MMO Updates

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• AionSource shutting down
• ArcheAge fansite compiles the game's current problems
• Introducing Terrayn, a persistent world sandbox
• Pantheon brings back the fun of a corpse run
• RIFT suffers from chat and mail issues through the weekend
• The Stream Team: Broadway edition, February 17 - 23, 2014
• Allods Online Heart of the World update patch notes translated
• The Daily Grind: Which MMO deserves more coverage than it gets?
• MMO Week in Review: The Elder Scrolls Online, round two
• EVE Evolved: Consequences and conflict
• Hearthstone will have an official spectator mode
• Camelot Unchained Q&A talks PvP looting, physical growth, and crafting
• iRacing is the real driving simulator

AionSource shutting down Posted: 17 Feb 2014 09:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Aion, Culture, News Items, Free-to-Play It's been a good eight-year run for one of Aion's longest fan sites, but that run is over now. AionSource, a fansite operated by Curse, is shutting down over the next few weeks, first going into read-only mode before being shut down altogether. The site's current administrator has set up a new site for the community members who would like to migrate. No reason has been stated for the shutdown; the site is not the only fan site that Curse has shut down in recent years, most likely due to a lack of cash flow. Users are encouraged to back up forum posts and the like before the shut down, while site administrators attempt to copy over some of the most useful community guides. Our best wishes to the community organizers attempting to keep the group together through the move. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in!] AionSource shutting down originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 17 Feb 2014 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: AionSource closure announcement

ArcheAge fansite compiles the game's current problems Posted: 17 Feb 2014 08:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Culture, Patches, News Items, ArcheAge, Sandbox It's hard out there for an ArcheAge fan in the USA; the game still isn't out here, seems to be getting no closer to release, and is getting an official release in what seems like every other possible country. So one of the biggest ArcheAge fansites is trying to make the localization job for Trion Worlds just a little bit easier by explaining exactly what the game's major issues are, with a specific eye toward its most recent patch. Essentially, the complaints in the thread focus around the idea that the game continues to reduce the effectiveness of open PvP while adding in far more standard themepark elements, including a heavy reliance on daily quests near the level quest. If you've played the game's Korean version, you can feel free to jump in on the thread and add your own views. No word on how much this will be heard by the localization team, but it's a good snapshot of what the community likes about the game and what could be improved. [Thanks to Dengar for the tip!] ArcheAge fansite compiles the game's current problems originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 17 Feb 2014 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: ArcheAge Source

Introducing Terrayn, a persistent world sandbox Posted: 17 Feb 2014 07:00 AM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, New Titles, Sandbox, Crowdfunding Another day, another hopeful sandbox MMO takes its first fledgling steps onto the Kickstarter scene looking for those who believe in it (and will back up that belief with a financial committment). Today's new title is Terrayn (pronounced "terrain"), a game that promises a fully modifiable persistent world for players to manipulate. Terrayn will be divided up into four kingdoms, each of which can be customized by the playerbase. The developers promise that players can "drown villages and build up empires" if they so choose. The MMO will take place on a single server with a single population. Players can also wield the power of API to fully script events and structures on the landscape for others to discover. CodeMushroom is asking for $300,000 to create a closed beta within 18 months. We've got the introductory video for Terrayn after the break, so check it out and see if it's worthy of your investment dollars. [Thanks to Todd for the tip!] Continue reading Introducing Terrayn, a persistent world sandbox Introducing Terrayn, a persistent world sandbox originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 17 Feb 2014 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Terrayn Kickstarter

