MMO Updates

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• Choose My Adventure: Patrolling the park
• Gravity Interactive announces free-to-play Maestia fantasy title
• Enter at Your Own Rift: Rift evolution
• TERA's senior producer looks at the game's past, present, and future
• The Daily Grind: Are virtual worlds still important?
• Hyperspace Beacon: Holocron Files -- Miraluka
• Guild Wars 2 wants you to play with your friends no matter what
• Raptr rewards gamers for playing with discounts, beta keys, and more
• Star Wars: The Old Republic releases Episode I of the official podcast
• Pathfinder Online puts together a Kickstarter project
• Diablo III shows off the wrath of angels
• The Secret World announces first beta weekend
• The Soapbox: There is no gamer community
• CCP launching EVE Online drop pod into the stratosphere tomorrow
• Fallen Earth's May State of the Game letter showcases new Foothills PvP zone
• Analyst: SWTOR caused Dragon Age III delay
• Flameseeker Chronicles: Five things to love about Lion's Arch
• The Joker returns to DC Universe Online in upcoming DLC, The Last Laugh
• The Repopulation's end-of-April update includes genetic engineering, bug fixes, and lore updates
• Massively Speaking Episode 200: Bicentennial!

Choose My Adventure: Patrolling the park Posted: 09 May 2012 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Super-hero, Polls, City of Heroes, Opinion, Free-to-play, Choose My Adventure Yes, Virginia, there is a game after character creation. With such extensive customization available, it is quite likely that I would have spent the duration of Choose My Adventure without ever actually logging in to play City of Heroes. For all of the hours I spent in character creation with all the options (enough to completely blow a fuse in your mind), it was easy to lose sight of the fact that there was actually a game to go play once I finally made my character. Now I see the real appeal of the VIP pass with all of those character slots; it has even me thinking wistfully of all the alts that could be. Luckily I have you folks directing me, forcing me past the costume creator and into my role as defender of truth and justice. If it hadn't been for you, I would have never embarked on my journey of flight and fricasseed evil doers in Atlas Park. Or participated in an impromptu street band performance. Yup, it is all your fault! And I'm looking forward to what we do next as we continue our City of Heroes adventures together. But first, let's take a look at what mayhem I caused... er, put an end to this past week. Continue reading Choose My Adventure: Patrolling the park Choose My Adventure: Patrolling the park originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 09 May 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Gravity Interactive announces free-to-play Maestia fantasy title Posted: 09 May 2012 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Free-to-play Gravity Interactive has announced the latest addition to its WarpPortal online service. The new game is called Maestia: Rise of Keledus, and it's scheduled to debut later this summer. Gravity says that the game, which is being developed by ROC Works, is "an eternal struggle for power and righteousness in a world where friends and enemies are not easily discernible." Maestia features instanced dungeons, guild and faction PvP, and traditional questing and crafting systems. Huge world bosses and epic class-based mounts round out the feature set, all of which is available via a free-to-play business model. You can view a ton of screenshots and a comprehensive features list at the official Maestia website. [Source: Gravity Interactive press release] Gravity Interactive announces free-to-play Maestia fantasy title originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 09 May 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Enter at Your Own Rift: Rift evolution Posted: 09 May 2012 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Events, in-game, Game mechanics, PvE, Opinion, Enter at Your Own Rift RIFT has seen a great deal of new content and features over the past year, and each update tends to generate a lot of buzz about things like new raid zones, new warzones, world events, and yes, even fishing. But there have been quite a few subtle (and not so subtle) changes to the core of the game -- that is, the rifts themselves. Last summer, Justin wrote a great piece wondering whether rifts were in "danger of collapsing," and his point was that they were a good idea on paper but needed tweaks in order to stay relevant to the game. It's worth looking back at the evolution of rifts over the past year to see what's changed since launch day. Read on for a look at what's new with rifts! Continue reading Enter at Your Own Rift: Rift evolution Enter at Your Own Rift: Rift evolution originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 09 May 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

TERA's senior producer looks at the game's past, present, and future Posted: 09 May 2012 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Interviews, Launches, TERA Saying that it "feels as though a giant weight has been lifted off our shoulders" now that TERA has launched, En Masse Senior Producer Brian Knox has turned his attention to the immediate and far future of the game. He says that the team is hard at work ironing out "pain points" for players, but his big passion is working to make the PvP experience even better and roll out the battlegrounds this summer. "I want to continue to slowly iterate our PvP-server rules," Knox said in an interview. "I think TERA's skill-based system is a natural fit for PvP players, and I want to develop a system that encourages and rewards PvP participants." Knox addressed the pace of the leveling experience (he says it should be a "smooth and even ride" if players follow the story and do all the quests), the price of teleportation scrolls (expensive for lowbies, affordable for veterans), and what to do at the endgame (answer: a lot). As more players reach the high levels, En Masse is preparing to juice up its nexuses and political system, both of which require a decent amount of participants to work. TERA's senior producer looks at the game's past, present, and future originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 09 May 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: MMORPG.com

