MMOGaming News

MMOGaming News


World of Warcraft Attention: iPhone/iOS Users

Posted:

World of Warcraft Attention: iPhone/iOS Users


This is from WoW NA Official Forum. In just a few days, Apple will be releasing the latest iOS update as well as the new iPhone. The upcoming iOS update may cause iPhone Mobile Authenticators to reset. When you update your phone's OS, we recommend taking any one of the following precautionary steps.

18 Tricks & Secrets That Will Help You Dominate Candy Crush Saga

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18 Tricks & Secrets That Will Help You Dominate Candy Crush Saga


Whether you're just starting out or you're already addicted, there are some tricks everyone needs to know to progress in Candy Crush Saga.

Square Enix Resumes Final Fantasy XIV Digital Sales

Posted:

Square Enix Resumes Final Fantasy XIV Digital Sales


Following all the server issue, logging problems, ceasing sale, Square Enix has finally announced that Final Fantasy XIV will resume its digital sale again, FFXIV digital downloads are again available via the online store!

League of Legends Free Champion Rotation (Season Three: Week 33)

Posted:

League of Legends Free Champion Rotation (Season Three: Week 33)


This week's , Season 3 Week 33, free to play champion rotation includes Aatrox, Ashe, Brand, Karma, Lulu, Sejuani, Talon, Trundle, Vayne, and Warwick.

2 New Videos of Nether Showing In-game PvP and World Objectives

Posted:

2 New Videos of Nether Showing In-game PvP and World Objectives


Phosphor Games Studio recently released two new videos for Nether alpha gameplay, featuring PvP and World Objectives. And they describe the videos in details. Check them out below.

Candy Crush Saga Obstacles List

Posted:

Candy Crush Saga Obstacles List


As you progress through the levels of Sugar Crush Saga, you'll be challenged with different types of obstacles

Plants vs. Zombies 2 Tips & Hints: Get More Sun

Posted:

Plants vs. Zombies 2 Tips & Hints: Get More Sun


Sun is obtained from sun-producing plants in Plants vs. Zombies 2, such as the Sunflower, Twin Sunflower and Sun-shroom, in addition to the player starting every ordinary level with 50 sun.

EverQuest Next Released New Producer's Letter Video

Posted:

EverQuest Next Released New Producer's Letter Video


EverQuest Next Senior Producer Terry Michaels shares upcoming discussion topics for the next month, including previews of soon-to-be released EverQuest Next lore and more details about EverQuest Next Landmark!

Dragon Nest JP Third Costume Design Contest: Cleric Part

Posted:

Dragon Nest JP Third Costume Design Contest: Cleric Part


These fan-made costumes are from Dragon Nest JP third session of Costume Design Contest. The costumes only include Cleric class. Enjoy!

What I Love About Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn!

Posted:

What I Love About Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn!


Whats up gamers my name is Zach Sharpes here with a video for "What I Love About Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn". In this video I detail the features and mechanics of Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn that I love. In a future video I will detail what I hate about the game as well...

Warframe Update 10: Shadows of the Dead Brings Massive New Things

Posted:

Warframe Update 10: Shadows of the Dead Brings Massive New Things


Warframe's Update 10: Shadows of the Dead has been live last Friday, bringing new Warframes, environments, weapons, game modes and an introduction of The Conclaves to players. The 2 new Warframes are Nekros and Mag Prime. Nekros plays as the first Necromancer of Tenno while Mag Prime joins the ranks of Excalibur Prime and Frost Prime as the newest elite Tenno.

Halfbrick Plans to Bring Band Stars to Mobile This Year

Posted:

Halfbrick Plans to Bring Band Stars to Mobile This Year


Halfbrick, the developer of famous Fruit Ninja has announced their plans to fund and publish Band Stars, which is an upcoming mobile game from fellow Australian developer Six Foot Kid.

World of Warcraft Revenue Drops 54% in Seven Months

Posted:

World of Warcraft Revenue Drops 54% in Seven Months


Residents of Azeroth should still be able to team-up with enough dungeon crawlers to reclaim Orgrimmar from Garrosh Hellscream in the new Mists of Pandaria content patch, but revenue for Blizzard's aging MMO is showing a steep downward trend.

