off. Except they're not rooms, they're abandoned pieces of content and storylines and mechanics that never got expanded upon. Things like the Karazhan Crypt in World of Warcraft hint at elaborate pieces of content that never quite made it to release, with only the barest elements remaining in place for players to wonder about.

Sometimes you don't get a full map, of course, just a few datamined points or a spell that looks like part of a larger series of spells that never came to pass. Whether or not you're happy with the game as a whole, the idea of these islands of abandoned content can be alluring, suggesting a pattern of development that almost went into production but not quite. So what's your favorite piece of content that clearly got dropped off partway through? Where do you find a hint of what might have been that ultimately didn't come to pass?

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!

MassivelyThe Daily Grind: What half-developed content intrigues you the most? originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 31 Jul 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Perpetuum dev blog talks intrusion revamp

Posted: 30 Jul 2011 06:00 PM PDT

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Avatar Creations has updated its Perpetuum dev blog, and the latest entry is quite a long read (and also of interest to players concerned about the game's intrusion and outpost conquest systems). As it currently stands, base attack and defense in Perpetuum is a pretty random affair. "One's ability to hold an outpost is largely luck, combined with the number of players one can bring to bear in a specific time zone," Avatar admits.

The blog entry sums up the tentative path forward, and a future intrusion revamp will be deployed "rather than build[ing] upon a broken mechanic and creat[ing] more issues." What will the revamp entail? For starters, outpost ownership will cease to be about raid-and-retreat gameplay and instead will be focused on players who actually live on a particular island for the long term. Avatar is confident its new system will encourage PvP while simultaneously preventing instances where players wake up and are unable to access their assets.

While there's no date for the intrusion revamp as of yet, there is quite a bit of mechanical info to be read on the official Perpetuum dev blog (and don't forget to leave your feedback in the comments and on the forums after you've checked out the details).

MassivelyPerpetuum dev blog talks intrusion revamp originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 30 Jul 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Darkfall video and screenshots highlight new leather armor

Posted: 30 Jul 2011 04:00 PM PDT

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Aventurine snuck in a couple of quick Darkfall updates while we weren't looking, and though there's still no definitive word on Darkfall 2.0, there is an armor video and some nifty screenshots to sort of make up for it.

This week's Darkfall blog update is a short one, and basically pays a bit of lip service to the siege system that's still in progress (and that Aventurine hopes to have in final testing next week). As for the screenshots, they feature some closeups of the new "intricate leather armor" that took a bow in Thursday's short video release. The set is a bit of a departure from the game's grungy medieval aesthetic, with clean lines and some appealing sleekness but for the giant spikes protruding from the helmet and and limbs. Head past the cut to get a look at the video.

Continue reading Darkfall video and screenshots highlight new leather armor

MassivelyDarkfall video and screenshots highlight new leather armor originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 30 Jul 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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One Shots: Calling this meeting to order

Posted: 30 Jul 2011 02:00 PM PDT

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Today's One Shots image is a blast from the past -- one that a lot of players remember fondly, and many still play. Ogrelin Blodig sent us this Dark Age of Camelot image:
This screenshot was taken in 2003 during one of Svea Ulvars guild meetings. We played on the European server Prydwen in the realm of Midgard. You can unfortunately only see the feet of the guild-founder Zog in the middle. Some of us still play in the guild together, but sadly many of the members in that picture haven't been seen in a long time.
Next week's One Shots theme is Some Assembly Required, and yes, it's a little nod to Massively's newest column. If you'd like to participate, send your best screenshot of content that you've created to us at oneshots@massively.com. It can be a house you built, an item you crafted, or anything you like as long as it came from your two (virtual) hands. Include your name, the game, and a little description of the image, and we'll feature it here on Massively!

Gallery: One Shots: 2011

MassivelyOne Shots: Calling this meeting to order originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 30 Jul 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Tattered Notebook: You've got some DCUO/EQ/CWA/VG in my EQII!

Posted: 30 Jul 2011 12:00 PM PDT

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As excited as I am to see some of the changes coming to EverQuest II, I have to admit that some of it felt slightly familiar. I've been doing a bit of an MMO walkabout recently, and I've re-upped my Station Access so I could sample some of SOE's other titles, and also revisit some that I haven't played in a while.

As I played, I came across features and gameplay that tended to look similar. The Aether races in EQII look a lot like the race tracks from DCUO. The upcoming house database, with a ranking system, sounds a lot like what's in Free Realms. I'd wager that the Mercenary system will be modeled on the one that's already in EverQuest. And the on-again-off-again gifting system in EQII resembles the one already in Clone Wars Adventures.

In this week's Tattered Notebook, we'll take a somewhat tongue-in-cheek look at a few other features from SOE games that would be great to see in EverQuest II.

Continue reading The Tattered Notebook: You've got some DCUO/EQ/CWA/VG in my EQII!

MassivelyThe Tattered Notebook: You've got some DCUO/EQ/CWA/VG in my EQII! originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 30 Jul 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted by Shri Krishna
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