MMO Updates |
- Gamescom 2011: Paradox releases new Salem teaser
- Some Assembly Required: Issue #4 -- Making music in LotRO
- The MMO Report: What is this I don't even edition
- Sevencore sci-fantasy MMO reveals English website
- Moonlight Online launching by the end of 2011
- World of Tanks coming to retail in late August
- The Daily Grind: Do you like optimizing your character?
- Third Guild Wars 2 novel named: Sea of Sorrows
- New End of Nations trailer goes meta
- Golden Age goes for a walk on the town
- Defiance drops in new screenshots, artwork
- Lord of the Rings Online offers a new design diary on the Captain
- Final Fantasy XIV streamlining the crafting process
- Captain's Log: Incoming messages from the devs... again
- Behind the Mask: Preparing for war
- Need for Speed World's Gamescom trailer has a lead foot
- Transition details for Champions Online, Star Trek Online
- Star Wars Galaxies' GU20 brings the GCW to space
- New ArenaNet dev diary outlines the making of the Battle of Kyhlo
- The Burglar steals the show in latest Lord of the Rings Online dev diary
- One Shots: Any minute now...
- Ask Massively: I don't get the point of character customization in a first-person shooter edition
- The Guild Counsel: A color-blind world
- EVE Online introduces new bot-reporting feature
| Gamescom 2011: Paradox releases new Salem teaser Posted: 19 Aug 2011 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Horror, Events, real-world, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Browser, Miscellaneous  Today, Paradox has a released a new trailer for the title at Gamescom, and though there's no gameplay footage to be had, the atmosphere conjured by the clip is nothing short of bizarre. The video runs a tad over a minute and a half, and perhaps the most interesting thing about it is a subtitle that shows up after the ending title which proclaims that Salem is "the crafting MMO." It's the crafting MMO with permadeath and a PvP focus, if previous Paradox releases still hold true, and if that doesn't tweak your curiosity, well, head past the cut and watch the video anyway. Continue reading Gamescom 2011: Paradox releases new Salem teaser
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| Some Assembly Required: Issue #4 -- Making music in LotRO Posted: 19 Aug 2011 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Game mechanics, Opinion, Free-to-play, Guides, Some Assembly Required  There is no way around it -- music is such an integral part of our lives and culture that there is almost no way to take a step without its influence showing in some part of our lives, be it an idiom, a movie, a popular catchphrase, or even just a tune stuck in our heads that we cannot escape. Music is so woven into the thread of our beings that it is surprising that more music cannot be found in the world of MMOs. Luckily for us, one world has embraced this connection to music and made it an involved part of the game. Unlike any other games, Lord of the Rings Online has moved beyond just adding a background score and a few canned clips of music to the game. In fact, it has introduced an entire system allowing players to not only play a variety of instruments in the game but compose original pieces and play together in bands as well. The musically inclined can either play live or convert popular music into ABC files, and the not-so-inclined can use said files files to play right along with their friends. When it comes to harnessing creativity, the music system in LotRO tops the charts. Want to see how you too can strike up the band and show off your creative prowess with the lute, the theorbo, the clarinet, or even the cowbell? Tune in past the cut for Some Assembly Required's look at the music industry in LotRO. Continue reading Some Assembly Required: Issue #4 -- Making music in LotRO
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| The MMO Report: What is this I don't even edition Posted: 19 Aug 2011 08:30 AM PDT Filed under: Video, EVE Online, News items, Guild Wars 2, The Secret World, LEGO Universe, Star Wars: The Old Republic, The MMO Report  Welcome once again to Massively's coverage of The MMO report, where we get to imagine that this entire article is read by a 1930s radio announcer. The first order of business today is the record-breaking scam perpetrated in EVE Online, followed by the energy and weapon ability changes in the most recent test build of Guild Wars 2. Then we've got The Old Republic's first show of endgame content in the form of the Eternity Vault being showcased at Gamescom. Meanwhile, The Secret World announces a release date, slating the game for April 2012 with beta signups beginning on August 26th. LEGO Universe's transition to a free-to-play model rounds out the selections before a trip into Uncle Casey's Mailbag for some schmemes and other goodness. So jump on past the cut and check it out. Oh, and don't ask about the beginning. We don't know either. Continue reading The MMO Report: What is this I don't even edition
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| Sevencore sci-fantasy MMO reveals English website Posted: 19 Aug 2011 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Sci-fi, Video, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Free-to-play, Post-Apocalyptic, Miscellaneous  Sevencore just recently entered its Korean closed beta phase, and gPotato plans to bring a closed beta test to Europe sometime in 2012. For now, the new site is sparsely populated with a few screenshots, but there is a bit of closed beta footage floating around on YouTube, and we've collected that for you after the cut. Continue reading Sevencore sci-fantasy MMO reveals English website
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| Moonlight Online launching by the end of 2011 Posted: 19 Aug 2011 07:30 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Horror, Galleries, Launches, Moonlight Online  Moving to capitalize on the final Twilight films, IGG announced that Moonlight Online will be launching its own version of vampires and werewolves before too long. Moonlight Online isn't just about well-worn horror concepts, but fresh ideas as well, such as strategic empire building, epic love stories, combat on the move, and fantastic creatures. According to the forums, there will also be dynamic weather patterns that will shape the game world, throwing zones from a blizzard to an idyllic summer day as the seasons progress. If you haven't already, make sure to sink your teeth into our dev diary which gives a good overview of the game. We also have our very first look at in-game screenshots of Moonlight Online, which you can view in the gallery below!