Aion 4.5 New Weapon: Keyblade

Posted:

Aion 4.5 New Weapon: Keyblade


Let's take a look in the basic info for the new weapon added in 4.5 to use the Aethertech!

Mobile MMORPG Ragnarok: War of Gods Now Available

Posted:

Mobile MMORPG Ragnarok: War of Gods Now Available


Animoca today is announcing the launch of Ragnarok: War of Gods, a mobile MMORPG that is officially licensed from NEO CYON Inc. and based on the original Ragnarok Online game.

Red 5 Reorganizes for Future Firefall Launch

Posted:

Red 5 Reorganizes for Future Firefall Launch


Red 5 Studios has announced that the studio is being reorganized prior to the launch of Firefall.'As Firefall matures, we must transition our priorities and our development strategy to focus on streamlined operations and live product support,' said Mark Kern, CEO and founder of Red 5 Studios.

Fight For Your Empire! PlanetSide 2 World Domination Series Pre-Season Challenges Start

Posted:

Fight For Your Empire! PlanetSide 2 World Domination Series Pre-Season Challenges Start


PlanetSide 2 World Domination Series Pre-Season event has been announced by SOE, asking players to fight for their empire on a global scale by controlling territory over the next five weeks. If you don't have an empire or don't know which one you should choose, SOE offers you an empire quiz to help you work it out.

Pivvot Hints, Cheats & Strategies Guide

Posted:

Pivvot Hints, Cheats & Strategies Guide


Pivvot - this extremely challenging but satisfying game will put all your powers of concentration to the test, here some useful hints and tips to help you get through even the trickiest sections.

A Early Look at the Survival MMO - Nether

Posted:

A Early Look at the Survival MMO - Nether


Martin Waterhouse made a preview to Nether, a horror survival game at Massively. It's not a game as he expected when he see the game demo. But now he might have changed his mind. So what made him change the mind? Let's have a look.

Oblivion Online Debut, To Start CBT Soon

Posted:

Oblivion Online Debut, To Start CBT Soon


Taiwan game publisher, Mooli Digital recenlty made a debut of its latest MMORPG - Oblivion Online. The game is based on the western mythology and combines fantasy, gorgeousness and adventure. The class system is made up of Bard, Barbarian, Knight, Archer, Mage and Priest. The enchanted scenes will show players a magnificent world.

MMORPG Reviews

MMORPG Reviews


Age of Wushu announces a winter content update

Posted: 16 Sep 2013 12:39 PM PDT

Snail Games today announced a lot of changes to the world of Jianghu with the arrival of a major update that will arrive to their martial arts free to play MMORPG Age of Wushu this winter. This update will bring some new dungeons which are going to explore dark side of each faction and school, where players [...]

The post Age of Wushu announces a winter content update appeared first on MMORPG Reviews.

Our selection of the 10 best browser games of September of 2013

Posted: 16 Sep 2013 04:06 AM PDT

Today we offer this selection of the 10 best browser games of September of 2013. Here you can take a look to the 10 best browser games that most caught our attention this month. This month there have been several changes in the ranking compared to the last month. First of all, the top 10 [...]

The post Our selection of the 10 best browser games of September of 2013 appeared first on MMORPG Reviews.

We are giving away 2000 Item packs for WorldAlpha

Posted: 16 Sep 2013 02:17 AM PDT

Big Impact Studios is partnering with FREE MMORPG and MMOReviews to give away 2000 item packs to celebrate the recent launch of the social strategy MMORTS WorldAlpha. In WorldAlpha’s persistent world, players will be working together to decide what society they are going to form, as no one player will be able to do it [...]

The post We are giving away 2000 Item packs for WorldAlpha appeared first on MMORPG Reviews.



General Gaming Article

General Gaming Article


Which MOBA Takes DOTA's Crown?

Posted: 16 Sep 2013 05:38 PM PDT

mobaDota 2, League of Legends, and other MOBAs duke it out to be DOTA's true successor

Now that the de facto sequel to Defense of the Ancients has finally been released, it's time to decide which of the many multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) games is the true successor to Dota. 

