| The Game Archaeologist: Myst Online: Uru Live Posted: 29 Mar 2014 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Free-to-Play, The Game Archaeologist, Miscellaneous The impact of Myst in 1993 was akin to an atomic bomb going off in the PC gaming world. The leap forward in graphical fidelity (aided by the large storage capacity of a CD-ROM and all of the full-motion video and gorgeous images tucked into it) captured gamers' imaginations and made this adventure title the best-selling PC game of all time, at least for several years. Brothers Robyn and Rand Miller's story about a stranger who had to solve puzzles through a good-looking (if deserted) landscape was devilishly difficult, yet that challenge kept players coming back for months and even years. The Myst franchise surged forward at that point, with several sequels, remakes, and ports selling like hotcakes through the final game's release in 2005. Yet something interesting happened along the way when an offshoot of the series -- Uru: Ages Beyond Myst -- evolved into an MMO. With a focus on multiplayer exploration and puzzle-solving instead of non-stop combat, it may be one of the very few MMOs out there that eschews fighting for brainpower. It's an oddity, no doubt, and despite it being an incredibly niche title, it has fascinated me enough to pull me into a research rabbit hole. So let's take a look at Myst Online: Uru Live! Continue reading The Game Archaeologist: Myst Online: Uru Live  The Game Archaeologist: Myst Online: Uru Live originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 29 Mar 2014 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| WRUP: The artist formerly known as EQN Landmark Posted: 29 Mar 2014 08:00 AM PDT |
| The Daily Grind: Do you hate model recycling? Posted: 29 Mar 2014 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous I have one minor but persistent pet peeve across all of the MMOs that I've played, which is that it really bugs me to see armor and weapon models recycled over and over again. Yes, I know it's a silly complaint because it's just not realistic to expect artists to come up with an endless supply of unique-looking gear, but every time I get a drop with better stats that either looks identical to something I own or something I used to have, I give a deep inward sigh. I guess there are degrees of model recycling, depending on how many variants there are in the game, but I always wish there would be more. Do you hate model recycling, are you indifferent to it, or do you think I'm being a jerk to the art team by just mentioning this? Is the solution to crowdsource model art to the community, as is being done in some MMOs?  Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!The Daily Grind: Do you hate model recycling? originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 29 Mar 2014 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Camelot Unchained previews the Giant race and Helbound class Posted: 28 Mar 2014 07:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Classes, Previews, News Items, Crowdfunding, Camelot Unchained, MMORPG A Camelot Unchained update blog penned by City State Entertainment's Mark Jacobs this afternoon provides two bits of eyecandy for fans and backers. The first is the concept art above, "a teaser for the Giant race of the Tuatha Dé Danann." The second is the video embedded below, which is a first-cut animation test for a Helbound, the game's death-flavored Viking healer class. "Neither the model nor the animation cycles are final yet," Jacobs warns. "In keeping with our intent to always show you folks truly representative models and not ridiculously high-poly count models that won't work for most gamers, this Helbound represents a pretty good approximation of how a Helbound could look in the game at launch." [Many thanks to tipster Guinness!] Continue reading Camelot Unchained previews the Giant race and Helbound class Camelot Unchained previews the Giant race and Helbound class originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 28 Mar 2014 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Betawatch: March 22 - 28, 2014 Posted: 28 Mar 2014 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Business Models, Events (Real-World), Launches, MMO Industry, News Items, Massively Meta, Betawatch, Miscellaneous TUG landed on Steam's early access for $10 today, bringing the indie sandbox that much closer to official launch. What else happened in the land of MMO betas this week? Read on for our complete Betawatch roundup! Continue reading Betawatch: March 22 - 28, 2014 Betawatch: March 22 - 28, 2014 originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 28 Mar 2014 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Defiance powers up weapons and enemies with Arktech Revolution Posted: 28 Mar 2014 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Game Mechanics, Patches, News Items, Consoles, MMOFPS, Defiance, Buy-to-Play If you're playing Defiance, you could probably use a bit more gun. The designers certainly thought so. As often as not, higher-rated weapons just weren't worth upgrading to compared to your older weapons with lower ratings. But that's not true with the next major patch. Your EGO rating will be a lot more important than it was, and that means that higher-rating guns are going to become a lot more powerful and a lot more rewarding to use... which has some larger effects on the game as a whole. For starters, in order to compensate for bigger guns, there need to be larger enemies about that won't just dissolve into a red mist when