The Daily Grind: Are virtual worlds still important? Posted: 09 May 2012 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Culture, Opinion, Second Life, The Daily Grind, Virtual worlds, Miscellaneous As part of the recent Massively Speaking bicentennial, we were reminiscing about the fact that Massively used to have a much heavier focus on virtual worlds. While we still touch on those from time to time, these types of "games" don't seem to be as hot as they once were. Or maybe they are and we're just not seeing it! From Habitat to The Sims Online to Second Life, there have been many attempts at constructing vibrant, community-driven virtual worlds that would draw in players looking to create dual lives that were flashier and more fantastic than their real lives. These games once were heralded as the wave of the future, but it seems as if that wave has since moved on to bashing things with their +4 Clubs of Exquisite Suffering. So what say you: Are virtual worlds still important? Are we trying to return to the concept by embracing sandbox principles? Are they best left to wither and die in the annals of history? 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: Are virtual worlds still important? originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 09 May 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Hyperspace Beacon: Holocron Files -- Miraluka Posted: 08 May 2012 07:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Classes, Culture, Lore, Opinion, Star Wars Galaxies, Races, Roleplaying, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Hyperspace Beacon As I mentioned in my Why I Play Star Wars: The Old Republic piece, Dark Forces and Jedi Knight were two of the Star Wars video games I enjoyed most. Obviously, this was before Knights of the Old Republic. In Jedi Knight, the main antagonist was Jerec. Although it's never mentioned where Jerec comes from or even what species he was, his most distinguishing feature is the cover over his eyes. At the time, players thought it was a type of cybernetic implant similar to that worn by Geordi LaForge in Star Trek: The Next Generation. It wasn't until the Tales of the Jedi comic book series that we learned that Jerec and others are a part of the Force-seeing humanoid species known as the Miraluka. If you choose to play a Jedi Knight or a Jedi Consular (or if you have 1.5 million credits to unlock it through the Legacy system), you can play as a Miraluka. I have been fascinated by this species since Jerec of Jedi Knight and Shoaneb Culu in the Tales of the Jedi after that. So this week, let's talk about this captivating species, its culture, its connection to the Force, and what its role is during the time of The Old Republic. Continue reading Hyperspace Beacon: Holocron Files -- Miraluka Hyperspace Beacon: Holocron Files -- Miraluka originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 08 May 2012 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Guild Wars 2 wants you to play with your friends no matter what Posted: 08 May 2012 06:30 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Game mechanics, Guilds, PvP, Guild Wars 2 "Whenever we design a new feature we always ask ourselves how it impacts our players' ability to play with their friends," ArenaNet's Eric Flannum stated about Guild Wars 2. In an interview focused on connecting players together, Flannum made it clear that the team was looking for every possible opportunity to pave the way for social hookups. Flannum addressed the specifics of how Guild Wars 2's servers work in relation to transfers. While there is a traditional paid transfer service (which can be used only every seven days), all players will have the ability to hop over to friends' servers as a guest. Player team-ups are further made possible by the dynamic level-adjusting system that scales players down to the zone they're occupying. This process is made easier by ArenaNet's decision to make friend lists and guilds account-wide instead of specific to a server. So while each guild has a home server, other chapters can exist elsewhere. Flannum also said that the team is carefully structuring its PvP system so that it will be free from potential abuse by server guesting. Guild Wars 2 wants you to play with your friends no matter what originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 08 May 2012 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: PC Gamer

Raptr rewards gamers for playing with discounts, beta keys, and more Posted: 08 May 2012 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: MMO industry, News items, Promotions, Miscellaneous Do you wanna earn fabulous prizes just for playing your favorite games? Of course you do. Well, you're in luck because Raptr has just announced its new Raptr Rewards program, which is "a program to reward active gamers with real rewards just for playing their favorite games." The program is "on track to offer over 350,000 rewards totaling $1.3 million [US] in value just in the first month of launch." The prizes that are available for dedicated players are myriad, ranging from discounts on Gunnar brand gaming eyewear to beta access for Ghost Recon: Future Soldier and much more. The full details of the available rewards and how to earn them can be found on the official Raptr site, so go check it out, then start playing for your prizes. [Source: Raptr press release] Raptr rewards gamers for playing with discounts, beta keys, and more originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 08 May 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Star Wars: The Old Republic releases Episode I of the official podcast Posted: 08 May 2012 05:30 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Culture, Interviews, Patches, News items, Star Wars: The Old Republic Amidst all the other news from Star Wars: The Old Republic, it's easy to overlook the fact that the game's staff has been at work on an official podcast for fans. The first episode of that podcast is now available. Hosts Brooks Guthrie and Eric Musco have made the podcast available for listeners on YouTube, and the inaugural episode features plenty for fans to enjoy, starting with an interview about the recently released patch 1.2 as well as future content for patch 1.3. The interview covers a number of topics regarding both the present and future patch, including elements such as the refinements to the guild bank system and some of the unexpected additions to the Legacy system (including rocket boots and the brawling system). Community coordinator David Bass also talks about the team's presence at PAX East 2012 as well as the team's convention plans for the rest of the year. So if you're a fan, be sure to give the podcast a listen just after the break. Continue reading Star Wars: The Old Republic releases Episode I of the official podcast Star Wars: The Old Republic releases Episode I of the official podcast originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 08 May 2012 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Official podcast Episode I