A brief history of DOTA

When it was first released in 2003 by Mapmaker Eul, Dota was little more than a Warcraft III translation of the Aeon of Strife StarCraft map. Created with Blizzard's official world editor, Defense of the Ancients quickly gained popularity and reached a crossroad—the launch of The Frozen Throne expansion. When Eul discontinued development of the map, other modders took his place by creating their own variants. The most popular version, DotA Allstars, is what most people now recognize as Defense of the Ancients.

Characterized by a map with three main paths—lanes—MOBA games feature never-ending waves of AI-controlled creeps that march across the map. Players usually control a single unit and kill minions, towers, neutral monsters, and other players for gold to buy items that strengthen their hero. The game ends when a team's main base is destroyed.

Many of the original contributors to Dota have since moved on to work on games that have been inspired by the mod. Steve 'Guinsoo' Feak, the creator of DotA Allstars, joined Dota-Allstars.com. Creator Steve 'Pendragon' Mescon at Riot Games to create League of Legends. IceFrog, the mod's final superstar developer was the driving force behind Valve's Dota 2.

The Contenders

Dota 2

 

Dota 2

When a few quick spells can mean your death, posturing and positioning is incredibly important.

Dota 2 isn't just a sequel to the original in name. Its hero list, map design, items, and more are all pulled directly from Dota. After a prolonged trademark battle between Valve and Blizzard, IceFrog's Dota 2 has become what many players see as the true sequel to Dota.

deny

The ability to deny creeps is a key mechanic in Dota and Dota 2.

It has also gained a reputation for being an unabashedly hardcore game. Mechanics like creep denial—killing a friendly minion to deny your opponent gold—are carryovers from the mod. In fact, many of Dota's defining mechanics, which existed only because of the limitations of the WarCraft III mapmaking tool, are still a large part of Dota 2.

That's not to say that this is just a port of the mod, because it isn't. Dota 2 is Valve's attempt to modernize Dota. Gone are the dated graphics, makeshift hero selection menus, and all of the random quirks that come with being a mod to a game that's over a decade old.

Detailed tutorials, user created cosmetic items, and an amazing replay and spectate function are just some of the reasons that Dota 2 has a huge fan base. Amazing developer support in the form of official tournaments and constant updates doesn't hurt things either.

League of Legends

League of Legends
is one of the most successful PC games of all time. With Riot reporting over 500,000 peak concurrent users in North America and Europe alone, the game has taken the industry by storm. Personal streamers regularly draw tens of thousands of views whereas tournament streams can stretch past a million unique viewers.

massive battle

Team fights are usually messy and long.

Despite being based on the original Dota, Riot has made some major tweaks to the standard MOBA formula. Opting to remove many of the mechanics that make Dota and Dota 2 so difficult—namely creep denial—has made LoL a game that people have flocked to.

With simpler gameplay that makes the game easier to learn, League of Legends provides an alternate experience to Dota 2. Manually targeted spells—skill shots—are the highlight and many champions are able to fill multiple roles.  Pushing buttons is encouraged by larger mana pools with lower mana costs.

Ultimate

This flashy ultimate shows off the particle effects in LoL.

The overall League of Legends experience is less punishing and more casual. With a rotating roster of free champions and a store filled with items available for purchase with in-game currency or a real-world equivalent, you'll start the game with only a small slice of the larger pie.

And the Winner Is…

We honestly don't think there's any way to definitively state that either game is better than the other, but we do know that if you're looking for the complete MOBA experience, League of Legends and Dota 2 are your best bets.

League of Legends is a modern adaption of Defense of the Ancients whereas Dota 2 is the original game polished to a blinding shine. If you're looking for the most authentic experience then stick with Dota 2. If however, you're fine dealing with a champion roster locked behind a paywall—with your choice of time or money—then League of Legends is probably the better choice for beginners and more casual players.

Aside from the difference in appearance and monetization, both of these free-to-play games are worth playing. Both have the same underlying gameplay with a few tweaks that change how the games feel. Dota 2 matches are usually more frantic with battles ending in mere seconds. League of Legends matches usually start slow and escalate as the game continues.

