Latest Gaming and MMORPG Updates

Latest Gaming and MMORPG Updates


Call of Duty’s Lackluster March Isn’t Indicative of Much

Posted: 20 Apr 2012 06:12 AM PDT

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3

Generally speaking, the videogame industry sees the sale of games come primarily at launch before quickly tapering out. Nintendo games and Call of Duty games are some of the few exceptions to this. Whereas even many big titles will disappear from the NPD sales charts within a few months of launch, the latest Call of Duty traditionally has a long stay at the top before sticking around in the top ten long after when the majority of games would have fallen off. Modern Warfare 3 has yet to drop out of the top ten but it is doing more poorly than Black Ops was at the same point last year, leading some to wonder if the Call of Duty bubble is ready to burst. The series’ haters may want to delay celebrating just yet, however, as it’s hardly as if Activision is on the verge of being forced to shelve the series like it did Guitar Hero last year.

The “shortened tail” of Modern Warfare 3 first had attention called to it last week by PiperJaffray analyst Michael Olson. Gamasutra reported Olson was expecting MW3 to sell in March half of what Black Ops did during the same period last year. He was not of the belief this decline was specifically related to Call of Duty, though. “We believe big name titles are no longer able to sustain ‘fat tails.’” he said. “This ‘thinning tail’ phenomenon is driven by 1) casual gamers leaving the market, 2) a steeper pre-sale and up-front curve, and 3) cannibalization from the pre-owned market.”

The impact of secondhand sales can be debated all day; some would say they hurt new game sales, while others would counter that they make it possible for some gamers to afford new games and lead to the sale of downloadable content. Both sides have a point. In the case of a game like Modern Warfare 3 that doesn’t use any sort of online pass, it’s entirely possible that many consumers looking to pick it up now are opting to save a few dollars by purchasing a used copy (making it seem as if there is less demand for the game than there was for Black Ops last year).

More up-front sales, as Olson pointed to, is also likely to be contributing to some degree. It may not be selling as well this many months after launch, but Modern Warfare 3 had a record-breaking launch with both its first day and first five days. Despite being available for less than two months, it was also the best-selling game for all of 2011 in the United States according to the NPD Group. The point of this is not to remind you Call of Duty is a big deal, but instead to suggest the possibility that some of those people who waited until spring to buy Black Ops were compelled to pick up Modern Warfare 3 right at launch. So rather than having its sales more spread out over time, MW3 has attracted more early adopters. Considering that increases the likelihood of those people paying full price — you’re less likely to find the game on sale in November or December than you are in March — that is not necessarily a bad thing (and it’s also not a Call of Duty-specific phenomenon, according to Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter).

And as noted by Olson, it’s possible some of the more casual players have moved on to entertaining themselves in other ways. That could mean they’re buying other games (considering the lull the industry is currently going through, I wouldn’t put my money on it) or using their consoles for other purposes, such as streaming video content from the increasingly large number of entertainment apps found on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3

The aforementioned dip in software sales industry-wide are another factor that could be contributing to the current decline; software (and hardware, for that matter) is simply not selling well in much of the world right now. The availability of Battlefield 3 isn’t helping MW3′s case, either, and the marketing muscle EA put behind it would explain part of Cowen and Company’s Doug Creutz’s assertion that the MW3 drop is due to decreased sales on Wii, handhelds, and PC. It’s entirely possible many PC gamers are opting to pick up BF3 instead of MW3.

Those with a disdain for Call of Duty — a group that seems to increase with each passing year — would no doubt argue the poor March sales are a direct result of the annualization (and accompanying lack of innovation) that has plagued the series for the past half decade. By alternating between Infinity Ward and Treyarch, Activision has allowed each to have two years in between releases. As far as the cynics are concerned, though, each new release brings little more than new guns and levels; it’s an oversimplification, certainly, though there is no denying every game feels remarkably similar to the one from the year prior. Then again, considering the games continue to sell as well as they do, changing things drastically could be considered a poor business decision.

We unfortunately don’t have exact sales numbers for Modern Warfare 3, so it’s difficult to know precisely how it stacks up against Black Ops overall. (Analysts have suggested it has sold between 4 and 5 percent fewer copies.) Whatever may be responsible for its disappointing performance last month, the year-over-year growth had to stop eventually. (The launches may continue to get bigger, but that, too, will stop at some point.) It is easy to imagine things being different next year because of the retail market recovering or simply because Black Ops 2 will be competing against Medal of Honor Warfighter, which I don’t expect to put up as much of a fight as Battlefield 3.

Even if future Call of Duty games fail to sell as well as Black Ops, that doesn’t mean they will be any less successful. As more gamers take their consoles online, that increases the potential number of people to sell downloadable content to. More importantly, the introduction of Call of Duty Elite has opened up a way for Activision to get $110 out of hardcore fans per year instead of $60 plus a few possible $15 DLC purchases. In year one there are upwards of 1.5 million people willing to fork over $50 for an Elite subscription; it will be interesting to see how many of those stick around and how Activision tries to attract new subscribers. The monthly DLC installments MW3 Elite subscribers are seeing are a good start.