Pantheon brings back the fun of a corpse run Posted: 17 Feb 2014 06:30 AM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Game Mechanics, Dev Diaries, Dungeons, Crowdfunding, Subscription, Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen Is it slightly disturbing that the MMO community has integrated and accepted the phrase "corpse run" without batting an eye at this point? Corpse runs are very much on the mind of Brad McQuaid, who says that Pantheon will be bringing them back as a "consequence of death" in the game world. When a player dies in Pantheon, he or she will have the option to wait for a resurrection or to be reborn without all of that character's gear and weapons. In either event, getting back to one's corpse is of utmost importance because it will not only restore lost gear, but some of the experience lost on death as well. Oh yes, Pantheon will have XP loss on death. Other players can help out with resurrection or retrieval spells, or players may beseech their deity for help at a cost. In non-morbid news, Pantheon posted information and lore on the Sunken Sanctum, a marshland ruins that will be a formidable dungeon. [Thanks to Boinya for the tip!] Pantheon brings back the fun of a corpse run originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 17 Feb 2014 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Death penalty, Sunken Sanctum

RIFT suffers from chat and mail issues through the weekend Posted: 17 Feb 2014 06:15 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Patches, News Items, Free-to-Play, RIFT, Subscription it looks like RIFT's patch 2.6 is bringing some unintended features to the game. Assuming you consider the complete shutdown of the game's chat to be a feature, anyhow. Up through most of yesterday, the game did not feature working chat for groups, raids, or guilds. While a fix has been pushed through early this morning to address most of the remaining issues, conquest chat is still non-functional as of this writing, and there are still "issues" with positional chat modes. Problems first emerged on Wednesday, but despite several hotfixes and updates the game has not yet been restored to full working order. Even the latest round of fixes still leave certain features disabled, although it looks like everyone logging on later today will be able to play normally for the most part. It remains to be seen when the remaining issues will be addressed. [Thanks to nope for the tip!] RIFT suffers from chat and mail issues through the weekend originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 17 Feb 2014 09:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Chat & Mail status thread

The Stream Team: Broadway edition, February 17 - 23, 2014 Posted: 17 Feb 2014 06:00 AM PST Filed under: Polls, MMO Industry, Massively Meta, Livestream, Miscellaneous, The Stream Team I've got Broadway on the brain. The drama, the music, the energy -- there's nothing quite like seeing a show live. And that is one of the great things about Massively TV! You don't have travel to that famed street to catch some fun-tastical live shows; you've got a front-row seat right at home. Just tune in and watch your favorite Stream Team hosts and follow their adventures as they happen. And who knows, you might even catch the warblings of a host or two. Check out this week's schedule so you don't miss any of the shows (or possible showtunes)! Continue reading The Stream Team: Broadway edition, February 17 - 23, 2014 The Stream Team: Broadway edition, February 17 - 23, 2014 originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 17 Feb 2014 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Allods Online Heart of the World update patch notes translated Posted: 17 Feb 2014 05:30 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Classes, Patches, Free-to-Play, Allods Online, Steampunk As a Russian-developed game, Allods Online usually gets each game update in Russia before it hits the rest of the world. Luckily for those of us who don't speak the language, fansite Allods Oracle has been translating these Russian patch notes into English so we know what to expect. The latest update to hit Russia is entitled Heart of the World and it brings a new allod, a new adventure, and the highly anticipated Engineer class to the game. The game's stat system has also been completely revamped with this patch, and a wardrobe system has been added to allow characters to change costumes at any time. Check out the complete translated notes, including side articles detailing the major changes, over at Allods Oracle. Allods Online Heart of the World update patch notes translated originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 17 Feb 2014 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Allods Oracle

The Daily Grind: Which MMO deserves more coverage than it gets? Posted: 17 Feb 2014 05:00 AM PST Filed under: MMO Industry, Opinion, The Daily Grind I may be biased, but I think Massively does a good job covering a diverse range of MMO and MMO-lite games. This coverage includes news posts, interviews, hands-on impressions pieces, and expert opinion from both long-time players and developers. Try as we might, though, we can't cover everything. At least, not in the amount of detail that I and probably some of you would like. With that in mind, I'm wondering which MMOs get no respect, in your opinion. Not just on Massively, but elsewhere in the games media, too! Which MMO deserves more coverage than it gets? 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: Which MMO deserves more coverage than it gets? originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 17 Feb 2014 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