Honorable Mentions

LoL and Dota 2 aren't the only MOBAs in town. There are an incredible array of games that weren't really in the running for the title of true successor to Dota, but are still enjoyed by thousands of players around the world.

hon

Heroes of Newerth was quick to try and replace the original DOTA

Heroes of Newerth is another MOBA built in part by DotA Allstars contributors. Released in 2010, it acted as a stepping stone for the MOBA community which quickly abandoned the game for League of Legends and Dota 2. Initially available as a retail product, it went free-to-play in 2011. At its core the game is Dota with some slight modifications. Dated graphics, confusing menu systems, and a diminishing community are some of the reasons that HoN isn't popular today.

smite

Smite is a third-person MOBA

Smite is a unique take on the genre with the traditional RTS-style birds-eye view removed in favor of a third-person perspective. Basic attacks and spells require precise aim which makes Smite play more like a shooter than most MOBAs. It's one of the more radical evolutions of Dota, but it just hasn't had as much of an impact as Dota 2 and LoL have. Hi-Rez Studios is still actively developing Smite and moving the game in the right direction. 

bloodline champions

Bloodline Champions

One of the more obscure veins of the MOBA genre is represented by Bloodline Champions which removes the lanes, creep waves, towers, and minions to opt for a World of Warcraft arena-style PvP. You control a champion with spells that need to be manually targeted and fight in 3-on-3 battles. It's a significant departure from Dota and lacks the depth of most MOBA games.

But these games are only the tip of the MOBA iceberg. The original Dota has inspired many other MOBAs such as the Lord of the Rings-based Guardians of Middle-earth, the upcoming DC universe-themed Infinite Crisis, and more. 

Do you have a favorite MOBA? Let us know in the comments below!

Microsoft Yanks Unfunny "Fly on the Wall" Videos Mocking Apple

Posted: 16 Sep 2013 03:41 PM PDT

Microsoft You Are DrunkMicrosoft's jabs at Apple miss the mark

Oh Microsoft, is it really so hard to spend a portion of your record revenue and obscene profits on humorous advertisements? Apparently so, because the company's latest attempt to poke fun at the competition once again fell flat, only this time the ads missed the mark so badly Microsoft mercifully yanked them off the web only hours after posting them. The ads were supposed to poke fun at Apple's iPhone 5C and iPhone 5S launch, a pair of relatively easy targets. Instead, they came off as trying too hard, leaving that uncomfortable feeling in your gut when you're embarrassed for someone.

A series of seven ads titled "A fly on the wall in Cupertino" kick off in a board room with two Apple employees pitching ideas to who is presumed to be the CEO of Apple. All you see of the CEO is the back of the head, and the actor they chose appears more like Steve Jobs in his final days than Tim Cook, so there's a bad vibe right from the get-go.

From there, the actors mock Apple's design sessions and the company's over-the-top focus on color options rather than offering real innovations. The premise is solid, but the execution is not, even for a web video.

"Are we going to tell people they're made out of plastic? Nah, bro," a supposed Apple employee proclaims at one part in the video. He goes on to talk about all the demographics that like gold, including pirates and leprechauns.

Even Microsoft recognized the ads weren't funny.

"The video was intended to be a light-hearted poke at our friends from Cupertino. But it was off the mark, and we've decided to pull it down," a Microsoft representative stated in an email to The Next Web.

Here's a look at one of the videos:

See what we mean? Hopefully next time Microsoft outsources its humor. We'd like to suggest Conan so instead of the above, we'll get something more along the lines of this:

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LEPA Expands Power Supply Line-Up

Posted: 16 Sep 2013 03:16 PM PDT

New 80 plus gold and 80 plus bronze PSUs announced

LEPA Technology announced new power supplies in the GM MaxGold, BM MaxBron, and MX F1 series, which range from a modest 350 watts up to a more robust 1,000 and targets everybody from entry to enthusiast-level computer builders.

The GM-MaxGold and BM-MaxBron are both semi-modular power supplies. They feature a special Anti3s Q-Brick design which is a protective sleeve designed to protect from static, shock, and slip. This protective sleeve comes in both red ad black. In addition, both lines boast an improved DC-to-DC converter which improves stability in C6/C7 sleep modes. This ensures full Haswell support for low power sleep states.

MaxGold
The GM-MaxGold comes in three new variants, each receiving an 80 Plus gold rating for up to 92% efficiency. It's available in 500 watts for $90, 600 watts for $100, and 700 watts for $110.

MaaxBron

The BM-MaxBron sports an 80 PLUS Bronze rating which yields up to 88% power efficiency. It's available in 450 watts for $70, 700 watts for $100, 800 watts for $110, and 1,000 watts for $140.