Considering all of this, Call of Duty haters should not be too excited about the news of MW3′s performance last much. At least until Call of Duty stops being a yearly record breaker, it’s not about to go anywhere.

Similar article: http://www.1up.com/news/call-of-duty-down-not-out

God of War: Ascension Goes Backward While Hopefully Taking the Series Forward

Posted: 20 Apr 2012 06:12 AM PDT

What’s so terrible about DmC? People sure were angry when Capcom revealed this Devil May Cry prequel/reboot last year. Not having particularly followed the series myself, I found the outcry a little baffling. Sure, it was being outsourced rather than being developed internally by Capcom, but the studio responsible for it is Ninja Theory, who have yet to make a poor game; on the contrary, their work — particularly the recent sleeper Enslaved: Journey to the West — have been quite nicely received by critics. In the end, the complaints mainly seem to boil down to the fact that protagonist Dante suddenly has dark hair and a coif that look an awful lot like that of Ninja Theory’s boss, Tameem Antoniades.

OK, so maybe it’s a little self-gratifying. But still, I have to ask: What’s so terrible about DmC? Now that I’ve had the opportunity to play DmC for myself, I have a hard time imagining that any fan of Devil May Cry fan wouldn’t enjoy Ninja Theory’s take on the franchise. Yeah, Dante has become something of a self-insertion character, and he’s a cocky twerp; but his brashness is offset by a delirious combination of over-the-top silliness and over-the-top action game excess. One moment, Dante is answering the door of his trailer home in the nude; the next, a massive demon is attacking and the hero dresses himself in slow-motion by free-falling through the air into his clothes. (Conveniently placed hovering free-fall objects such as slices of pizza manage to preserve his modesty to the viewer through an increasingly improbable sequence of events.) There’s a real sense of tongue-in-cheek absurdity to it all; were these events to simply flash past in a moment, they’d seem frivolous. Instead, they drag on just a little too long and become just a little too ridiculous, and that clearly deliberate excess amounts to a knowing wink at the audience. It works.

Similar article: http://www.1up.com/previews?cId=3187009

Blue Tears (CN)

Posted: 20 Apr 2012 06:11 AM PDT



I do know cute, fast and action sounds like a weird mixture in an online game, but at least that was what I felt :) Originally published by NCsoft back in Korea under the title “Punch Monster”, the game was unceremoniously canceled by the company in just a few months. Personally, I blame NCsoft for not placing more efforts into marketing the game and getting the right team to manage this action + casual side-scroller. NCsoft failed with Dragonica Korea as well (now under Gravity Korea as Dragon Saga), hence I shall give the label of “King of Failed Casual Games” to NCsoft.



Luckily, Punch Monster’s development studio is not under NCsoft, hence the game continued to thrive in other countries, such as China where I had my fair share of fun. Weekday evenings and weekends are a chore though, with the server practically full 24/7 and proving near impossible to log into the channels with less than a 30 minutes wait… This happens even when certain level ranges will only get bonus EXP for entering selected channels.



Now called Blue Tears in other Asian countries, I must say that I was surprised at myself for lasting so long in the game given that I am a “retired” MMO player. Sort of anyway. While Dungeon Fighter Online is no doubt the king of action side-scroller, Blue Tears is not far behind in the speed category in terms of combat. That is what I really liked about the game (to hell with MapleStory) and the really cute design, which some comparing it with Paper Mario.

Class selection is pretty standard, with 3 basic ones branching out into 2 advanced ones. I chose to be a warrior, and then continued to being a Dragon Knight, which is essentially the tanker. To some extent, I never really felt like a tanker until I upgraded my equipments to +8, and even then I felt paper thin against some bosses in the special dungeons (mentioned below) while normal dungeons are a breeze for me. Giving up my shield recently, I reset my skill points (and taunts) and decided to go a 2-handed spear style… No one kicked me out of a party for that, yet. I am dealing decent damage with many defensive buffs, hence I am quite happy with it.



For skills, players get 1 point upon leveling. However, you don’t really just add a point to the skill. Instead, you add the points to enhance the skills. For example, a skill call Dragon Wave will come with 2 enhancement options, 1 which will increase damage, while the other increase the number of foes it hits. Each of this enhancement skills can be leveled up to a maximum of 9 from what I observed. If you added 3 points to the enhancements, the main skill will automatically be level 4 (level 1 to use) and have increased attributes. Though there are a couple of games using this system, it is no doubt still a rarity.



While there are open world maps for quests and bosses, there are the signature instance dungeons as well. Each dungeon will have up to 3 difficulties, requiring players to unlock them after completing an easier one. Unfortunately, there are limited times a players can enter dungeons each day given the 1000 dungeon points. But I am not complaining, since the points are really more than enough for me on a weekday. There will be special bonus objectives when entering the dungeons, such as “Get hit less than 50 times” or “Use less than 50 potions”, most of which are really easy to achieve.

Next, there are the special dungeons which players can only enter 2 times each day. These dungeons are much tougher, monsters have insane amount of health points and the bosses are really a pain in the @$$. I got mined kicked really hard when entering the mid-levels one for the first time. Other than quests, these special dungeons’ monsters drops items which allows you to trade for NPC set-item gears at the entrance. While it sounds easy, collecting them (up to hundreds of them) is really time consuming. Not that I am complaining, I think no one should since these are basically free gears requiring just patience.