Pathfinder Online puts together a Kickstarter project Posted: 08 May 2012 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Events, real-world, MMO industry, News items, Sandbox Kickstarter has been getting a lot of attention from the gaming industry of late after a number of high-profile successes. It's even gained the attention of the team behind Pathfinder Online, the upcoming sandbox MMORPG based on the eponymous tabletop system. So instead of trying to secure venture capitalist funding for the project, the development team is reaching out directly to the fans via a new Kickstarter project to assemble a tech demo for the game. It's important to note that the project is only for funding a demo of the game, enough to show bigger investors that the interest in the game does exist. However, the development team has still assembled a number of bonuses for prospective players, including special forum membership, specialized tabletop game products, and promotional posters. If you're interested in seeing the game continue in development, it's well worth dropping by the Kickstarter page and dropping in some money when it goes live soon. Pathfinder Online puts together a Kickstarter project originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 08 May 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Pathfinder Online Tech Demo Kickstarter

Diablo III shows off the wrath of angels Posted: 08 May 2012 04:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Lore, News items, Diablo III Diablo III is fast approaching release in a week, but even now it's important to remember the roots of the series. The game's lore has always been based on the conflict between the High Heavens and the Burning Hells, and rather than simply create a trailer narrating that fact, Blizzard chose a more unique route. The new video available is simply titled Wrath, but it contains some important information about the lore at a pivotal moment in the war between angels and demons. Animated by Titmouse and directed by Peter Chung (best known for Æon Flux), the six-minute video is brief, but it should leave a last impression regarding the nature of the game's conflict and the stakes involved. Even if you're not planning on grabbing the game on launch in a week, it's well worth watching just for the animation alone, and if you are grabbing the game, it jumps right up to being a must-see. Continue reading Diablo III shows off the wrath of angels Diablo III shows off the wrath of angels originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 08 May 2012 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Secret World announces first beta weekend Posted: 08 May 2012 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Horror, Events, in-game, News items, The Secret World Beta weekends are all the rage these days, and now Funcom is getting in on the action. The studio has announced that its upcoming fantasy-horror MMO, The Secret World, will be the subject of a series of weekend beta tests, the first of which is beginning this weekend. From Friday until Sunday, players who were lucky enough to get their hands on beta keys via preorders or giveaways will be able to jump into the boots of a Templar initiate. After undergoing the proper procedures for joining the less-than-secretive secret organization, players will be whisked away to Solomon Island, New England, where they will be tasked with finding the source of the ancient evil threatening Kingsmouth. The full details of the beta weekend, including a handy-dandy FAQ, can be found over at The Secret World's official site. The Secret World announces first beta weekend originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 08 May 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: The Secret World -- Beta Weekend 1

The Soapbox: There is no gamer community Posted: 08 May 2012 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Soapbox, Miscellaneous 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. Some of our younger readers may not remember this, but a time existed when video games were not ubiquitous. Having a game console in your house was somewhat unusual, having a computer that could run games was also not a given, and being someone who played games meant you were part of a group. Sure, there were people who just played an occasional video game, but by and large, we were a single community. We were gamers. That was then, however, a world that existed in the wake of the '83 crash, one that thrived on limited technology and divided groups. I think in the years since then, we've witnessed the very idea dissolve, to the point that we don't currently have a gamer community. And I'd even go so far as to say that part of the bitterness between various groups of gamers is due to the fact that the community no longer exists. Continue reading The Soapbox: There is no gamer community The Soapbox: There is no gamer community originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 08 May 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

CCP launching EVE Online drop pod into the stratosphere tomorrow Posted: 08 May 2012 02:30 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Culture, Events, real-world, News items, Sandbox EVE Online players are well-accustomed to flitting about the depths of space in internet spaceships, but tomorrow, CCP Games will be taking its first jaunt into real-life space with the launch of a high-altitude balloon from just north of CCP headquarters. The balloon will carry a replica EVE pod (pictured above) containing the names of EVE Online players high into Earth's stratosphere before landing (hopefully) in the middle of Kleifarvatn, a lake on the Rekhjanes peninsula in Iceland. Iceland Telecom will be providing a live video feed and GPS tracking of the balloon, and three HD cameras aboard the balloon will allow fans to view the entirety of the balloon's journey after the pod is recovered (by the Icelandic Coast Guard, no less). For the full details and links to the live video stream and GPS tracking, just head on over to the official announcement at EVE Insider. CCP launching EVE Online drop pod into the stratosphere tomorrow originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 08 May 2012 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: EVE Insider -- Skyward Sphere