MMO Week in Review: The Elder Scrolls Online, round two Posted: 16 Feb 2014 05:00 PM PST Filed under: Massively Meta, Week in Review, Miscellaneous 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. It's been another week of major Elder Scrolls Online infodumping as yet another media NDA was erased and Massively was set free to discuss PvP in addition to crafting, grouping, and the disappointing early game. Over the weekend, the NDA for stress testers was likewise lifted, finally allowing the dialogue MMO gamers have been pining for. Insufficient reading material for you? Check out ESO's dev blog on dark anchors and one fan's unofficial attempt at Oculus Rift support. Or just read on for a look at the rest of this week's top MMO stories! Continue reading MMO Week in Review: The Elder Scrolls Online, round two MMO Week in Review: The Elder Scrolls Online, round two originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 16 Feb 2014 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

EVE Evolved: Consequences and conflict Posted: 16 Feb 2014 03:00 PM PST Filed under: Sci-Fi, EVE Online, Culture, Game Mechanics, Guilds, MMO Industry, PvP, Endgame, Opinion, EVE Evolved, Sandbox, Player-Generated Content, Subscription, MMORPG I've always considered EVE Online to be the model sandbox MMO and a template that could theoretically be applied to other titles. Whether you believe it's by careful design or a happy accident, EVE has stumbled on a formula that clearly works and has helped the game stay popular for over a decade. I've written before about the many interconnected parts that make EVE's sandbox model work and how pulling out essential features such as item loss on death or adding foreign mechanics like global banking could cause the whole game to fall apart. But there's one aspect I didn't really cover in depth: consequences for negative behaviour. In his latest Some Assembly Required column, Massively's Jef Reahard argued that EVE can't be considered the quintessential sandbox MMO because it lacks consequences for bad behaviour. While I would argue that EVE is as close to the ideal model of the genre as exists at the moment, I'm forced to agree with Jef's assessment. Almost all of the major events in EVE's recent history that have hit the gaming media have been about theft or war, with tales of massive scams and alliance warfare painting New Eden in a dark and violent light. The ultimate sandbox would be equally capable of birthing incredible stories of exploration and players working together to build magnificent things, not just chaos and death in the gloomy depths of interstellar space. In this week's EVE Evolved, I look at the lack of consequence for negative actions in EVE Online, whether it causes negative behaviour, and why sandboxes need to be about more than just destruction. Continue reading EVE Evolved: Consequences and conflict EVE Evolved: Consequences and conflict originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 16 Feb 2014 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Hearthstone will have an official spectator mode Posted: 16 Feb 2014 01:00 PM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Interviews, Previews, Free-to-Play, Trading Card Games, Hearthstone Blizzard confirmed that a spectator mode is coming to Hearthstone, allowing players to sit in on others' play sessions. The news comes from BlizzPro, which talked with e-Sports Manager Kim Phan about upcoming plans for the game. Phan said that Blizzard is starting to take the e-Sports potential of Hearthstone a lot more seriously these days and has a list of features that it would like to put into the game, including a spectator mode. This mode won't be in the game by launch but should be put in "shortly after." Hearthstone is currently in open beta. Hearthstone will have an official spectator mode originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 16 Feb 2014 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: BlizzPro