I am really impressed with the abundance of quests found in Blue Tears, since they really never stop appearing after completing older ones. Yes, most of them are the classic “Kill X monsters” or “Collect X materials”, but somehow I never really got tired of repeating the same formula, at least for the past 2 weeks. The game is bright and the models, environment are all clear and vivid, and while emulating some sort of childishness in the design style, is not too over the bar.

Given that the game is developed in Korea and being published in cash-rich China, there is no doubt a couple of advantages using the cash shop. For example, I can boost my strength by 20% after equipping my pet with a skill bought from the cash shop. Granted, there is not really any guild battles except simple 1 on 1 PvP, I think it is really ok… Well, I spent a hundred on the game so far, I am enjoying it :p

There is actually a little bit “fairness” in terms of upgrading equipments, where items which boosts success rate by 10% and items which prevent destruction cannot be used at the same time. At certain intervals, for example from +4 to +5 and +7 to +8, there are no penalties other than failing and losing the gold. In fact, equipments will not break until from +10 and onwards. However, even equipments will fall down 1 level if the upgrade fails. From +2 to +1 is really… Argh…

There are various other features such as automated fishing (chance to get an ultra rare fish as ingredient), the various costumes and mounts, bounty system for bosses and also a card game which I never really tried. You might be thinking “Wait, ain’t this just another Korean grinder?”… Well, it really is. Sometimes, a generic game just has that strange alluring charm which attracts the naysayers to give it a try, which in this case, is me. I think I need to see a shrink soon.  A MMO shrink.


Similar article: http://www.mmoculture.com/2012/04/blue-tears-cn-cute-and-fast-with-tons.html

Path of Exile

Posted: 20 Apr 2012 06:08 AM PDT



[Game website] Crowd-funding seems to be the hottest thing right now in the gaming industry, with developers trying to get the financials in order to operate and sell games themselves. Those pesky publishers like EA should really do some self-reflection. Back to the MMO, Path of Exile, developer Grinding Gear Games sent out a press release earlier to extend their thanks to the gamer who bought virtual points even before the game is out. USD 200,000 from 13,000 players is by no means a small amount seeing that it only took them 6 days. You can still contribute (link) and Open Beta is currently scheduled in June.

MEDIA RELEASE

Indie Action RPG Path of Exile crowd-funds $200,000 over Easter

AUCKLAND, New Zealand – 11 April 2012 – Following a hugely popular
public test weekend, the makers of Indie Action RPG Path of Exile, New
Zealand-based Grinding Gear Games, have launched a 'crowd-funding'
campaign where players can pre-purchase game currency and receive
rewards such as Closed Beta Keys and exclusive in-game pets in return.

In first six days the free-to-play 'ethical microtransaction' funded
action RPG has sold over USD$200,000 worth of supporter packs to 13,000
fans.

The previous weekend 46,911 players stress tested the game. "We
literally had hundreds of people asking how they could support the game
to get to Open Beta sooner. We were blown away by the community
enthusiasm at the stress test weekend, so we moved quickly to open our
shop earlier than planned. We've been blown away again by the support
over Easter," says Grinding Gear Games' co-founder Chris Wilson.

13 people have bought the $1,000 Diamond Supporter package, which will
let them help design one of the game's Unique magic items.

Path of Exile features its own dark, gritty take on the Action RPG
genre, a unique skill gem system, a huge passive skill tree and PvP
combat in a persistent online world.

"The crowd-funding presales mean Path of Exile will enter Open Beta in
June with three acts of content. Although we plan to pile on the
content for years to come, further support will greatly accelerate it
and help pay for our US and European servers."

Grinding Gear Games have committed to never charge for content or power.
"Selling supporter packs and currency has also been a great test of our
'ethical microtransaction' philosophy. We hate the concept of
pay-to-win games, so it's great to see that players are willing to
support the game and to buy purely cosmetic items," says Wilson.

A range of supporter packs are available on Path of Exile's website.
The cheapest tier is $10 which includes Closed Beta access. Higher tiers
come with in-game Kiwi bird Pets, a collector's edition copy of the
game, t-shirts, soundtracks, signed posters, and the option to design a
Unique Item. All packs include game currency which can be used to buy
extra character slots and stash tabs for compulsive item hoarding. More
personalisation options and player services are planned for the Open
Beta.

Any purchases made now will continue into the Open Beta, although Closed
Beta characters and non-microtransaction items will be wiped upon
entering Open Beta in approximately June.

During the stress test weekend, 46,911 people tried the game with the
servers successfully handling a peak load of 7310 players. "The stress
test was great – we learnt a lot about how people are playing and
enjoying the game. We've built Path of Exile as an online game with PvP
and support for various leagues and game modes from the ground up, and
we're really pleased with how the servers performed," says Wilson.

Path of Exile has been in development for five years by Grinding Gear
Games, an independent studio of hardcore RPG fans based in Auckland, New
Zealand.