FM1

For the entry to mid-range market, LEPA's new MX F1 PSU sits at a cozy $30 for 350 watts, $35 for 400 watts and $50 for 600 watts. The name comes from its F1 racer inspired paint job. This supply sports 6+2 pin PCI-E power connectors for graphics cards.

Intel's Updated Graphics Drivers for Ivy Bridge, Haswell Stomps Out Bugs in Windows 7 and 8

Posted: 16 Sep 2013 11:21 AM PDT

Intel IDF 2013Integrated graphics need driver updates, too

There's no shame in rocking integrated graphics, especially if you only occasionally play games or don't typically gravitate towards demanding titles that push the envelope. If that's the category of gamer (or non-gamer, as it were) that you fall into, be advised that Intel recently released new graphics drivers for its family of 3rd and 4th Generation of Core processors, otherwise known as Ivy Bridge and Haswell, respectively.

Driver versions 15.31.17.3257 (32-bit) and 15.31.17.64.3257 (64-bit) are supposed to fix a whole bunch of bugs in Windows 7 and Windows 8. The majority of bug fixes apply to Haswell, including one that caused corruption seen in the beginning of Bioshock (Windows 7) and another that would cause the screen to turn black after switching to Clone mode (Windows 8).

After applying the driver update, Intel recommends applying the latest patches to 3DMark 11, Batman Arkham City, Mafia 2, Company of Heroes, HomeFront, Unigine Heaven, and Battlefield 3 to "avoid any unexpected issues."

See more in the release notes (PDF).

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AMD Plans to Expand Desktop Richland Family of APUs Ahead of Kaveri Launch

Posted: 16 Sep 2013 09:56 AM PDT

AMD Richland DieTwo more Richland chips are en route

AMD originally hoped to launch its 3rd Generation A-Series APUs known as "Kaveri" sometime this year with at least one roadmap indicating an early fourth quarter release. Technically, Kaveri may still launch in 2013, though reportedly it will only end up in the hands of OEMs late this year, followed by a retail launch in 2014. In the meantime, it looks like AMD will flesh out its Richland desktop line with a couple of new processors.

According to CPU-World, AMD in August released its A10-6700T chip, the first low power desktop APU rated at 45W. It was launched in Japan and may make its way to U.S. shores in a month or two. In addition, an AMD A8-6500T APU has also been spotted online. Both it and the A10-6700T part are available to pre-order at shopblt.com.

The A10-6700T APU is built around AMD's Piledriver architecture. It has four cores clocked at 2.5GHz (3.5GHz Turbo), 4MB of L2 cache, and Radeon HD 8650D graphics. Likewise, the A8-6500T shares the same DNA but is clocked at 2.1GHz (3.1GHz Turbo) and uses Radeon HD 6550 graphics. The GPUs on both parts are clocked at 720MHz.

Pre-order pricing for the A8-6500T and A10-6700T sits at $109 and $156, respectively.

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Microsoft's Answer to Siri and Google Now is Cortana

Posted: 16 Sep 2013 07:47 AM PDT

CortanaWindows Phone is getting a personal assistant

Some still view Siri as nothing more than a gimmick, and perhaps two years ago, that might have been a fair assessment. But with the launch of iOS 7, Siri sheds her beta baggage and is more useful than ever. So is Google Now, which Android fans would argue is an even more intelligent assistant. Regardless of which one is better, it's clear that this is becoming an essential part of the mobile experience, and it's Microsoft's turn to implement a personal assistant of its own. Well, meet Cortana.

You may recognize Cortana as the artificially intelligent character in Microsoft's Halo franchise, and yes, that's who the voice assistant software is named after. According to ZDNet, Cortana could be integrated into Windows Phone software as soon as the early part of 2014, which is when Windows Phone 8.1 is scheduled to debut.

Like Siri and Google Now, it will learn and adapt to your habits. To do so, it will use machine learning technology and the Satori knowledge repository powering Bing, ZDNet says.

"Our UI will be deeply personalized, based on the advanced, almost magical, intelligence in our cloud that learns more and more over time about people and the world. Our shell will natively support all of our essential services, and will be great at responding seamlessly to what people ask for, and even anticipating what they need before they ask for it," Steve Ballmer stated in a memo back in July referring to a family of devices powered by a service-enabled shell.