Fallen Earth's May State of the Game letter showcases new Foothills PvP zone Posted: 08 May 2012 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Fallen Earth, Patches, PvP, News items, Free-to-play, Post-Apocalyptic, Sandbox Roamers of Fallen Earth's post-apocalyptic Grand Canyon province have long been awaiting the final release of the game's Global Territory Control update. Thankfully, the wait is almost over. But meanwhile, today's GamersFirst dev blog post aims to shed some light on some of the latest additions to the system. The spotlight of the post is set on the new PvP conflict area known as The Foothills. The zone is an abandoned settlement situated between Los Alamos and Citadel that "never quite made it." As a result, the various factions of Fallen Earth have taken to fighting for control of the area in order to further solidify their foothold in the region. The Global Territory Control patch is set to go live next Wednesday, so keep an eye on the official dev blog for more details as the update gets closer to launch. Fallen Earth's May State of the Game letter showcases new Foothills PvP zone originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 08 May 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Fallen Earth -- May State of the Game

Analyst: SWTOR caused Dragon Age III delay Posted: 08 May 2012 01:30 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, MMO industry, Star Wars: The Old Republic There's been a lot of discussion following the recent EA earnings report in which the company announced that Star Wars: The Old Republic has 1.3 million subscribers, down from its previous 1.7 million mark. We've heard from the fans, the critics, and the studio itself -- now it's time for the analysts to contribute their side of the conversation. According to Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter, EA's investment in SWTOR has caused a delay in other projects at BioWare, particularly in Dragon Age III's case. The analyst noted that Dragon Age III's expected release window was delayed, and he says this is due to the enormous undertaking of SWTOR. "We believe that a significant portion of the BioWare team responsible for the game was reassigned to Star Wars in order to create content and fix bugs to keep the game's audience engaged," Pachter said. Delay or no, Pachter is upbeat about EA's future, especially in light of the earnings report's news that the company turned a profit. He says that the company will continue to grow, make money, and be a good bet for investors. Analyst: SWTOR caused Dragon Age III delay originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 08 May 2012 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Gamesindustry International

Flameseeker Chronicles: Five things to love about Lion's Arch Posted: 08 May 2012 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Video, Previews, Opinion, Guild Wars 2, Flameseeker Chronicles, Family, Guides, Livestream Lion's Arch, the quintessential Tyrian player hub, has undergone quite the extensive renovation for Guild Wars 2. As a special treat for the last beta weekend, the city was made explorable to players for the first time -- and what a treat it was! After the Rise of Orr and the accompanying land shift, Lion's Arch as we knew and loved it in the original Guild Wars was flooded. It has been raised anew, very near the first city, and stands as a monument to piracy, desperation, and inter-species cooperation (not, perhaps, in that order). So what makes Lion's Arch awesome? It's one of six huge cities that are the thriving populatiion centers of Tyria as we find it in Guild Wars 2, and since it doesn't have one single race to lend it culture and purpose, you can bet it had better be pretty special. Continue reading Flameseeker Chronicles: Five things to love about Lion's Arch Flameseeker Chronicles: Five things to love about Lion's Arch originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 08 May 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Joker returns to DC Universe Online in upcoming DLC, The Last Laugh Posted: 08 May 2012 12:30 PM PDT Filed under: Super-hero, Previews, PvP, News items, Free-to-play, DC Universe Online DC Universe Online players, prepare yourselves: The Joker's back, and he wants to put a smile on your face. The Clown Prince of Crime is making his grand return to DCUO in the game's upcoming DLC pack, The Last Laugh. Not to be confused with the renowned crossover comic story arc, DCUO's The Last Laugh "will pit players against each other in high-intensity multiplayer brawls, feature an all-new weapon, and introduce new Light-Powered Legends PvP characters." The new weapon in question isn't much of a weapon at all, but if Captain America has taught us anything, it's that even a shield can be lethal in the right hands. Now players will be able to slam, bash, and wank to their hearts' content with the new shield weapon type. And players will need every trick they can get to succeed in the new Safe House Battles, which are 4v4 PvP brawls that involve players invading one anothers' safe houses in order to complete a number of objectives. So much for safe houses being... well, safe. Players thirsting for larger-scale combat will be at home in the new Headquarter Battles, which see eight heroes squaring off against eight villains as they try to take control of the Hall of Doom and the Watchtower, respectively. And finally, the game's first light-powered Legend characters will be making an appearance in The Last Laugh, allowing players to take control of the Green Lanterns' Kilowog and Sinestro Corps' Amon Sur. The Last Laugh will be available in June for free to Legendary members and for purchase on the market for Free and Premium players. For the full details, check out the official announcement at the DCUO site. The Joker returns to DC Universe Online in upcoming DLC, The Last Laugh originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 08 May 2012 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: DC Universe Online -- Announcing The Last Laugh