Key features of 'Path of Exile':

- Completely free to download and play, but never 'pay-to-win'
- A persistent online world capable of supporting hundreds of thousands of players
- A dark and gritty game world rendered from a fixed 3D perspective
- Randomly generated levels and items for extreme replayability
- Online ranking and ladders for every game mode
- Visceral combat with dozens of combinable skills
- Battle in PVP tournaments for worldwide recognition
- Dynamic skill system

Similar article: http://www.mmoculture.com/2012/04/path-of-exile-developer-thanks-easter.html

Dragon Blade (CN)

Posted: 20 Apr 2012 06:01 AM PDT



[More info] China’s number 2 MMO company, NetEase, is not shying away from naming Tencent’s upcoming Blade Soul China as its main competitor. First revealed late in March, Dragon Blade so far has garnered mixed reviews, some claiming it to be a Blade Soul clone while others managed to picked out small details which differentiate it from the NCsoft-developed title. Nevertheless, I personally feel it is always good the have strong competition. A new Dragon Blade gameplay trailer was revealed just around an hour ago, so do take a look.

The trailer left me with quite some thoughts. It seems like a mixture of Blade Soul in terms of design, TERA in open world non-target action combat, and perhaps even Aion at the ending sequence with the wings. And not forgetting the trademark loli race which is in almost all “big” 3D online titles now. Still, Dragon Blade looks promising, I am certainly not discounting it yet.

Similar article: http://www.mmoculture.com/2012/04/dragon-blade-cn-new-gameplay-trailer.html

Dungeon Hero (KR)

Posted: 20 Apr 2012 06:00 AM PDT



I know, Dragon Nest developer Eyedentity Games just announced Dungeon Striker (link) recently, which I think forced EyaSoft to reveal their rendition of a online dungeon crawler as well. EyaSoft, if you remember, developed some rather memorable titles including Luna Online, Legend of Edda and Iris Online.

After temporary ceasing all work on their previous games (link), EyaSoft is now back with its 2nd title, Dungeon Hero. The first title to be announced after the studio’s revival was the spiritual successor to Luna Online, Luna Story: ELs (link).



Unlike Dungeon Striker which is a real time action slasher, Dungeon Hero still adopts the classic targeting system, which will no doubt draw in a different crowd of gamers who are still not used to action games. Combat is not really that slow, which I can attest with my experience in Legend of Edda and Luna Online.



Featuring a “Heroes’ Arena” inspired by MOBA games such as Dota 2, Dungeon Hero is still very much focused on PvP despite EyaSoft’s trademark cute design. There is also a PvP map which accommodates guild wars, supporting 100 Vs 100 players at the same time. Dungeon Hero is expected to enter beta later this year.

Similar article: http://www.mmoculture.com/2012/04/dungeon-hero-kr-eyasofts-dungeon.html

Garena signs Club Mstar for Southeast Asia

Posted: 20 Apr 2012 06:00 AM PDT



Garena has always been known to be more of a company hosting PvP games such as Heroes of Newerth, League of Legends and most recently Firefall (link) in the Asia region, hence today’s news came as a surprise to me. The company has signed a contract with Korean developer Nurien and CJ Games for the English publishing rights of Mstar Online (or Club Mstar), an online dancing game for Southeast Asia including Taiwan as well for the Traditional Chinese version.

From what I remembered, developer Nurien was on the brink of closure when Club Mstar lasted just a few days in Korea before the servers went offline. The game was previously heavily touted since it was developed using Unreal Engine 3, perhaps the first dancing online game to ever do so. Apparently picked up by MMO giant CJ Games, Club MStar was subsequently drafted into its online portal Netmarble which prompted its massive revival. No exact date is set currently for the game’s release, although it is scheduled for Q3 later this year.

Similar article: http://www.mmoculture.com/2012/04/garena-signs-club-mstar-for-southeast.html

ChangYou preparing Shadowbane reboot

Posted: 20 Apr 2012 05:58 AM PDT



Yesterday at a big media conference where ChangYou revealed several new titles, the company’s Vice President revealed that the company secured the Shadowbane IP rights and is developing an online game mentioned as “World of Shadowbane”. Having been part of the original Shadowbane China operating team, he said that the game left him with some regrets. No other information was given. Update: “World of Shadowbane” at this point has been in development for 1 year already. This reminded me of NetDragon’s Dungeon Keeper Online (link).



At the media event, a total of 6 other MMOs were revealed, although most are in codenames such as Project X7 and Project M. Having got the rights for both CryEngine 3 and Unreal Engine 3, they will be used to develop several upcoming titles. These games were teased to be of several different genres, including 1 with a Diablo III feel, one which is an action combat game and an adventure MMO along the lines of Tomb Raider.

DaVinci Online was also part of the announcement, which was reported several months ago (link). Developed in Korea, ChangYou obtained global rights for the online shooter inspired by the Renaissance era, which means gamers can expect an English server in the near future. There will be an iPad version as well.

Similar article: http://www.mmoculture.com/2012/04/changyou-preparing-shadowbane-reboot.html

Eyedentity Games developing 3rd online game

Posted: 20 Apr 2012 05:58 AM PDT



After announcing Dungeon Striker (link) just a couple of days ago, Korean media website Inven confirmed that the company is currently developing a “large scale” MMORPG as its 3rd game. While details are scarce including the name and genre, the 3 lead members for the team was revealed. They are all from Nexon, with experience in planning/ programming/ motion capture among many other skills for games including Mabinogi and Mabinogi Heroes. The first hint of the team’s formation was discovered when one of the members posted on Twitter Korea about his new role.