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| World of Tanks coming to retail in late August Posted: 19 Aug 2011 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Historical, Real life, Business models, MMO industry, News items, War, Free-to-play, World of Tanks, Miscellaneous  So what's in it for consumers apart from the decidedly retro notion of owning a physical copy of a game? Quite a bit, actually, as the package includes the full game client and approximately $30 worth of in-game items including a premium account, game credits, gold, and an upgraded tank. World of Tanks has been played by over 5 million people and features historically accurate renditions of more than 150 armored vehicles from America, Germany, and the Soviet Union. The game is the first entry in Wargaming.net's action MMO trilogy that includes World of Warplanes and World of Battleships.
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| The Daily Grind: Do you like optimizing your character? Posted: 19 Aug 2011 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Classes, Game mechanics, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous  Of course, to some people, optimizing your character is the only way to play. To others, it's searingly tedious when all you want is to just log in and have fun. So what do you think? Do you like trying to tune your character to be the best? Or would you much prefer to just play the game and take a more casual approach? Are there certain things you have to be the best at and others you don't care about?  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!
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| Third Guild Wars 2 novel named: Sea of Sorrows Posted: 19 Aug 2011 05:30 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Guild Wars, Events, real-world, MMO industry, New titles, Guild Wars 2  If you're not following along at home, the first two books in this series are entitled Ghosts of Ascalon and Edge of Destiny, which are both part of the trilogy that tells the story revolving around the 250 years between Guild Wars 1 and Guild Wars 2. Releasing this final novel in that trilogy simply brings us closer to an actual launch of Guild Wars 2 itself, and possibly cures the world's hunger and brings world peace; we're not sure. So stay tuned to Massively for more on Sea of Sorrows as it's unveiled!
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| New End of Nations trailer goes meta Posted: 18 Aug 2011 08:30 PM PDT Filed under: Trailers, Video, Game mechanics, News items, War, Free-to-play, MMORTS  You can't fight here, this is the war room! Wait, you can? Nevermind, carry on. Today we have a new trailer from Gamescom highlighting Trion Worlds' End of Nation's metagame. The developers are careful to note that anyone can contribute to their nation's war effort, whether you're a green novice or a hardened veteran. The trailer also takes some time to highlight the different types of battle maps available to players, from the standard PvP map to the monumental mega maps, which feature up to 50 players on the map, each will a full army. The battles raging on each of these maps will determine which faction controls the territory, and each territory grants its controlling faction a different advantage. It's up to the players to decide which territory would most benefit their faction's current needs, and then to bring the firepower and capture the territory. For the full trailer, blast your way past the cut. Continue reading New End of Nations trailer goes meta
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| Golden Age goes for a walk on the town Posted: 18 Aug 2011 08:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Galleries, Free-to-play, MMORTS  Aeria Games is ramping up publicity for this upcoming title by releasing five new screens showing off the common town where players will bump into each other while they check out the sights. Golden Age is a free-to-play browser RTS where you can assume the role of the lord of a castle in the golden lands of yore. When you're not building up your fortress, you can go on hundreds of quests in the surrounding areas and unleash hell with your elite armies. You can take a tour of the town in the gallery below. Right now the title is in beta for both North and Latin America, so if you're ready to move out of your parents' basement and into a roomy 200-room keep, head on over to the official site to sign up!
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| Defiance drops in new screenshots, artwork Posted: 18 Aug 2011 07:30 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Galleries, Screenshots, News items, Consoles, Post-Apocalyptic  Hot off the press from Gamescom 2011, we bring you a new round of screenshots from the upcoming collaboration between Trion Worlds and SyFy, Defiance. For those of you not up to speed on what exactly Defiance is aiming to be, here's a crash-course. Defiance is set to be the first-ever collaborative effort between an MMO and a TV-show, with actions occurring in each influencing the story of the other. Players will be put in the shoes of the citizens of San Francisco Bay Area, while the TV show takes place in and around St. Louis. Earth is under attack by a mysterious breed of aliens who are looking to terraform Earth until it suits their own needs, and of course this means that all humans must die. Humanity isn't just going to take that sitting down, though, and it's up to players to fight off the alien hordes and reclaim their planet. Savvy? Great. Now hit the gallery below (and if you're new to the Defiance scene, go check out the trailer) for some new screenshots of this innovative title and prepare yourself to fight for the planet. That, or die trying.