you fire your gun. Players who still want to be able to get out and enjoy the world will also need some means of doing so, which is achieved by a dynamic scaling system which ensures that even lower-rated players can still take part in big stuff. For more details on the numbers and specifics, check out the latest development update at the official site. Defiance powers up weapons and enemies with Arktech Revolution originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 28 Mar 2014 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Bohemia Interactive acquires a new team for DayZ and assembles a roadmap Posted: 28 Mar 2014 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Horror, Previews, News Items, Post-Apocalyptic, Miscellaneous, Sandbox Are you ready to kill your fellow survivors and take their stuff in DayZ? If so, you've got plenty of company; according to creator Dean Hall, the game has sold 1.7 million copies on Steam thus far. It's given the team good reason to expand, at that. Bohemia Interactive has acquired Cauldron Studios, now renamed Bohemia Interactive Slovakia, and will be putting that team to work developing more content and systems for the zombie sandbox experience. Hall also outlined a roadmap of the game's coming updates, stating that the end of April should see the inclusion of fireplaces, loot respawns, and crossbows. New pistols and AI pathfinding are next on the list, followed by a 64-bit upgrade and the inclusion of animals for players to hunt and cook. Whether you're looking forward to what comes next or just like the current state of beating up players and taking what they've found, if you're a fan of the game you should take a look at the full rundown. Bohemia Interactive acquires a new team for DayZ and assembles a roadmap originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 28 Mar 2014 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Trion: We control prices in ArcheAge's cash shop Posted: 28 Mar 2014 03:45 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Business Models, Events (Real-World), Game Mechanics, Previews, News Items, Free-to-Play, ArcheAge, Sandbox Earlier this afternoon, ArcheAge Community Manager Scapes hopped on the forums to kick off a local question-and-answer session with ArcheAge fans and answered a number of queries, chief among them a question about how much control Trion will have over the prices in ArcheAge's western cash shop. "Lots, actually," Scapes told the forum-goers. "We decide what's in it and at what price, simple as that." He also dashed the hopes of those pining for special server rulesets like PvP and RP, promised server farms for both NA and Europe, and suggested that cosmetics might be a part of the game's westernization. The Q&A is still ongoing on the official forums. Those who participate have a chance at winning an alpha invite. [Update: The Q&A is over now, but you can read the complete transcript on ArcheAge Source.] [Thanks to tipsters Inporylem and Dengar!] Trion: We control prices in ArcheAge's cash shop originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 28 Mar 2014 17:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| LEGO Minifigures Online previews a world of pirates Posted: 28 Mar 2014 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Previews, News Items, Kids, Family It's a world of peg-legs and hooks for hands, it's a world of parrots and coastal lands. It's a giant pastiche on the wide-open seas, it's a pirate world after all. Yes, that's the obvious takeaway from the newest preview from LEGO Minifigures Online, showing off the game's nautical land of cutthroats and cutlasses for all to see. And as you might expect, it's playing the routine straight to the hilt. So what can you expect from the game's Pirate World? If you said "pirate ghosts, sea creatures, and gold," you've seen a movie within the last decade and you are entirely right. Still, it looks to be exactly the sort of broad-strokes swashbuckling that can provide plenty of fun. So if you're eager to slap on an eyepatch and say "arr" more than entirely necessary, hop on past the break to check out the full video. Continue reading LEGO Minifigures Online previews a world of pirates LEGO Minifigures Online previews a world of pirates originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 28 Mar 2014 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Hands-on with TUG, The Untitled Game Posted: 28 Mar 2014 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Economy, Events (In-Game), Game Mechanics, Previews, PvP, Opinion, Hands-On, First Impressions, Sandbox, Crafting, Crowdfunding, Player-Generated Content, MMORPG, Buy-to-Play In my youth, my father handed me nails, wood, and a hammer and told me to build whatever I wanted. I managed to create swollen fingers and a few tangled heaps of wood and nails. Nerd Kingdom is a lot like my father, but instead of wood, the studio is handing me TUG, or as I like to call it, everything. TUG is a sandbox RPG akin to Landmark or Minecraft, but something about TUG is different. Maybe it's the development team that contains working titles like Economist or Behavioral Scientist. Or perhaps it's the data-driven design philosophy, which claims to deliver a better experience by analyzing how we play. Regardless, it's clear that Nerd Kingdom is attempting to give us more tools to create, both for the players in game and the modders outside of it. My recent demo, interview, and hands-on session showed me how TUG will unlock the creator's imagination -- with fewer swollen fingers. Continue