Similar article: http://www.mmoculture.com/2012/04/eyedentity-games-developing-3rd-online.html

MMO Updates

MMO Updates


Final Fantasy XIV beckons former players with Legacy, Welcome Back campaigns

Posted: 20 Apr 2012 10:00 AM PDT

Filed under: , , ,

Final Fantasy XIV - welcome back and legacy campaigns
Square-Enix is rolling out the welcome mat for former players of its Final Fantasy XIV MMORPG.

The company has announced two new promotional campaigns, the first of which is aimed at players who have paid for at least 90 days of sub time since January 6, 2012. You should be getting an email from Square if you're eligible, and you'll receive a discount on your monthly sub ($9.99 for 30 days) as well as 40 playable character slots on your account (with a maximum of eight per world).

Legacy members will also get an exclusive chocobo mount with version 2.0 as well as the option to have their name listed in the update's credits.

Square's second announcement concerns the Welcome Back Campaign, which is intended to stoke the interest of former players with inactive service accounts. Eorzean ex-patriots can come back for free between May 9th and May 20th. During the 10-day trial Square says that you can take part in the "once-in-a-lifetime" Seventh Umbral Era content and experience the new job system and inn room updates. Finally, Naoki Yoshida has published a new producer's letter which expounds on the campaigns as well as the game's future.

[Thanks to William for the tip!]

MassivelyFinal Fantasy XIV beckons former players with Legacy, Welcome Back campaigns originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 20 Apr 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Turbine talks Eberron vs. Forgotten realms in new DDO video

Posted: 20 Apr 2012 09:30 AM PDT

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Dungeons and Dragons Online - spider queen
Turbine has released the next installment in its Menace of the Underdark dev diary series. The video clip runs for two-and-a-half minutes and features various developer personalities discussing Dungeons and Dragons Online's jump from one fantasy world to another.

"It's really important to us that Faerun feels unique and is more true to the classic high-fantasy setting," says producer Fernando Paiz. Whereas Eberron featured elements of fantasy-tech and magicpunk, the Forgotten Realms is one of the more iconic and traditional high fantasy settings around. As such, Turbine says, it has collaborated closely with Wizards of the Coast to ensure the authenticity of the expansion experience.

So what is the link between these two different realms? In a word, Lolth, the drow spider-queen goddess who is powerful enough to connect the worlds. Turbine remains mum on the specifics, though, so you'll have to check out the expansion to see for yourself.

[Source: Turbine press release]

Continue reading Turbine talks Eberron vs. Forgotten realms in new DDO video

MassivelyTurbine talks Eberron vs. Forgotten realms in new DDO video originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 20 Apr 2012 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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    Vendetta celebrating 10-year anniversary, prepping new content

    Posted: 20 Apr 2012 09:00 AM PDT

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    Vendetta Online - 10 year anniversary
    Ten years is an eternity in the game industry, and MMOs that manage to hang around for a decade or more are few and far between. One such title is Vendetta Online, which originally released on April 20, 2002 and is still going strong today.

    Guild Software is hosting a couple of celebration events this weekend. The company has also announced that its massive 1.9 patch is coming later this year, followed by an even more massive expansion in 2013.

    Vendetta is unique among MMOs for its twitch-based space combat and extensive trading, mining, and exploration gameplay. Large space battles, dynamic territory control, and player-generated content systems round out the feature set, all of which is coded and maintained by a four-man dev team. The single-universe game server is accessible from a number of different platforms that include Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems. In March 2011, Vendetta became the first PC MMO to jump to mobile platforms, and it spent several weeks as the number one paid app on Android devices.

    Check out the game's official website for more info, and don't forget to sign up for the trial while you're there. You can also read Massively's latest game impressions in Some Assembly Required.

    [Source: Guild press release]

    MassivelyVendetta celebrating 10-year anniversary, prepping new content originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 20 Apr 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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      SOE games down Monday for 24-hour maintenance

      Posted: 20 Apr 2012 08:30 AM PDT

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      SOE logo
      We imagine that the word downtime makes Sony Online Entertainment employees cringe, convulse, and eye-twitch for hours on end after last summer's disastrous hacker-induced service outage. Happily though, the next service interruption is planned and we've got plenty of notice.

      SOE will be performing maintenance this Monday, April 23th, and the firm says that all of its game services will be unavailable for approximately 24 hours. The downtime starts at 3:01 a.m. EDT. Commerce transactions and account management functionality will also be affected, so you might as well cross all of your SOE-related plans off Monday's calendar.

      MassivelySOE games down Monday for 24-hour maintenance originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 20 Apr 2012 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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      Mount & Blade: Warband DLC features 250-player battles

      Posted: 20 Apr 2012 08:00 AM PDT

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      Mount and Blade: Warband - Napoleonic Wars
      A Mount & Blade MMO is something we've wanted to see for a long time. While that's not exactly happening, 250-player battles is probably the next best thing. Paradox has just released a new DLC pack for Mount & Blade: Warband called Napoleonic Wars. It brings the game's signature real-time combat to 19th century Europe and gives players the ability to use soldiers, artillery, and even battlefield musicians to wage epic multiplayer battles.

