| WRUP: Value this moment edition Posted: 24 Mar 2012 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Massively Meta, Miscellaneous I know that most weeks when I write up the header for WRUP, I'm talking about something ridiculous. This week, I don't have it in me. This week, I have only advice for you: Take the time and the energy to value the things that matter in your lives. Games, people, experiences, all of the above. Don't ignore these things, don't let them slip away, and don't ignore how many important and fragile pieces exist all around you. Take the time to do things you enjoy and see people you care about, and don't take any of that for granted. The rest of this week's installment is less somber, as we're discussing our usual weekend plans as well as whether or not we expect RP servers to be policed. Jump on past the break to see what we'll be up to, and then let us know your plans (and your opinions on the bonus question) in the comments. Continue reading WRUP: Value this moment edition  WRUP: Value this moment edition originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 24 Mar 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| EVE Fanfest talks Inferno, World of Darkness panel later today Posted: 24 Mar 2012 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Events, real-world, Game mechanics, New titles, News items, World of Darkness, Sandbox Day two of EVE Online Fanfest 2012 had a lot to offer fans of CCP's sci-fi sandbox. First and foremost was the announcement of Inferno's official launch date and the fact that EVE's latest expansion will roll out to Tranquility on May 22nd. As we told you yesterday, the patch is heavy on PvP tweaks, and everything from faction warfare to a new specialized mercenary marketplace is on the way. The official EVE website also received a ton of updates yesterday, the better to catalogue all of the breaking news direct from Fanfest. Today's docket is equally fascinating, and CCP devs are scheduled to speak about EVE-related game design topics that include war decs, concept art, and growing the game's infrastructure. Also on the menu is a presentation on World of Darkness that we'll be following with great interest. You can follow it too via our EVETV Livestream channel. Be sure to look for our expert analysis of all the Fanfest happenings in this Sunday's EVE Evolved column! EVE Fanfest talks Inferno, World of Darkness panel later today originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 24 Mar 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Daily Grind: Do you prefer open or closed chat? Posted: 24 Mar 2012 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Game mechanics, MMO industry, PvP, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Roleplaying, Miscellaneous Tribes: Ascend has an open chat system that might seem unusual to players more familiar with MMORPGs than MMOFPS titles. Anyone can lay down whatever smack-talk he wants in the traditional open chat... but almost no one does. Instead, players make use of quick macros to audibly announce enemy movements, signal for aid, praise comrades, and taunt opponents. Truth is, time spent trash-talking the other side in chat is time enough for that side to shoot you in the face, so players stick to simple short-cut communication, keeping the game relatively clean of the sort of chatter that makes your eyes bleed. Roleplayers would never go for such a limited chat system, I realize, and I'm right there with them when it comes to annoyance that factional chats limit communication between, say, the opposing teams of World of Warcraft and Star Wars: The Old Republic. But at the same time, it's refreshing to see a streamlined chat that sticks to gameplay and isn't bogged down with Chuck Norris jokes and clever ways around the profanity filter. What do you think of closed vs. open chat?  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: Do you prefer open or closed chat? originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 24 Mar 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| SWTOR devs attempt to balance the Force through nerfs Posted: 23 Mar 2012 08:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Classes, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Community Q&A It's Friday, Friday, and even Jedi got to get down with Friday... which also means a new community Q&A sent across the holonet to players eager for a glimpse of Star Wars: The Old Republic's future. However, the devs have asked that questions focus more on current features in the game, as in many cases they cannot give firm details about what's coming up in SWTOR. Today's topics begin with a discussion about why some advanced classes, such as Commandos and Mercenaries, lack an interrupt. This wasn't an oversight, the devs revealed, but "a purposefully designed weakness in their ability arsenal" to keep them balanced in the game -- especially in PvP. "Balance" was an answer to another issue as well, specifically the nerfs to some of the healing specs. Lead Combat Designer Georg Zoeller realized that folks were going to rail against it, but the team thought it was necessary: "I know trying to 'sell' a downwards adjustment (AKA nerf) to anyone affected is like selling the need for a tax increase to people. When you are on the receiving end of it, you're not going to be happy about it." Other questions revolved around rage timers, looping the game's music, cross-faction communication within the same guild, and legacy system specifics. SWTOR devs attempt to balance the Force through nerfs originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 23 Mar 2012 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Betawatch: March 17 - 23, 2012 Posted: 23 Mar 2012 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, MMO industry, Betawatch, Miscellaneous This week has been huge for Betawatchers: The beta for World of Warcraft's Mists of Pandaria expansion kicked off, Wrath of Heroes' beta servers are now open, and Salem has begun accepting beta signups. We also learned that the End of Nations closed beta will start this spring. Are you hoping to populate The Repopulation? Alpha signups went live just a few hours ago! Or maybe you're still waiting on Glitch's re-release? TinySpeck released a progress report earlier this evening (housing fans should go peek). Finally, ArenaNet confirmed that a batch of Guild Wars 2 beta invites went out this week. Massively will be in attendance over the weekend, so tell us what you want to know and we'll do our best to focus on it! The full Betawatch roundup is after the cut! Continue reading Betawatch: March 17 - 23, 2012 Betawatch: March 17 - 23, 2012 originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 23 Mar 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| MMObility: A few bad design apples ruin the whole bunch Posted: 23 Mar 2012 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Historical, Screenshots, Business models, Culture, Game mechanics, Opinion, Free-to-play, Browser, Casual, MMORTS, MMObility The MMORTS genre is easily