The Repopulation's end-of-April update includes genetic engineering, bug fixes, and lore updates Posted: 08 May 2012 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-fi, News items, Sandbox Last month, we got our first look at the gameplay of Above and Beyond Technologies' upcoming sandbox title, The Repopulation. Today, the studio released its end-of-April 2012 update notes for the game, giving players a look at the ongoing tweaks and changes being made as Above and Beyond slowly ramps up to the beta stage. For the most part, the notes are your standard patch note fare: bug fixes, quality-of-life improvements, some UI tweaks, and so forth. But there are a couple of gems that stand out among the rest. For instance, players with the Genetic Engineering skill can do some gene-splicing to create their own unique pets. Currently there are 40 different hybrid and pure-species pets that can be genetically engineered, so the mad scientists in the crowd should have many options when it comes to playing God. The site's lore and bestiary sections have also been updated for the lore junkies out there. The full, rather expansive April update notes can be found on The Repopulation's official site, so if you're interested in all of the minutiae, just head on over there and check it out. [Thanks to Halldorr for the tip!] The Repopulation's end-of-April update includes genetic engineering, bug fixes, and lore updates originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 08 May 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: The Repopulation -- End of April 2012 update notes

Massively Speaking Episode 200: Bicentennial! Posted: 08 May 2012 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Podcasts, News items, Opinion, Massively Meta, Massively Speaking, Miscellaneous, The Elder Scrolls Online Massively Speaking Episode 200 is a nice round number, and people are supposed to celebrate those, right? Join us for a Very Special Episode, during which Shawn joins Justin and Bree to reminisce about the past, talk about the behind-the-scenes activities on the site, and drop a Tabula Rasa reference or two. Have a comment for the podcasters? Shoot an email to podcast@massively.com. We may just read your email on the air! Get the podcast: [iTunes] Subscribe to Massively Speaking directly in iTunes. [RSS] Add Massively Speaking to your RSS aggregator. [MP3] Download the MP3 directly. Listen here on the page: Read below the cut for the full show notes. Continue reading Massively Speaking Episode 200: Bicentennial! Massively Speaking Episode 200: Bicentennial! originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 08 May 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

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Latest Gaming and MMORPG Updates

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• Rumor
• Shadow Company heads to The Philippines
• World of Warcraft
• Complete Gacha Ban Would Spell Bad News for the Social Games Business
• Why Zelda Still Rules the Action RPG
• Eve Online’s UK subscriptions now 20% cheaper
• Dungeon Hero (KR)
• DK Online (KR)
• Blade & Soul (KR)

Rumor Posted: 09 May 2012 03:26 AM PDT According to reliable sources (though not confirmed), Rockman Online has officially been canceled by Neowiz Games, although the news has yet to be made public by the Korean MMO giant. First revealed at G*Star 2010, the last developer note for the game was posted on 14th March, just around 2 months ago. Rockman Online was originally proposed to move to another game studio for continued development, but the executives shot the idea down. As part of restructuring efforts at Neowiz Games,300 employees will be retrenched while there will be many changes made to the management and executive teams as well. There are rumors all is not well within the company, as they were accused of bribing executives of the Korea Baseball Organization over games contract. The relationship between Neowiz Games and Korea Baseball Organization is said to at an all time low. That is not the end of the bad news. While Neowiz earned millions from publishing FIFA Online 2 in Korea, Nexon has apparently secured the publishing rights for FIFA Online 3 with Electronic Arts (EA). Just a couple of days ago, the Western media outlets were reporting Nexon buying out EA, which I think is a really ridiculous rumor to even begin with.

Shadow Company heads to The Philippines Posted: 08 May 2012 11:57 PM PDT Shadow Company, a new online shooter developed by Doobic Studios using the Unreal 3 Engine, is bound for the The Philippines after a service contract was signed earlier. The publisher will be GameClub PH (link), the Philippine MMO portal for Korean developer, Liveplex. Doobic Studios is currently more well known for creating Combat Arms, a hit MMOFPS in Asia. As posted previously (link), Shadow Company features a Battle Squad mode 4-team system, unlike most online shooters where maps are limited to just 2 teams. Both companies’ representatives are delighted with the deal, with aims to make Shadow Company the top MMOFPS in the region. Similar Article can be found at: http://www.mmoculture.com/2011/10/shadow-company-heads-to-philippines.html

World of Warcraft Posted: 08 May 2012 09:27 PM PDT After the major server closure in the Korean server (link), more bad news arrived over the past week. Over in the China server, which the game license was renewed just recently, publisher NetEase announced 12 PvP servers will be merging into just 6, effectively downsizing the PvP servers by half. Is it a sign that China gamers are not that into PvP as a whole, or simply because they are tired of the game? Over at the Taiwan server, the same server merging procedure was carried out. 9 servers were merged into 5, with the final server getting just a name change. Of course, both China and Taiwan servers will provide free transfer for the affected accounts. It seems like Blizzard really needs to get Project Titan out by next year to stop the leaking monthly payments plug. Similar Article can be found at: http://www.mmoculture.com/2012/05/world-of-warcraft-major-server-merges.html