      Napoleonic Wars features five nations, a wide range of artillery pieces, an Engineer class that uses barricades, trenches, and explosives, and over 220 new units. There's also a new commander battle mode for your squad-leader gameplay needs. The DLC pack will set you back $9.99. Oh, and don't forget to check out the launch trailer after the cut.

      [Source: Paradox press release]

      Continue reading Mount & Blade: Warband DLC features 250-player battles

      MassivelyMount & Blade: Warband DLC features 250-player battles originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 20 Apr 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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        Diablo III roars into an open beta weekend

        Posted: 20 Apr 2012 07:00 AM PDT

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        Diablo III
        Flex those mouse-clicking fingers, compadres -- it's demon-hunting time! This weekend, Blizzard is blowing the doors off Diablo III's beta, allowing any and all (well, those with a Battle.net account, that is) to come try out this upcoming action RPG.

        The open beta weekend begins at 3:00 p.m. EDT today and lasts until 1:00 p.m. on Monday, April 23rd. During the beta, all five classes will be available, but players will be limited to a level 13 cap as they give the game a whirl.

        To access the Diablo III open beta, players need a valid Battle.net account and a BattleTag. Despite playing in the open beta, participants won't be able to post in the beta forums and won't receive Beta Bucks with which to spend.

        Asian players in Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau won't be part of this stress test, but rather a separate invitation-only closed beta test starting on April 23rd.

        MassivelyDiablo III roars into an open beta weekend originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 20 Apr 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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        The Daily Grind: Is there such thing as too much new content?

        Posted: 20 Apr 2012 06:00 AM PDT

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        Buffet!
        Getting the best value for your money has always been a concern with MMOs. As players, we want to see our dollar stretch as much as possible, and developers want to make sure they're creating enough content to keep their hardcore players happy as well as maintaining that early experience to keep new players coming in. But can it ever be just too much?

        I've found myself drifting away from a few MMOs after a new expansion or content update makes me feel completely lost. I played the game to max level, thinking I was doing good to finally join my friends in endgame content, only to have a new expansion nullify that feeling.

        So tell us your opinions, dear readers. Have you ever experienced content overload in a game, or do you welcome the content avalanche with open arms?

        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: Is there such thing as too much new content? originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 20 Apr 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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        Ask Massively: I approve of more staves edition

        Posted: 19 Apr 2012 07:00 PM PDT

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        There's no better way to beat up enemies and try out for the school's color team at once.
        You know what we need more of? Staves used as melee weapons instead of a caster's Set of Stats in a Stick. Usually, what we get is closer to a cane than an actual staff, so it makes sense that a curvy stick with a lawn ornament on one end isn't much for actual combat. But come on, folks. You can do some serious damage with a metal pole and a few witless mooks. City of Heroes is ahead of the curve here.

        This week's installment of Ask Massively has nothing to do with staves, however. It has to do with a few more lingering questions about the comment system and some wide-ranging "best of" topics. If you've got a question you'd like to see answered in a future installment of the column, you can leave it in the comments or mail it to ask@massively.com. Questions may be edited slightly for clarity and/or brevity.

        Continue reading Ask Massively: I approve of more staves edition

        MassivelyAsk Massively: I approve of more staves edition originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 Apr 2012 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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          The Summoner's Guidebook: Yes, I've seen your bear Tibbers

          Posted: 19 Apr 2012 06:00 PM PDT

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          League of Legends screenshot
          Annie is a very popular champion in the lower skill ranks of League of Legends. This is especially true of the Classic gametypes, where she is one of the more common choices for the solo mid lane. Additionally, she is a fearsome enemy even when played by the AI. Horror stories of Annie Bot wrecking whole teams have been going on since the dawn of the game.

          Because Annie is so popular and deadly, she's an ideal character to spotlight on the Guidebook. She's fun, easy to play, and oh-so-very cute. When you go up against her, it's good to know exactly what to expect.

          Continue reading The Summoner's Guidebook: Yes, I've seen your bear Tibbers

          MassivelyThe Summoner's Guidebook: Yes, I've seen your bear Tibbers originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 Apr 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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            Dungeons & Dragons Online invites players to build a guild

            Posted: 19 Apr 2012 05:00 PM PDT

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            Fight the Drow, fight random strangers in a bar.  Either one.
            If you're going to take on the Drow in Dungeons & Dragons Online, you're going to need help. You'll need allies, people you can count on no matter what. In other words, you need a guild. That means recruiting some good players -- and the new Build Your Guild event is aimed at giving players incentives for just that. Running until late June, the event offers players two different ways to gain fantastic advantages just by being in a guild.

            All players can gain extra experience and loot by grouping with fellow guild members, whether you're a new player or an old hand. You can also gain special bounties for reaching leveling milestones, which grants bonus guild renown and astral diamonds. Last but not least, guilds will randomly be rewarded a variety of prizes during the length of the event, culminating with a level 85 airship in late June. The event should provide plenty of incentive for players to work together in a guild, and if you happen to get some prizes along the way, so much the better.