Though it's possible Cortana could debut in Windows Phone 8.1, Microsoft has previously said it won't launch voice assistant software until it has something revolutionary to offer. However, with the recent acquisition of Nokia, we wouldn't be shocked if Cortana came out relatively soon.

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Windows Phone Store Now Processing 9 Million Daily Transactions

Posted: 16 Sep 2013 06:53 AM PDT

HTC Windows PhoneMicrosoft reveals some surprising statistics

Let's be frank, Microsoft's Windows Phone platform isn't anywhere close to threatening Android in the mobile space, nor is it hot on the heels of iOS. Microsoft knows this, though the Redmond company is finding reasons to be optimistic, especially when viewing the mobile race as a marathon and not a sprint. One of those reasons is that the Windows Phone Store has surpassed 9 million transactions per day.

Microsoft borrowed that figure from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech and plopped it into a Windows Phone Developer blog post outlining increased advertising opportunities, improved payouts, and dev center updates.

"Kantar reports that Windows Phone now accounts for 1 in 10 smartphone sales in Britain, France, Germany, and Mexico. Kantar also reports that Windows Phone is attracting a large percentage of first-time buyers with 42 percent of sales over the past year coming from feature phone owners," Microsoft states in its blog.

A 10 percent share in certain territories is nothing to scoff at, and Microsoft has to be encouraged that its marketing efforts are winning over first-time smartphone buyers. What Microsoft does with that information will be up to its next Chief Executive Officer to figure out.

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Newegg Daily Deals: LG 14X Blu-ray Burner, Logitech F710 Wireless Gamepad, and More!

Posted: 16 Sep 2013 05:56 AM PDT

LG Blu-raynewegg logo

Top Deal:

Before you go writing the optical drive's obituary, consider the inevitable zombie apocalypse, which among other things will see the demise of cloud servers (somebody has to man those things, after all). You'll be glad you stockpiled your precious data, like photos of loved ones before they turned, on local media. Or, maybe you have a collection of Blu-ray movies. Either way, you can benefit from today's top deal for an LG 14X Black Blu-ray Burner for $60 with free shipping (nomrally $80 - use coupon code 0910BTS4). It supports tri-layer and quad-layer BDXL (128GB) discs as well as 3D playblack and M-Disc.

Other Deals:

Logitech F710 Wireless Gamepad for $39 with free shipping (normally $45 - use coupon code: [LOGT98])

Logitech K360 Glossy Black USB RF Wireless Mini Keyboard
for $26 with free shipping (normally $30 - use coupon code: [LOGT98])

Rosewill Travel Alarm with Door Clip Alarm Sensor/LED flash light 2 Pieces/Pack for $5 with free shipping (normally $10 - use coupon code: [0910BTS6])

Raidmax Orion Black Steel/Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case for $55 with free shipping (normally $70 - use coupon code: [0910BTS36]; additional $15 Mail-in rebate)

MMO Updates

MMO Updates


Captain's Log: An interview with Star Trek Online's artists

Posted: 16 Sep 2013 10:00 AM PDT

Filed under: , , , , , ,

STO TS destroyer
This week I will be (yes I know, finally) finishing up with my series of interviews with the developers of Star Trek Online. I traveled to Cryptic Studios last July and had the opportunity to meet with several of the people responsible for the game, especially the new expansion, The Legacy of Romulus.

In this column I'll be outlining my conversation with three Star Trek Online artists: Environment Artist Nick (Tumerboy) Duguid, User Interface Artist Thomas (TheCrypticCat) Marrone, and Ship Artist Ian (JamJamz) Richards. So join us past the jump to see what it took to bring the look of Legacy of Romulus to life.

Continue reading Captain's Log: An interview with Star Trek Online's artists

MassivelyCaptain's Log: An interview with Star Trek Online's artists originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 16 Sep 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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    Google's Ingress adopts achievement system, awards badges

    Posted: 16 Sep 2013 09:00 AM PDT

    Filed under: , , ,

    Googles Ingree adopts achievement system awards badges
    It's been a while since we have heard any news about Google's mobile alternate-reality MMO Ingress. But that silence has broken: A new update is rolling out and should be available to all players in the course of a few days. This update includes scanner performance updates as well as a new system of badges that players can earn to show off their achievements. This new achievement system -- not unlike the famous merit badges earned by scouts -- awards players for such things as exploring, building, and hacking. Ingress also recognizes players for more unique achievements with such badges as Mind Controller and Seer.