Complete Gacha Ban Would Spell Bad News for the Social Games Business Posted: 08 May 2012 09:27 PM PDT The social games business is still very young, meaning there are a lot of things still to be worked out as certain Japanese companies are finding out right now. A highly profitable sales tactic employed heavily by companies like GREE and DeNA may soon be deemed illegal in Japan, a move which would certainly put a damper on what is a rapidly-expanding portion of the industry in that country. The issue involves complete gacha, also referred to as compugacha or konpu gacha in Japan. Gacha on its own involves money being handed over in exchange for a random item; this is acceptable in a legal sense. Where complete gacha becomes problematic is in the way it rewards players with a special item for completing a set of items which are obtained randomly. This can, as you might imagine, become an expensive proposition as attempting to collect all the parts of a set can require countless transactions. Comparisons have been drawn between it and gambling, which is largely illegal in Japan. Over the weekend The Daily Yomiuri reported (via Wired) that sources had indicated Japan’s Consumer Affairs Agency reached the conclusion that complete gacha is in violation of the law. The issue was raised after an increasing number of complaints were received from players who were subjected to high charges or, in some cases, from parents complaining about their children becoming addicted and spending enormous amounts of money. Five such complaints were filed in the 2010 fiscal year, but that number jumped up to 58 in fiscal 2011 as the practice became far more commonplace. The sources indicated social game companies would be told to stop using these sales methods or face punishment of some sort. The CAA confirmed an investigation was taking place, Nikkei reported yesterday, although the agency claimed it had not yet rendered a decision. Yomiuri recounted the stories of two young boys, one who spent 400,000 yen (approximately $5,012) in one month, and another who spent 120,000 yen ($1,504) in only three days on games containing complete gacha. Bloomberg also mentioned one user who managed to rack up a whopping 4 million yen ($50,107) in charges over a two-month span. The games themselves are often free to play, although the charges players can accrue are anything but. These are extreme examples, to be sure, yet it’s important to note that complete gacha is an important aspect of these companies’ bottom lines. The stock for both GREE (owner of the mobile-focused social networking service of the same name) and DeNA (owner of the Mobage cell phone social gaming network) have taken a significant hit, with each falling the maximum 500 yen on Monday before rebounding a small amount today. Those declines represented a 20 percent drop for DeNA and 23 percent for GREE; the latter resulted in founder Yoshikazu Tanaka, Japan’s youngest billionaire, losing $704 million according to Bloomberg. The two, and mobile/social games in Japan as a whole, have been massively successful as of late — a rare bright spot for the Japanese gaming industry, and in fact its entire technology industry. Following their rise to prominence in Japan, overseas expansion has been targeted: GREE recently purchased U.S. developer Funzio, while DeNA obtained U.S. developer ngmoco and its Plus+ social gaming network in 2010 before signing a deal with Disney to develop mobile games earlier this year. But if the companies suddenly find themselves losing out on a significant revenue stream, that could put a real damper on their plans to grow internationally. GREE and DeNA each instituted a limit on spending for teenagers last month so that, depending upon a player’s age, he or she could spend no more than 5,000-10,000 yen ($63-$126) per month. That may not be enough to save the companies from having the Japanese government intervene, which seems like a strong possibility, and analysts do not paint an optimistic picture if the CAA does indeed decide to ban complete gacha. “This raises questions about whether the sector’s growth in Japan is sustainable,” analyst Yusuke Tsunoda told Nikkei. Another analyst, Mitsuo Shimizu, told Bloomberg, “The situation remains severe,” also adding, “Their profitability is at risk, depending on the government’s decision.” Makoto Sengoku agreed, stating, “The market for social games may shrink if the warning is issued.” While DeNA would not comment on the matter, GREE expectedly attempted to downplay the impact of a complete gacha ban. “Even if the ‘complete gacha’ is abandoned, it won’t rock the foundation of GREE,” said Ryutaro Shima. “We will consider introducing new services to spur sales.” Upheaval in the social/mobile games market would not be shocking in the slightest given its relatively young age. Just last year, concerns were raised about free-to-play game players in the U.S. spending large sums of money on microtransactions/in-app purchases, some of which can cost as much as $100. Complaints about this led to an investigation by the Federal Trade Commission. With the Japanese games business hardly at its peak, this could prove to be a major setback for one avenue that it was doing exceptionally well in. And it’s not only companies focused on this market that will be impacted — Konami and Capcom are among more traditional game makers with intentions of exploring the space, and so they too would be losing out with a ban on complete gacha (which was reflected when their respective stock prices took a hit yesterday). This might please gamers who don’t wish to see these companies spending any resources on what they don’t consider to be “real” games, although publishers will no doubt look to find other revenues streams beyond complete gacha if that is no longer an option for social/mobile games. Whether they’re able to do so as effectively as they can now, however, is something we’ll have to wait to see. [Complete gacha example image courtesy of The Daily Yomiuri.] Similar Article can be found at: http://www.1up.com/news/japan-gree-dena-complete-gacha-ban