            MassivelyDungeons & Dragons Online invites players to build a guild originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 Apr 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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            APB: Reloaded's patch 1.7: New Breed Part One is locked, loaded, and live

            Posted: 19 Apr 2012 04:00 PM PDT

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            Screenshot -- APB: Reloaded
            Heads up, APB: Reloaded players; the game's patch 1.7: A New Breed Part One is now live, so it's time once again to lock and load. This rather sizeable update brings quite a few new features with it, such as the previously covered new contacts, weapons, mods, weekly challenges, and more.

            On top of all those goodies, the patch is also introducing a number of new clothing sets and vehicle kits to allow players to commit/bust crimes with panache. A great number of changes have been made to the game proper as well, such as some environmental tweaks and some modifications to weapon and character mechanics, the full list of which can be found over on the game's official blog. But why read about it when you can experience all the new content yourself? Just head on over to San Paro and join the fight.

            [Source: GamersFirst press release]

            MassivelyAPB: Reloaded's patch 1.7: New Breed Part One is locked, loaded, and live originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 Apr 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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              The Guild Counsel: What makes a guild leader miserable?

              Posted: 19 Apr 2012 03:00 PM PDT

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              swtor facepalm
              Guild-leading can be a very enjoyable and rewarding activity, but it's not always a walk in the park. In many of the columns here and the discussions that follow, the most common theme is how leading guilds is both the best and the toughest role in the game. When things are all falling into place and everyone's clicking, it's extremely satisfying to see it all come together. But when it's not, it can be extremely frustrating and stressful.

              We've often looked at the benefits of running a guild, but in today's Guild Counsel, let's look at a few areas that can sometimes make guild leadership almost seem not worth it. Hopefully by discussing and recognizing these moments of misery, guild leaders can find some solace in knowing that they aren't alone, and members can help make life easier for their leaders.

              Continue reading The Guild Counsel: What makes a guild leader miserable?

              MassivelyThe Guild Counsel: What makes a guild leader miserable? originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 Apr 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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                Guild Wars 2 briefs players on next weekend's beta event

                Posted: 19 Apr 2012 02:30 PM PDT

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                Guild Wars 2
                Excited about next weekend's Guild Wars 2 beta event? We're right there with you, which is why we uttered a sigh of relief to hear some concrete details about the hows and whys of the nitty-gritty details from ArenaNet's mouth.

                The event will take place from Friday, April 27th, at 3:00 p.m. EDT until Monday, April 30, at 3:00 a.m. While there are various ways to obtain a key for the weekend (such as having gone to PAX East), the only 100% surefire way of getting in the event is to have pre-purchased the game. All event attendees will be emailed next week with instructions about the client download.

                The beta event will allow players to choose from three races (Charr, Human, and Norn) and all eight classes, to experience PvP and PvE content, and to see Lion's Arch for the very first time. ArenaNet assured us that this will not be the final beta weekend prior to launch and delivered the good news that this event will not be hampered by an NDA of any sort.

                MassivelyGuild Wars 2 briefs players on next weekend's beta event originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 Apr 2012 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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                Ex-MMO devs aim to fund space combat game via Kickstarter

                Posted: 19 Apr 2012 02:00 PM PDT

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                Squad Wars
                They were part of the force behind many MMOs you've known and loved, including Jumpgate, Auto Assault, LEGO Universe, RIFT, and League of Legends, and now they're banding together for a new cause funded by crowdsourcing. They're the developers at END Games, and they hope to raise a quarter of a million dollars to create a multiplayer space combat game.

                Despite the team's legacy, however, this new title will not be an MMO. Titled Squad Wars, the proposed project will blossom into a frantic starfighter game that will pit squads of players against each other in the deadly vacuum of space. Instead of focusing on a persistent world, Squad Wars will offer packaged scenarios that will "ensure the most fun every time you login."

                END Games is also notable in that two of its members were founders of NetDevil: Scott Brown and Ryan Seabury. As of the time of this writing, END Games has $1,430 toward its goal, which must be attained by May 19th for the project to proceed.

                MassivelyEx-MMO devs aim to fund space combat game via Kickstarter originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 Apr 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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                Guild Wars 2 releases underwater concept art

                Posted: 19 Apr 2012 01:30 PM PDT

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                Guild Wars 2
                They say a picture is worth a thousand words, or in this case, 460,000 likes on Facebook. Reacting to the growing popularity of Guild Wars 2 in its social media, ArenaNet has released a brand-new piece of gorgeous concept art for you to gawk at.

                The piece shows Norn Eir Stegalkin finding something hidden deep underwater. Eir is one of the five key heroes of Destiny's Edge, the retired adventuring group that plays a huge part in the game. As Guild Wars 2 will have a significant underwater portion, this art is a good reminder that not all of the game's exploration and landmarks will take place out in the open air.

                The concept art is by ArenaNet's Jamie Ro and can be viewed in high resolution on Flickr.