Camelot Unchained Q&A talks PvP looting, physical growth, and crafting Posted: 16 Feb 2014 11:00 AM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, PvP, Warhammer Online, Community Q&A, Crafting, Camelot Unchained, Subscription There's a new community Q&A up on the Camelot Unchained site dealing with a wide range of topics concerning this up-and-coming RvR MMO. The topics in it range from hooded cloaks (yes, they're in) to just what players will be able to loot from enemy corpses and structures. Perhaps one of the most interesting pieces of information is that the team is putting in a physical growth system similar to the one that was promised but never delivered to Warhammer Online. Mark Jacobs confirmed the feature: "I'm happy to say that yes, certain races (I won't commit to all of them yet) will have meaningful changes happen to them, both cosmetic and gameplay. For example, our Dvergr might have more stone covering their body and their beards will grow. Other examples could be with our HelBound's faces, Hamadryad's tails, etc." The Q&A also addressed the role and importance of crafters, emphasizing that those players will be able to generate basic materials from their land and that they'll "contribute majorly" to battles. Camelot Unchained Q&A talks PvP looting, physical growth, and crafting originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 16 Feb 2014 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Community Q&A

iRacing is the real driving simulator Posted: 16 Feb 2014 10:00 AM PST Filed under: Historical, Real-Life, Business Models, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, Opinion, Hands-On, First Impressions, Subscription I've never been to northern California's legendary Laguna Seca road course. In meatspace, at any rate. But thanks to dozens of realistic racing game recreations, I know the track's serpentine layout and its infamous corkscrew corner like the back of my hand. I've barreled through it hundreds if not thousands of times since 1999's Gran Turismo 2, so it darn well ought to be familiar by now, right? And it was, right up until I loaded onto iRacing's version of it. Continue reading iRacing is the real driving simulator iRacing is the real driving simulator originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 16 Feb 2014 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

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MMORPG News

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• General: This Week's Live Stream Schedule
• Path of Exile: Sacrifice of Vaal Mini-Expansion Coming March 5th
• Allods Online: Heart of the World Update to Bring New Class & More

General: This Week's Live Stream Schedule Posted: 17 Feb 2014 02:15 AM PST Our Live Stream team is primed and ready to roll this week to show off some of the hottest MMOs to date. Check out the schedule below to find the streamer and the game. Then be sure to join the MMORPG.com Live Stream page at the appointed time!

Path of Exile: Sacrifice of Vaal Mini-Expansion Coming March 5th Posted: 17 Feb 2014 02:05 AM PST The Path of Exile site has been updated with a new post about the forthcoming mini-expansion, Sacrifice of Vaal. The content update is expected to hit live service on March 5th and will feature an expansion of the game world as well as, as the post indicates, set the pace for similar updates to arrive every four months. Most significantly, Sacrifice of Vaal will expand the game's lore. Devs plan to tease out more details over the coming two weeks.

Allods Online: Heart of the World Update to Bring New Class & More Posted: 17 Feb 2014 01:58 AM PST AllodsOracle.com is a site dedicated to translating the most recent Allods Online news from the Russian game site. The Russian version of Allods is a few months ahead of the English version and AllodsOracle.com is reporting that the Heart of the World update will bring a ton of new content into the game, including a new level 60 level cap, the Engineer class, a new zone, a new dungeon and an overhaul of the stats system.

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MMOGaming News

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• MMOsite Morning Call: Weekly Cosplay Highlight [02.17]
• Hearthstone: Know Your Lore: Valeera Sanguinar
• MMOs To Watch In 2014: SWTOR
• Guild Wars 2: So We Are 80 What Now? - Ep.39 "Recapping Scarlet"

MMOsite Morning Call: Weekly Cosplay Highlight [02.17] Posted: MMOsite Morning Call here to meet with you again. This week we also have a great many of awesome cosplays, let's take a look together. Continue reading MMOsite Morning Call: Weekly Cosplay Highlight [02.17].

Hearthstone: Know Your Lore: Valeera Sanguinar Posted: After sharing lore information about Gul'dan the Warlock, let's now have a look at Valeera Sanguinar, the female hero behind the Rogue class in the upcoming deck-building game introduced by Blizzard, Hearthstone, Heroes of Warcraft. Oh... noticed a strange thing, she never actually wears pants... Continue reading Hearthstone: Know Your Lore: Valeera Sanguinar.