Why Zelda Still Rules the Action RPG Posted: 08 May 2012 09:26 PM PDT 1UP, we confess, has not been the kindest friend to the Legend of Zelda series of late. In fact, one might even assume that we have some sort of dark agenda against the games. That we’re out to perform a cruel hit job. To poison the shape of public discourse about Nintendo’s work and undermine the very foundations of the franchise by eroding the world’s affection for and confidence in Zelda! But let’s not be silly. We’ve had some critical words for Zelda over the past few months, it’s true, but those criticisms come from precisely the opposite place of whatever grim land of hatred Zelda’s more ardent defenders may have concocted in their minds. We tend to put Zelda under harsh scrutiny not because we want to trash it but rather because we love it. Bob Mackey won’t shut up about how Majora’s Mask is probably the greatest game ever to spring from human minds, and I can bore you with hours of nonstop reminiscence about my experiences with the original NES game. We love Zelda, and we want it to be wonderful. Sometimes it falls short of our expectations; and sometimes in the process of starting up a conversation about these things, you have to play the role of devil’s advocate, and then people misinterpret your opinion as being a lot more negative than it really is. But you know, we’re not heartless. We sincerely enjoy the Zelda games, and even if certain among our ranks (who will go unnamed) have a bit of grudge against Skyward Sword, the simple fact is that Zelda still rules the action-RPG genre… or whatever genre you want to call it, if you’re the sort of person who gets bent out of shape when someone describes a game without overt stats as an RPG. That genre where you go on a huge, story-driven adventure equipped with a full arsenal of weapons and gear, exploring dungeons and fighting bosses and performing mundane tasks for idiot villagers in order to procure all manner of extra tools and perks. You know it? Whatever you call that style of game, Zelda is still top dog more than a quarter of a century after inventing it. Plenty of competitors give the series a run for its money — Darksiders, Okami, etc. — but Zelda is still the king that everyone aims to topple. It offers players an industry-standard tool set I’ve complained that Zelda’s gear has become overly templated — that Nintendo’s reluctance to diverge from the weapons and equipment codified in A Link to the Past and Ocarina of Time suffocates the series with a sense of formulaic stagnation. And maybe that’s true. At the same time, I get where Nintendo is coming from. The standard Zelda tool set works. It covers all your bases, offers a huge variety of abilities, and it serves a triple purpose: Combat, exploration, and puzzle-solving. Link’s sword works perfectly for basic fighting, offering a fast, responsive, and incredibly versatile means of warding off foes. Its abilities can be further expanded through more advanced techniques, whether that takes the form of Wind Waker’s fluid counter-based system or Skyward Sword’s precision mechanics. Beyond the sword, though, Link’s standard arsenal opens up a number of possibilities. The boomerang, slingshot, and bow-and-arrows (or their analogues) provide a suite of ranged combat options, each with its own perks. The boomerang generally can do little more than stun foes; the slingshot offers quick but weak precise fire; and the arrows are more powerful while requiring more attention to aiming. The hook shot allows Link to grapple with foes, stunning or disarming them, while simultaneously providing a shortcut for navigation. An ever-changing array of magical devices — from rods to songs — open up any number of possibilities from direct offense to tremendous transformational effects that reshape the world around the hero. Yes, the tools in a Zelda game can tend towards the predictable at times… but the capabilities they unlock remain integral to the series’ play mechanics. On top of that, you’d be hard-pressed to find many Zelda-inspired games that don’t crib directly from Link’s tool set, and quite unashamedly at that. For example, Wind Waker introduced a camera; lo and behold, Beyond Good and Evil arrived a year and a half later with its photojournalist heroine. Sure, Zelda’s slow to change… but when you’re doing the heavy lifting for an entire genre, you probably deserve a bit of slack. Similar Article can be found at: http://www.1up.com/features/zelda-rules-action-rpg

Eve Online’s UK subscriptions now 20% cheaper Posted: 08 May 2012 03:26 PM PDT CCP has today announced that its UK players are now able to pay in pounds and pence for their Eve Online subscription. The new subscription, £9.99 per month, was introduced in direct response to demand from Eve's UK community, the third largest player-base behind USA and Germany. The switch-over from Euros to Pounds results in an approximate 20% price reduction and players can pre-pay for three, six and 12 months saving still more money. Eve Online's next expansion, Inferno, is due to go live on the 22nd May, while its pre-cursor update, Escalation, is already in place and paving the way for amazing new features and fixes. Similar Article can be found at: http://www.totalpcgaming.com/latest-pc-news/eve-onlines-uk-subscriptions-now-20-cheaper/