    [Thanks to SpaceCobra for the tip!]

    MassivelyGoogle's Ingress adopts achievement system, awards badges originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 16 Sep 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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    Get a look at Darkfall's Duelist in action

    Posted: 16 Sep 2013 08:00 AM PDT

    Filed under: , , , , ,

    Get a look at Darkfall's Duelist in action
    A new skirmisher class, the Duelist, is coming to Darkfall this week. It hits hard and quick, although it's also not as tough as some of the other classes, so players will need to be mindful of this when taking one out for a test drive. The class is able to use skills like flurry, lacerate, lunge, pummel, and uncanny focus in taking down its foes.

    You can check out the Duelist in action, including its core abilities, in a new video after the jump!

    Continue reading Get a look at Darkfall's Duelist in action

    MassivelyGet a look at Darkfall's Duelist in action originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 16 Sep 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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    The Stream Team: Hoarder no more edition, September 16 - 22, 2013

    Posted: 16 Sep 2013 07:00 AM PDT

    Filed under: , , , ,

    The Stream Team  Reformed hoarders edition, September 16  22, 2013
    Thank you, thank you all for your intervention! I think I can safely avoid checking myself into some virtual support group for MMO hoarders now that's I've gone through and given my hard drive a good scrubbing out. I know most people equate big deep cleaning projects with spring, but what better way to get ready for the holiday season (and possibly new games) than with a nice fall cleaning? And from the looks of the other poll, it appears more of of you could benefit from the same!

    Taking your advice (and a few other things into account as well), I have stripped a hefty chunk of games off my system and found a quite a cache of gigabytes left in their place. Oh, those glorious shiny free GBs; they shall come in handy soon, I just know it! Until I they do, I will entertain myself with the variety of shows put on by The Stream Team this week on Massively TV. Who knows, maybe something will pique my interest enough to install it myself...

    Continue reading The Stream Team: Hoarder no more edition, September 16 - 22, 2013

    MassivelyThe Stream Team: Hoarder no more edition, September 16 - 22, 2013 originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 16 Sep 2013 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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      The Daily Grind: What future MMO trends would you like to see?

      Posted: 16 Sep 2013 06:00 AM PDT

      Filed under: , , , , , ,

      EverQuest Next voxels and wizard girl
      MMO design trends are curious things. For a while there, it seemed like every new title was hyping its story angle. Recent years have also seen a rash of action combat games as well as plenty of, ahem, "dynamic" events.

      Today though, we'd like to hear your thoughts on possible future trends. Will EverQuest Next start a voxel revolution? Will WildStar show everyone how housing's done and spawn a bunch of imitators? Let us know!

      Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!

      MassivelyThe Daily Grind: What future MMO trends would you like to see? originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 16 Sep 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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        MMO Week in Review: The curse of success

        Posted: 15 Sep 2013 06:00 PM PDT

        Filed under: , ,

        FFXIV
        At the end of every week, we round up the best and most popular news stories, exclusive features, and insightful columns published on Massively and then present them all in one convenient place. If you missed a big MMO or WoW Insider story last week, you've come to the right post.

        Final Fantasy XIV's got the kind of problem every game wants to have: too many players trying to play it. This week, the game has been battling server congestion, tweaking difficulty, ticking off Android users, and promising free PS4 game upgrades for PS3 players. And Massively released both a dungeon guide and the first part of a critical not-a-review of the game's relaunched edition.

        Read on for a look at the rest of this week's top MMO stories.