MMOs To Watch In 2014: SWTOR Posted: In this MMO To Watch I dive into Star Wars The Old Republic and why it's a MMO to watch in 2014. It's most recent expansion just opened to Free to Play players, and is accessible the instant you begin playing the game. Continue reading MMOs To Watch In 2014: SWTOR.

Guild Wars 2: So We Are 80 What Now? - Ep.39 "Recapping Scarlet" Posted: At first when this whole Scarlet living story started. I was like blah where them dragons at lol. But now looking back on it all as a whole. This wasn't actually that bad of a story. And we were actually a bit wrong about Scarlet. I thought she maybe was similar to the Joker from Batman. But actually she is more of a manipulated poor soul. Which changed my whole out look. Continue reading Guild Wars 2: So We Are 80 What Now? - Ep.39 "Recapping Scarlet".

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General Gaming Article

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• Sharkoon Releasing Budget-Priced WPM V2 Power Supplies
• "TheMoon" Worm Infecting Linksys Routers
• Google Enhances Chrome Speed With Background Javascript Compilation

Sharkoon Releasing Budget-Priced WPM V2 Power Supplies Posted: 16 Feb 2014 01:20 PM PST Power supplies at lower prices Sharkoon, a popular name for budget-priced peripherals and hardware, has announced a new series of power supplies for those of us looking to save a few bucks. The WPM V2 series units feature a cable management system and are equippped with one 6-pin and one 6+2-pin PCIe connector. The power supplies will come built with power delivery envelopes that range between 400 W to 700 W and house a 140 mm fan. These power supplies will also come built with a semi-modular cable interface and do not feature 80-Plus certification, so those looking for a more permanent solution might want to save a little more cash before beginning the search for a replacement supply. These begin at €39.99, which is roughly $55, which is a little pricey considering what other devices you could find in around the same neighborhood, but if you're willing to give the units a try, you can check out the official Sharkoon page for more information.

"TheMoon" Worm Infecting Linksys Routers Posted: 16 Feb 2014 01:06 PM PST Your Linksys router could be vulnerable As if worrying about your PC and smartphones weren't enough, now you've got to go on the defensive when it comes to your wireless routers. According to reports from the SANS Institute's Internet Storm Center (ISC), customers out of a Wyoming ISP have reported compromised Linksys routers. The culprit? Malware known only as "TheMoon," malicious software that first compromises Linksys routers and then scans for other devices that may very well be vulnerable. The affected models appear to be only E1000 and E1200, but updates at the Internet Storm Center have revealed a more specific list of models that could be vulnerable: E4200, E3200, E3000, E2500, E2100L, E2000, E1550, E1500, E1200, E1000, and E900. The worm's primary goal is simply spreading, saturating what bandwidth is currently available. The worm will connect to port 8080 to retrieve features and firmware information, then sends exploits to a specific CGI script on the router that does not require authentication. Then a shell script request will launch as the router that's already been infected will scan for other routers it can touch. The worm itself is a 2 MB file, but it has a list of about 670 networks that are tied to cable modems in different countries. If you've got one of these routers, you might want to take special care. More information can be found at Ullrich's blog at ISC.

Google Enhances Chrome Speed With Background Javascript Compilation Posted: 16 Feb 2014 12:26 PM PST Concurrent compliation means smoother sailing On Thursday, Google announced a tweak made in the latest Chrome beta as a performance-booster: concurrent compliation. In the past, Chrome relied on JavaScript compliation on the main thread, but it could and did hinder the actual application. Concurrent compliation offloads this phase, making sure JavaScript apps perform steadily, only in the background. The resulting performance is a lot smoother, as V8, Chrome's JavaScript engine, holds off on JavaScript functions until the last second before they're compiled. This type of coding helps to avoid frame drops, stuttering, and chugging in games and other applications. This improvement and more is all included in the Chrome 33 beta, and can be accessed when the stable version is finally release in late February or March. For graphs and further information about what this change means for Chrome users, check out The Next Web's report.

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