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| Lord of the Rings Online offers a new design diary on the Captain Posted: 18 Aug 2011 07:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Classes, Previews, News items, Free-to-play  As the diary explains, the one aspect of the class that development didn't want to touch was the all-around buffing utility, which properly needed to remain something that the class could access regardless of focus. Instead, the biggest changes to the class come in the Leader of Men trait line, with the Captain's tanking and defensive capabilities being significantly improved for just that purpose. Along with some quality-of-life buffs, it should be a good time to be a Captain once the game's newest expansion touches down.
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| Final Fantasy XIV streamlining the crafting process Posted: 18 Aug 2011 06:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, Patches, Professions, News items, Consoles, Final Fantasy XIV  The overall goal is to reduce the number of intermediate steps needed to craft an item and reduce the number of parts that go into the construction of each item, thereby reducing both inventory clutter and the glut of of necessary crafts. While only a handful of specific examples are shown, they demonstrate that crafters should find the new recipes much easier to put together without extensive searching. But if you've still got Hempen Shirtsleeves clogging your inventory, fear not, as the old recipes will remain in place for a while. For the most part, it should be a welcome announcement that will make each act of crafting that much less ornate.
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| Captain's Log: Incoming messages from the devs... again Posted: 18 Aug 2011 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Events, real-world, Interviews, Opinion, Star Trek Online, Captain's Log  Hello, computer (and players)! I seem to mention this all the time, but I believe it to be true: The developers working on Star Trek Online are more transparent with their work than the devs of most other games. Whether or not this transparency has been always been a good thing is debatable, though. Still, no matter what one's thoughts on this are, I think we can all agree we like to be "in the know" when it comes to new things in development. This past weekend, a select group of STO players was able to attend another Dine with the Devs event, hosted by yours truly, where transparency was taken to the next level. As I let you all know last week, the second-ever Dine with the STO Devs event coincided with some STO devs' visit to the Star Trek Las Vegas convention. Over 50 players gathered at a local Vegas restaurant to eat, drink and bombard Cryptic's developers with their most burning questions. Because 99.99% of the game's players were unable to attend, I captured the entire event on audio and would like to present you with a basic transcript of the evening's events. So make some food, grab a drink, and get ready to fire up the Holodeck for another edition of Captain's Log. Ensign, warp 10! Auxiliary power to the Holodeck matrices and brace for impact... Continue reading Captain's Log: Incoming messages from the devs... again
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| Behind the Mask: Preparing for war Posted: 18 Aug 2011 05:30 PM PDT Filed under: Super-hero, Game mechanics, PvP, Opinion, Free-to-play, Champions Online, Behind the Mask  I wanted to go back to PvP again this week and cover some basic tools and strategies for all types of PvP, especially the Hero Games group PvP modes. Some of the strategies aren't obvious to beginners, and others are easy to forget in the heat of battle. While everyone can agree on certain basic strategies, it's easy to get blood in the eyes and focus too heavily on depleting some hero's life bar. Continue reading Behind the Mask: Preparing for war
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| Need for Speed World's Gamescom trailer has a lead foot Posted: 18 Aug 2011 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Trailers, Video, News items, Free-to-play, Need for Speed World, Miscellaneous  Does the revving of an engine make your knees weak? Do the sleek curves of a Porsche make your heart beat faster? Yeah, me neither. But if pretty cars going really fast happens to blow up your skirt, then we've got a present for you. Straight from Gamescom 2011, Need for Speed World is kicking it into high gear with an adrenaline-pumping new trailer. Fasten your seatbelts and hang on for your life as a Porsche 911 GT3 RS goes head-to-head with a Lamborghini Murcielago LP 640 (don't they just sound expensive?) in a frenetic race through Rockport. Of course, the other racer isn't the only hazard to your health in Need for Speed World; you also have to dodge and weave through incoming traffic and keep an eye out for the pesky five-o. For the full trailer, shift gears on past the cut. Continue reading Need for Speed World's Gamescom trailer has a lead foot
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| Transition details for Champions Online, Star Trek Online Posted: 18 Aug 2011 04:30 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Super-hero, Business models, Events, real-world, Star Trek Online, Free-to-play, Champions Online  Of particular note to current players is the response to the question about dev team size: There are no plans to change the development team on any of our titles. If anything, we plan on increasing the number of team members to serve you better.Finally, the FAQ notes that work on Neverwinter continues as planned.