        Continue reading MMO Week in Review: The curse of success

        MassivelyMMO Week in Review: The curse of success originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 15 Sep 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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          EVE Evolved: Fitting Heavy Assault Cruisers in Odyssey 1.1, part 2

          Posted: 15 Sep 2013 04:00 PM PDT

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          EVE Evolved Fitting Heavy Assault Cruisers in Odyssey 11, part 2
          EVE Online recently revamped all of the Heavy Assault Cruisers in its Odyssey 1.1 update, in addition to buffing active shield boosters and armour repairers and rebalancing medium beam lasers and railguns. Last week I put together a new brawler setup for the recently revamped Deimos, a sentry drone sniper fitting for the Ishtar, an extremely effective anti-frigate Cerberus setup, and a sadly underwhelming railgun Eagle. This week I've turned my attention toward the Amarr and Minmatar HACs, with some surprising results. The Zealot and Sacrilege are still as powerful as ever, and the Muninn may see some use as a tactical frigate sniper, but this patch could see many players retiring their Vagabonds.

          The nano-fit Vagabond was once the unrivaled number one ship for lone pirates, able to speed-tank anything larger than a frigate and still deal over 500 DPS. It engaged safely from outside web range, moved too fast for turrets to track, and absorbed any attacks that did hit with its sizable buffer tank. When CCP made warp scramblers knock out microwarpdrives, Vagabond pilots adapted with dual propulsion module fits that use a microwarpdrive to approach the target and an afterburner to orbit. Unfortunately, the Vagabond didn't fare well in the Odyssey 1.1 patch and players aren't sure if they can adapt this time.

          In this week's EVE Evolved, I put together PvP setups for the at the Zealot, Sacrilege, Muninn, and Vagabond Heavy Assault Cruisers.

          Continue reading EVE Evolved: Fitting Heavy Assault Cruisers in Odyssey 1.1, part 2

          MassivelyEVE Evolved: Fitting Heavy Assault Cruisers in Odyssey 1.1, part 2 originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 15 Sep 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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            Hyperspace Beacon Extra: SWTOR's expansion 'refunds'

            Posted: 15 Sep 2013 02:00 PM PDT

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            Hyperspace Beacon Extra The fundamental issue with SWTOR giving a refund on its expansion
            On Thursday, BioWare gave all Star Wars: The Old Republic subscribers the Rise of the Hutt Cartel expansion for free. From that moment forward, if you subscribe to Star Wars: The Old Republic, you can level to 55 as well as participate in Makeb planetary content and endgame content like operations Terror from Beyond and Scum and Villainy. By doing this, BioWare increased the value of its subscription, which it has been struggling to do all this year. Disgruntled subscribers will be happy about paying their $15 a month, right? Well, not exactly...

            As expected, most subscribers already own Rise of the Hutt Cartel. In fact, the most loyal players pre-ordered the expansion early this year and have been paying a subscription for the full six months prior to the expansion's being given away. BioWare also announced that the subscribers who bought the expansion within the last month will receive 1050 Cartel Coins, credits to the in-game cash shop equal in value to the price of the expansion -- kind of like a refund. This seems to be a reasonable compromise, right? So why are players split on the issue? Why do some players believe that this a perfectly reasonable compromise while others are readying their hatchets and pitchforks? I think it is directly related to how players define the game. Is SWTOR a product or a service?

            Continue reading Hyperspace Beacon Extra: SWTOR's expansion 'refunds'

            MassivelyHyperspace Beacon Extra: SWTOR's expansion 'refunds' originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 15 Sep 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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              Stick and Rudder: On Star Citizen's so-called 'feature creep'

              Posted: 15 Sep 2013 12:00 PM PDT

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              Stick and Rudder - On Star Citizen's 'feature creep'
              I'm going to address the allegations of "feature creep" in Star Citizen this week before misperceptions get further out of hand. If you haven't been following the sci-fi space sandbox in recent weeks, note that Chris Roberts and Cloud Imperium unveiled the title's $20 million stretch goal several days ago. Said goal is FPS combat on select lawless planets, but to hear some armchair developers tell it, Roberts is jumping the shark and gunning for PlanetSide 2 instead of simply adding some instanced bells and whistles onto what's affectionately known as the best damn space sim ever (BDSSE).

              If you're a Star Citizen backer or enthusiast, you already know everything I'm about to type. If you're casually lurking on the periphery of the game's fandom, though, join me after the cut for the most complete SC crash course that 1,700 words can buy.

              Continue reading Stick and Rudder: On Star Citizen's so-called 'feature creep'

              MassivelyStick and Rudder: On Star Citizen's so-called 'feature creep' originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 15 Sep 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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