one of my favorite genres. There's so much potential in a game that is essentially a giant, endless boardgame with thousands of players. An epic scale occurs in even the smallest of titles because players control not only one or two grand heroes but entire armies that swarm from sprawling cities. Though many of Massively's readers might not hear a lot from the genre, I believe this genre to be one of the most popular out there. Browser-based access doesn't hurt, either, and generally the MMORTS titles I find do a great job of covering their design bases. You know I have to play Devil's Advocate, however. Despite the fact that the genre is packed full of potentially wonderful gaming sessions, there is so, so much that needs to improve. The negative stereotypes exist for a reason, and I want to shine a light on a few of the more popular titles to show just how one or two bad design and business decisions might reflect poorly on the entire genre. Continue reading MMObility: A few bad design apples ruin the whole bunch MMObility: A few bad design apples ruin the whole bunch originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 23 Mar 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Vindictus brings out a dragon with accompanying ink Posted: 23 Mar 2012 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Patches, News items, Free-to-play, Vindictus In any fantasy game, downing a dragon is what you want. Sure, there might be other monsters that are technically stronger, but nothing else has quite the feel of straight-up slaying a dragon. Nexon realizes this, which is why the strongest foe in Vindictus' latest game update, is the massive dragon Elchulus. Players will need to have quite the team to bring down this massive foe, as a full raid of 24 characters at level 40 are required to slay the beast. The update also adds a lower-level raid for levels 20 and 30 as well as some brand-new tattoos to help signify your battle against the scaly menace. You can buy new tattoos, or you can face off against the new bosses and have a chance at winning one for free. Not quite convinced? Then take a look at the dragon in action just past the break, and see if you don't have a sudden urge to put a flying lizard in its place. Continue reading Vindictus brings out a dragon with accompanying ink Vindictus brings out a dragon with accompanying ink originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 23 Mar 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Storyboard: Talk this way Posted: 23 Mar 2012 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Culture, Opinion, Roleplaying, Storyboard, Miscellaneous One of the great problems presented to roleplayers is the challenge of presenting audio via text. We don't think about it all the time because most of the time it's easy to construct the sound of something from context. Sure, simply saying that your character sighs could mean any number of things, but contextually it's usually obvious whether it's meant as a gesture of exasperation or a sign of relaxed contentment. "Yes, I'm sure your new weapon will make a huge difference in the war" could be sarcastic or serious, but there are generally enough clues in the situation to make the difference obvious. But there's one obvious case in which that breaks down, and that's in the matter of accents. After all, people from two different regions shouldn't quite sound the same... but there's also no effective way to communicate how one voice or another sounds different. And the most common solution is essentially a matter of making your character's words borderline unreadable in the hopes that you convey a sliver of your intention. Continue reading Storyboard: Talk this way Storyboard: Talk this way originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 23 Mar 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Darkfall polishes content until it shines Posted: 23 Mar 2012 02:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Darkfall, Previews, Dev Diaries, Crafting Heigh-ho, heigh-ho, it's off to work Darkfall's development team goes (and now that tune is stuck in your head. You're welcome.)! And as the game's 2.0 edition slowly takes shape, we're given yet another dev blog about the massive undertaking of this project. Improved visuals are one of the priorities for the team, and players will be pleased to hear that SMAA -- uber-anti-aliasing -- should make the game's graphics shine. Weapons are being modified to have distinctive looks based on which rank they are, and the team reports that there are six weapons styles with nine ranks apiece, each requiring a unique design. Also on the table for examination is the improved crafting process. Aventurine is introducing two new professions dedicated to converting one material into a more refined product. Tanning will take on skinning's former duty of taking hides and turning them into leather, and weaving will be the primary avenue to create cloth from cotton. On top of these new professions is the expansion of the crafting system to allow professions to "infuse" rare materials into common ones, resulting in special crafting mats for high-quality gear. Darkfall polishes content until it shines originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 23 Mar 2012 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Soapbox: Nobody's hero Posted: 23 Mar 2012 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-fi, EverQuest II, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Star Wars Galaxies, The Soapbox, Miscellaneous, Sandbox 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. We're not heroes, at least in the ubiquitous Hollywood sense. We're teachers and janitors and businessmen, and we may occasionally be heroic in the eyes of our kids or our colleagues, but rarely are we celebrated beyond a tiny circle of family and friends. Games can meet this emotional need, at least temporarily, and that's a major reason they've become such a booming business over the last couple of decades. We get to be Kratos for a couple of hours, or fem-Shepard or a thousand other pixelized pariahs -- until we set foot in an MMORPG, that is. Software companies sell pre-packaged heroism in ways that book publishers and filmmakers can only dream of, and it doesn't really matter that it's fake heroism or impersonal heroism crafted on an assembly line and shipped out to millions of consumers. Shouldn't it matter, though, when it comes to MMORPGs? Continue reading The Soapbox: Nobody's hero The Soapbox: Nobody's hero originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 23 Mar 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Colonize the New World: Salem opens beta sign-ups Posted: 23 Mar 2012 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Video, News items, Free-to-play, Dev Diaries, Sandbox It's time to set sail for the New World with Paradox Interactive's upcoming free-to-play sandbox title, Salem. The studio announced today that beta sign-ups for the title have opened up, and anyone and everyone is welcome to jump in and give the team feedback.