Dungeon Hero (KR) Posted: 08 May 2012 03:25 PM PDT First revealed last month (link), Dungeon Hero is 1 of EyaSoft’s latest revival work. If you remembered, EyaSoft, the developer of games such as Luna Online, Legend of Edda and Iris Online, decided to stop development for a few months, presumably due to financial constrains. Well, the studio is back after Nexon poured some investment funds in. In an interview a couple of days back, a couple of Dungeon Hero’s team members sat down with Korean gaming website, ThisIsGame, for a quick interview. More information was revealed, so read on! A: Dungeon Hero is an online game in development for the past 2 and a half  to 3 years. The main features of the game includes a strengthened guild system and improved social system, and the route for Dungeon Hero is for it to be an easy game to pick up. The game will support a 100 Vs 100 guild battle. Dungeons in Dungeon Hero will also scale difficulty levels according to how many players are there in a party. Ever class will have flexibility in combat, for example, a healer class may also dish out considerable amount of damage and able to solo as well. A: We actually used Dynasty Warriors as an example for endgame content. What we focus on for Dungeon Hero is to let players enjoy the fast combat and relief stress, not for them to feel nervous and stressed. The endgame content will not be that hard, but there will still be extremely challenging dungeons and boss fights. Bosses will require different tactics to overcome. A: We were never in touch with the team which worked on Legend of Edda, I guess it is because both games are of the same cute design. A: We did not actually push for a cute design, but as Legend of Edda is doing very well in areas such as Taiwan, the management decided to continue the same style. Before Legend of Edda, EyaSoft did develop non-cute design games, but the lack of experience showed. Some other teams in EyaSoft are currently developing games which are more teen and adult oriented in terms of design. A: There are now over 80 dungeons in the game. Although the initial ones are small, they do get gradually much bigger as players progress. A: As the game’s title suggests, Dungeon Hero is all about dungeons. Before actual development started on game content, we first produced a dungeon-making software, followed by 6 major environment settings such as mines, deserts and later adding in the details. A: First, players who are not happy with the rewards such as items after completing a dungeon can withhold from getting them. The next time the same dungeon is completed, they will get better rewards (snowball system). Players can also conquer dungeons and claim them as their own. For example, the player who completes Dungeon A within the fastest time will become its owner. Whenever other players completes the dungeon, the owner will collect some tax money. A: Hitting max level will be faster compared to other games, with around 60 hours needed. We have prepared a PvP arena for the max level players, and we encourage them to build more than 1 characters to try out the arena. The battle arena is built with reference from the AOS (Aeon of Strife, like Dota). I can only reveal that there is a 3-team mode now. A: There are 3 beginner classes, each continued with 2 more 1st advanced classes. The game will have 2nd advanced classes as well, so we are looking at around 20 classes in total. A: Yes, in Heroic Mode, players can temporarily be possessed by a Hero’s spirit for combat. A: We are planning for September, but nothing is confirmed until we find a publisher for the game. A: Dungeon Hero will have the unique dungeon conquer system, large scale guild PvP, AOS PvP arena and social features. For social features, we are planning to have the game integrate with various social platforms, including smartphone apps. A: It must be Dungeon Striker (link). Our development team got a shock when its trailer was released, as the cute design and dungeon-centric style were almost similar. I feel that the action combat in the game is done pretty well. After Dungeon Striker’s announcement, our team got an adrenaline rush and worked even harder to make sure Dungeon Hero is better. Similar Article can be found at: http://www.mmoculture.com/2012/05/dungeon-hero-kr-brief-interview-with.html

DK Online (KR) Posted: 08 May 2012 11:58 AM PDT Another day, yet another new Korean MMO developer and publisher. DK Online: The Legend of Dragon Knights is the maiden title for studio RPG Factory, once again boasting various veterans from the gaming industry working on the development team. DK Online is focused on open world Player Kill (PK), castle siege and a title and politics system. The PK system is said to follow that of Lineage’s, which I never played before. There is a chance for an equipment to go bust if a PK is successful, while equipments in DK Online can be upgraded normally with no requirements to wear them. Skill books can only be dropped by killing various mobs. There are currently 4 classes in the game, being the Warrior, Paladin, Sorceress and Warlock. Interestingly, among the classes, there is the title and politics system as well. For example, some Warriors might gain the title of Earl, some Paladins might gain the title of Bishop and so on.  The titles are categorized into S, A, B and C, with the former the highest ranking (Supreme). There are also 4 races revealed, including Human, Lycan, Elf and Grayelf. All these titles will be bestowed according to a number of requirements, for example the number of kills and contributions made in a siege war, elections etc. Each server will also have a fixed number of 100 Supreme players, meaning the highest title in each class. There will be features like the tax system added into the mix as well. Just being curious, looking at the game content and artwork, can you guess which Korean MMORPG did one of DK Online’s main development staff worked on before and hence drew inspiration from? Similar Article can be found at: http://www.mmoculture.com/2011/10/dk-online-kr-seeking-glory-through.html Related Posts Dragon Sword (CN) Gungnir, Dept. Heaven, and the Greatest RPG Universe You Don’t Even Know About Elder Scrolls Online Announced, Due 2013 For PC And Mac The Elder Scrolls Online revealed Codename X7 (CN)

Blade & Soul (KR) Posted: 08 May 2012 09:25 AM PDT Ok, there is nothing really “secret” about this, but rather the Korean girl group involved is call Secret. I know, I have posted their videos at Blade Soul’s Soul Party 2 previously over here. But hey, this new video contains official live footage of the event and it is from NCsoft. and I can’t get enough of the song + music video The earlier part of the video actually talks about designing dresses for the Secret girls based on in-game designs. Awesome eh? Closed Beta 3 is currently ongoing for selected users, with the official CBT 3 phase beginning tomorrow iirc, also for selected users. For game footage of the new Summoner class, they are available here (link). Similar Article can be found at: http://www.mmoculture.com/2012/05/blade-soul-kr-secret-story.html

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