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| Star Wars Galaxies' GU20 brings the GCW to space Posted: 18 Aug 2011 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Classes, Patches, PvE, Star Wars Galaxies, Sandbox  Medics and Smugglers also received profession tweaks to bring them into balance with the other classes, and Shipwrights will be happy to learn that the update's new starships are in fact player-craftable.
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| New ArenaNet dev diary outlines the making of the Battle of Kyhlo Posted: 18 Aug 2011 03:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, MMO industry, PvP, News items, Guild Wars 2, Dev Diaries  ArenaNet's last Guild Wars 2 blog post explained the ins and outs of the Battle of Kyhlo PvP map, which will be playable later this month at PAX Prime. The team is now following up on that with a new blog post that outlines what went into the creation of the capture point-based battlefield. The post notes that "collaboration and iteration are the keys to making good games," so with that in mind, we get to hear from a veritable legion of ArenaNet devs, each reporting on his or her role in the creation of the map. We hear from Jeff Grubb on the lore of the arena, we hear from Egan Hirvela on the process of map design, and Habib Loew tells us how the programmers make it work. Then it's up to designer Nick Mhley and his designers to say things like, "You know what's cool? When you shoot the [trebuchet] and blow stuff up. But you know what would be cooler? Blowing up even more stuff!" Outstanding. Then Peter Fries, Scott McGough, and the rest of GW2's writers whip up some dialogue for the announcer and oversee the recording of the lines. Lastly, it falls to Shen-Ming Spurgeon, Mclaine Diemer, Tirzah Bauer, Chuck Knigge, and the rest of the team's visual and audio artists to bring the area to life with their super-artistic magics, followed by Tyler Bearce and the other folks in QA to make sure it works as intended. Phew, what a crowd! At any rate, for the full, uncensored details on the process involved in bringing a map such as the Battle of Kyhlo to life, head on over to the ArenaNet blog.
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| The Burglar steals the show in latest Lord of the Rings Online dev diary Posted: 18 Aug 2011 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Classes, Expansions, Previews, News items, Free-to-play  All right, all you sneaks and footpads, we've got some news for you. Tim "Raskolnikov" Lang posted a Lord of the Rings Online dev diary today, giving players a look at the changes coming to the Burglar class in the Rise of Isengard expansion. For starters, the Burglar now receives his Melee Offense Rating from Agility rather than Might, putting him more in line with what people expect from the sneaky-sneaky-stabby-stabby character type. Fresh Burglars now begin the game with dual-wield and the ability to equip medium armor, which should make the early levels considerably more enjoyable for new players. The class also has some quality of life changes coming its way as well as a few small adjustments to its traits. Overall, the adjustments seem quite favorable to Middle-earth's pickpockets and thieves, so keep a hand on your purse and watch your back!
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| Posted: 18 Aug 2011 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Galleries, Screenshots, One Shots, Mortal Online, Sandbox  Here is a picture of my guildmate Morder trying to find and tame the elusive White Bear above the Northern city of Fabernum. The bear is on a very long respawn timer and resides in a small cave with blood and skeletons all over the ground.We're revisiting an old favorite theme this week on One Shots: environments. The game world is an area that most developers put a huge amount of effort into, and it shows. Do you have a favorite landscape, particularly eye-catching weather effect, or hidden jewel in an out-of-the-way location? Snap a screenshot of your favorite MMO area, tell us a bit about what and where it is, and send it to oneshots@massively.com. In fact, environment week has been such a big hit that we'll continue it through next week, so keep 'em coming!
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| Ask Massively: I don't get the point of character customization in a first-person shooter edition Posted: 18 Aug 2011 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Game mechanics, Opinion, Massively meta, Ask Massively, Miscellaneous  Obviously, I'm in the minority. In totally unrelated news, it's time for this week's installment of Ask Massively, which covers the matter of games that don't require the wholesale slaughter of wildlife. It also addresses our notorious and persistent spammer. (You know the one I'm talking about.) If you've got a question for a future installment of the column, you can leave it in the comments or mail it along to ask@massively.com.
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| The Guild Counsel: A color-blind world Posted: 18 Aug 2011 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Culture, Guilds, Opinion, The Guild Counsel, Miscellaneous  In this week's Guild Counsel, we'll look at soccer and sexism, and we'll see why Castronova was worth hearing out and why there's a big difference between what players say and what they do. Continue reading The Guild Counsel: A color-blind world
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| EVE Online introduces new bot-reporting feature Posted: 18 Aug 2011 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Culture, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Patches, News items  Several years ago CCP banned over 6200 botters as part of Operation Unholy Rage and launched the PLEX system to provide a legitimate way to buy ISK that doesn't harm the game economy and helps cash-poor players fund their subscription with in-game ISK. This week, CCP continued its plans to rid New Eden of bots with a devblog on its recently implemented "report bot" feature. The devblog explains how to identify a bot, how to report it and the steps GMs take after investigation of reported characters.
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