But remember, folks, the untamed wilderness of the New World is a harsh and unforgiving place, and death is not something to be taken lightly. If you don't play your cards just right, you could end up six feet under with no way of returning to the world of the living. Don't worry too much, though; the folks at Paradox have released a new video to give players a bit of a heads up on how to survive the wilderness. So after you're done with the "how-to-not-die-of-dysentery" primer, just head on over to the game's official site and get in on the test.
[Source: Paradox Interactive press release] Continue reading Colonize the New World: Salem opens beta sign-ups Colonize the New World: Salem opens beta sign-ups originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 23 Mar 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| EVE's Inferno expansion launches May 22nd, precursor patch April 24th Posted: 23 Mar 2012 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Events, real-world, Expansions, Game mechanics, Patches, PvP, News items, Sandbox EVE Online aims to revamp PvP in its upcoming Inferno expansion. In addition to continuing the good work that started with Crucible, Inferno will revamp the wardec system, iterate on faction warfare, and introduce new ships and modules for players to smash to pieces. It sounds like the perfect PvP expansion, and today at the EVE Fanfest, CCP revealed some firm details of exactly what the wardec and faction warfare revamps will entail. A new wardec interface will make wars easier to follow; loopholes like the wardec shield used by EVE University will be closed; and a new mercenary marketplace will be introduced. Faction warfare system ownership will be given more consequences, such as making it impossible for enemy militias to dock in the system. During the EVE Keynote speech today, CCP announced that Inferno will be hitting on May 22nd and that it will be CCP's first ever expansion preceded by a precursor patch. CCP intends to introduce new content with the patch that will prepare the way for the main expansion, but exactly what form that preparation will take has been kept a secret. EVE's Inferno expansion launches May 22nd, precursor patch April 24th originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 23 Mar 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Firing Line: A couple of PlanetSide 2 concerns Posted: 23 Mar 2012 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, PlanetSide, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, PvP, Opinion, Free-to-play, MMOFPS, PlanetSide 2, Sandbox Now that the glow of PlanetSide 2's GDC demo reveal is a couple of weeks back in the rear-view mirror, I've had time to digest it all and adjust my expectations of the game accordingly. Nothing I saw from Matt Higby and company dampened my enthusiasm for Sony Online Entertainment's MMOFPS opus, but a few things I didn't see are niggling at the back of my mind. Don't get me wrong -- PS2 is still at the top of my most-anticipated MMO list, but there are a few points of contention that could relegate it to the status of fun diversion instead of zomg-must-play-every-day title. Continue reading The Firing Line: A couple of PlanetSide 2 concerns The Firing Line: A couple of PlanetSide 2 concerns originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 23 Mar 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Aika Online giving away Razer gaming peripherals Posted: 23 Mar 2012 10:30 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Contests, Events, in-game, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play, Aika Want a free Razer Tiamat 7.1 surround-sound headset? How about a Razer Lycosa keyboard? Does a Razer Death Adder mouse tickle your fancy? Aika Online has teamed up with Razer to give 15 players of the free-to-play fantasy MMO a chance to walk away with some slick new gaming peripherals, and all you have to do is loot the most Razer tokens. This is easier said than done, though, as would-be winners "must charge into the lairs of vile monsters" spread throughout the lands of Aika in order to loot the tokens. The player with the most tokens will take home the Tiamat (billed as the world's first true surround-sound headset), while four second-place finishers get the keyboard. Last but not least, 10 third-place contestants will grab a mouse for their trouble. You can read more about the contest event at the official Aika website. Aika Online giving away Razer gaming peripherals originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 23 Mar 2012 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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