reading Hands-on with TUG, The Untitled Game Hands-on with TUG, The Untitled Game originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 28 Mar 2014 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| CCP: Real-life harassment 'morally reprehensible,' in-game villainy integral to EVE Posted: 28 Mar 2014 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, EVE Online, Culture, MMO Industry, PvP, News Items, Sandbox EVE Online developer CCP has released an official statement regarding real-life harassment in the wake of the sandbox title's latest brouhaha. CCP Falcon says that the company, in collaboration with the player-powered Council of Stellar Management, "have agreed and would like to state in the strongest possible terms and in accordance with our existing Terms of Service and End User License Agreement, that real life harassment is morally reprehensible, and verifiable examples of such behavior will be met with disciplinary action against game accounts in accordance with our Terms of Service." The forum post also states that "the freedom to scam and commit piracy, espionage, and extortion are all fundamental to the EVE Online experience, and CCP will never change that." [Thanks Pierre!] CCP: Real-life harassment 'morally reprehensible,' in-game villainy integral to EVE originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 28 Mar 2014 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Guild Wars 2 reworks PvP with its major April update Posted: 28 Mar 2014 12:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Game Mechanics, Patches, Previews, PvP, News Items, Guild Wars 2, Buy-to-Play As of April 15th, Guild Wars 2 will have no more PvP gear. None. Your appearance in PvP will be the same as it is in WvW and PvE, and you'll enjoy complete statistical parity with everyone else on the battlefield. That's one of the biggest takeaways from the game's latest development blog, but it's hardly the only one. PvP is seeing a major overhaul like everything else, and it ties directly into more rewarding experiences via the new reward tracks. The reward tracks set down a series of objectives for players to accomplish by taking part in PvP, with several smaller rewards along the way and a big bonus at the end. There are also rotating dungeon reward tracks, allowing players to unlock dungeon skins and rewards by taking part in PvP challenges, ensuring that you can unlock what you want through the game mode that you like the most. For more details, as well as a look at the upcoming PvP build interface and other changes, take a gander at the full development blog. Guild Wars 2 reworks PvP with its major April update originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 28 Mar 2014 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| TUG is now available through Steam Early Access [Updated] Posted: 28 Mar 2014 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Promotions, Sandbox Do you have $9.99, a yearning for a unique open-world sandbox, and a tolerance for a not-quite-ready-for-primetime experience? If so, TUG is ready and waiting for you to explore it. Nerd Kingdom's MMO is now available through Steam Early Access for 10 bucks. The low introductory cost is due to the "unfinished nature of the game" and will be raised as time goes by. TUG currently features two modes, creative and survival, for players to enjoy. Developer Peter Salinas said that the title has made great strides through its alpha testing: "We've had such tremendous feedback and support from our players in our early alpha, and we can't wait to see all the amazing and creative things players will continue to do with the game. By looking at our community's play patterns and listening to their feedback, we can keep our development focused on what our players want." Massively has a hands-on look at TUG coming to you later this afternoon, so stay tuned! [Update: A message sent to Kickstarter backers assures everyone that the official launch date for the game is still January 2015 and that all backers will receive Steam keys early next week.] [Source: Nerd Kingdom press release] TUG is now available through Steam Early Access [Updated] originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 28 Mar 2014 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Equity crowdfunding is coming, but not on Kickstarter Posted: 28 Mar 2014 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Business Models, Economy, MMO Industry, News Items, Crowdfunding Think you can do a better job than wealthy venture capitalists at sussing out potential winners and losers in game development? You'll soon be able to put your money where your mouth is thanks to a new wave of up-and-coming crowdfunding sites that will be offering equity instead of plushies and in-game digital goods. In the wake of Oculus' $2 billion Facebook deal, The Verge has published a piece that asks what one of the Rift's original $300.00 Kickstarter backers would've gained had they been actual investors instead of donators. The answer is a cool $43,500, or a substantial 145x ROI. Kickstarter, for now at least, won't be jumping on the equity bandwagon. "We believe the real disruption comes from people supporting things because they like them, rather than finding things that produce a good return on investment," CEO Yancey Strickler told Popular Science. Equity crowdfunding is coming, but not on Kickstarter originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 28 Mar 2014 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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