                MassivelyGuild Wars 2 releases underwater concept art originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 Apr 2012 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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                Outspark launches Fiesta Social beta on Facebook

                Posted: 19 Apr 2012 01:00 PM PDT

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                Fiesta Social - beach scene
                It's beta time for Fiesta Social, a new Facebook RPG based on Outspark's Fiesta Online MMO. "With Fiesta Social, when you meet someone in-game, you're hanging out with them in real-time, laughing at their jokes and saving them in battle. It's highly addictive, soul-satisfying bonding you just can't get from the current 2-D turn-based social games," says Outspark CEO Philip Yun.

                We're not sure about the soul-satisfying bit, but the trailer has a certain cute factor that you can see by clicking past the cut below.

                Outspark says that Fiesta has nearly 10 million registered users and close to 600,000 Facebook fans, so there's always someone to share your personal information with... er, have fun with, day or night. Outspark is also giving away free dance emotes and free mounts. All you have to do is enter the code OTTERGONBEAT.

                Continue reading Outspark launches Fiesta Social beta on Facebook

                MassivelyOutspark launches Fiesta Social beta on Facebook originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 Apr 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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                  Otherland alpha sign-ups begin

                  Posted: 19 Apr 2012 12:30 PM PDT

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                  Otherland - demon dude
                  Fancy getting an early peek at the MMO version of Tad Williams' Otherland? Head to gamigo's official forum, then, because the company is seeking a few good alpha testers.

                  This isn't your typical marketing beta, at least according to the sign-up verbiage. "As an alpha tester, you will be asked to focus-test specific game elements, document your user experience, and fill out in-depth surveys each week. Alpha testing is hard work," gamigo says. It's also unpaid work, so only die-hard Otherland fans need apply.

                  If you're not a die-hard but are still interested in the game, check out our GDC impressions as well as this handy post that collects all of the publicly known information in one place.

                  MassivelyOtherland alpha sign-ups begin originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 Apr 2012 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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                  Funcom temporarily takes The Secret World Facebook tie-in offline

                  Posted: 19 Apr 2012 12:00 PM PDT

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                  Secret War loading screen
                  Earlier today Funcom pulled its new Secret War game from Facebook. The minigame launched yesterday in an attempt to drum up interest in the upcoming The Secret World MMO.

                  We've received a few news tips and heard a few rumors as to why the game was taken offline, so we decided to contact Funcom directly for the full scoop. Director of communications Erling Ellingsen gave us the low-down:
                  What's happened is that the activity levels on sharing to Facebook has been significantly higher than expected, and we have been asked by Facebook to make certain adjustments. So we are taking down the experience now and will be bringing it up again once the necessary adjustments have been made.

                  Even shortly after launch yesterday we had tens of thousands of people playing and sharing actively, so the interest for the experience has been very high.
                  And there you have it. We'll update the story as Funcom brings The Secret War back online or if there are any further developments.

                  [Thanks to Adam for the tip!]

                  MassivelyFuncom temporarily takes The Secret World Facebook tie-in offline originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 Apr 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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                    The Perfect Ten: Free-to-play holdouts

                    Posted: 19 Apr 2012 11:00 AM PDT

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                    Perfect Ten
                    In the increasingly diminishing field of subscription-only MMOs, two distinct camps have formed. There is the Old Guard that has its established playerbase and is simply not interested in jumping on board the F2P train, and then there are the New Kids on the Block (which would make an excellent band name, by the way), who argue that their premium features and AAA content warrant a subscription in the F2P age.

                    A few years ago, doing a list of the final few F2P holdouts would have been a ridiculous proposition, but now it's actually difficult to get to 10 of these. Each company has a different reason that it hasn't given these games more flexible payment options (FPO should replace F2P; pass it on!), and while some have addressed this publicly, others say nothing and leave us to speculate on it.

                    For today's Perfect Ten, we're going to look at the 10 biggest current F2P holdouts in the industry and muse about what's going on behind the scenes. Will this list be impossible to do in a few years or will subscription-only titles come back in a big way? Hey, I don't predict things; I just make lists.

                    Continue reading The Perfect Ten: Free-to-play holdouts

                    MassivelyThe Perfect Ten: Free-to-play holdouts originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 Apr 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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                      Analyst says SWTOR subs peaked at 1.7 million, now declining

                      Posted: 19 Apr 2012 10:00 AM PDT

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                      Image
                      Stop us if you've heard this one before. Expensive themepark MMO launches to critical and fan acclaim (minus a healthy contingent of naysayers, of course). A few months after launch, rumors of bleeding subscriptions abound, followed by analyst predictions of... well, business as usual.

                      Gamasutra reports on one such forecast for Star Wars: The Old Republic by Cowen and Company. Analyst Doug Creutz says that though TOR's subs peaked at 1.7 million in February, he expects them to drop to around 1.25 million by March of 2013. The analysis is based on statistics gleaned from TorStatus.net, which tracks daily users as opposed to sub numbers. Electronic Arts' recent SWTOR promotional blitz also factored into the report.

                      "While the game got off to a good start, the relatively light amount of end-game content does appear to be taking a toll," Creutz wrote.

                      MassivelyAnalyst says SWTOR subs peaked at 1.7 million, now declining originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 Apr 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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