MMO Updates

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• World of Tanks claims Golden Joystick's best MMO award
• Swordsman Online focus test to feature player-created skills, stealth, and more
• Some Assembly Required: Why SOE should be leading the sandbox charge
• Trion on RIFT lifetime subs: 'Nope, never'
• Halloween around the virtual world
• Bless is another gorgeous Korean MMO import
• The Daily Grind: Which MMO studio is the most innovative?
• RuneScape runs double XP weekend
• The Summoner's Guidebook: League of selfishness
• Massively Exclusive: New RaiderZ screens to celebrate open beta
• The Elder Scrolls Online updates its site and adds a story page
• Allods previews the vehicle-based skirmish of Summerhold
• SWTOR lead dev addresses free-to-play concerns
• SOE Live 2012: To City of Brass and beyond for Vanguard
• Why I Play: APB Reloaded
• Turbine hit with unspecified number of layoffs
• Ask Massively: Every six weeks
• Star Citizen's Roberts doesn't want to watch Batman on his iPhone
• RIFT's Storm Legion open beta begins November 2nd

World of Tanks claims Golden Joystick's best MMO award Posted: 26 Oct 2012 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Historical, Events, real-world, MMO industry, News items, War, Free-to-play, World of Tanks The 30th edition of the Golden Joystick Awards is in the books. Yep, the venerable video game awards ceremony really has been around since 1982, and this year's event at London's Westminster Park Plaza hotel featured some big names from across the gaming spectrum. Bethesda's The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim opus walked away with the ultimate game of the year trophy, while best MMO went to Wargaming.net's World of Tanks. World of Tanks claims Golden Joystick's best MMO award originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 26 Oct 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: PC Gamer

Swordsman Online focus test to feature player-created skills, stealth, and more Posted: 26 Oct 2012 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, PvP, News items, Free-to-play Perfect World's Swordsman Online is gearing up for a Chinese focus group test on November 17th. MMO Culture reports that the test will feature 10 playable clans and a focus on combat, instanced scenarios, and PvP. The site also mentions a "self-created skill function," and a stealth disguise feature, both of which will make their first appearance in a Swordsman test client. The aforementioned instances will boast "traps, dynamic events, and high AI mobs." Perfect World has also released a new batch of Swordsman Online screenshots, but it hasn't offered any sort of release window nor has it confirmed whether or not the title will appear in the West. Swordsman Online focus test to feature player-created skills, stealth, and more originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 26 Oct 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: MMO Culture

Some Assembly Required: Why SOE should be leading the sandbox charge Posted: 26 Oct 2012 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, EVE Online, EverQuest II, Business models, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Opinion, Free-to-play, EverQuest Next, Some Assembly Required, Sandbox "If you look at the MMOs out there, they're delivering the same content over and over again. So are we. We need to change that," said Sony Online Entertainment CEO John Smedley to a packed house at last week's SOE Live keynote. And just like that, the genre became exciting again. Now, there's a long way to go, of course. And while Smedley's announcement set the hearts of emergent content fans aflame, it also requires a leap of faith from those same fans. After all, there was no gameplay footage accompanying the grandiose talking points. There were no concept art shots or game-related assets of any kind. There was only a promise of hands-on time a year from now. Still, hearing the words (and more crucially, hearing them from a major company) was quite like a long drink of water after an eight-year trek through the desert. Continue reading Some Assembly Required: Why SOE should be leading the sandbox charge Some Assembly Required: Why SOE should be leading the sandbox charge originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 26 Oct 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Trion on RIFT lifetime subs: 'Nope, never' Posted: 26 Oct 2012 07:30 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Business models, Expansions, MMO industry, News items, RIFT Trion global brand director Jim Butler has some bad news for RIFT fans hoping for a lifetime subscription option. "Nope; never. I was against the idea when we did it at Turbine, and it won't happen on my watch here at Trion," Butler told A List Daily. "Lifetime memberships are a great deal for consumers that plan to spend the next few years playing the game, and a financial disaster for subscription-only companies that have to continue paying for new feature development, salaries, server costs, marketing, etc." RIFT's Storm Legion expansion launches on November 13th. Trion on RIFT lifetime subs: 'Nope, never' originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 26 Oct 2012 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: A List Daily

Halloween around the virtual world Posted: 26 Oct 2012 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Events, in-game, Promotions, Guides, Miscellaneous Spooks and specters, ghouls and ghosts, festivals and frippery -- it must be Halloween season once again in MMOs! For a variety of reasons, Halloween gives blanket permission to studios to go nuts with typically the best in-game holiday of the year. I figure it's because MMO players are already in the spirit of wearing costumes, getting "treats" from corpses, and exploring all manner of creepy areas. Toss in a few pumpkins and see if you can squeeze in an homage to the Slender Man, and you're golden. So whether or not you're young enough to trick-or-treat without shame, you most certainly can enjoy the eerie atmosphere that impish game developers create. Here's a quick roundup of several in-game Halloween events happening right now around the virtual world. Continue reading Halloween around the virtual world Halloween around the virtual world originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 26 Oct 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Bless is another gorgeous Korean MMO import Posted: 26 Oct 2012 06:30 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items As we reported earlier this year, Bless is a collaboration between Neowiz and Epic Games Korea, and it's built using Epic's Unreal 3 engine. Like Black Desert and ArcheAge before it, the game is a visual treat married to a large open world. Unlike Black Desert, Bless actually has a website, so we know about things like classes (eight of them, with the usual fantasy archetypes), races, and other basics. Steparu has published an extensive look at the title's lore, and you can view the game's new trailer after the break. Continue reading Bless is another gorgeous Korean MMO import Bless is another gorgeous Korean MMO import originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 26 Oct 2012 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Steparu

The Daily Grind: Which MMO studio is the most innovative? Posted: 26 Oct 2012 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous Everyone loves to scream for "more innovation!" at any given opportunity, but this is often done with blinders on to the studios that actually are trying to push MMOs forward -- even if in small and important measures. While studios are risk-adverse by nature and common sense, they've also learned the hard way that clinging too much to the familiar can drive away more players than not. So innovation, like it or not, is the path to survival in an increasingly competitive field. Today I'd love it if we took the blinders off and gave credit where it's due. Which MMO studio is the most innovative? Is it SOE, with its initiatives like the Player Studio and SOEmotes? Would you give ArenaNet the hat tip for creating a new breed of MMO? Or perhaps Blizzard for... OK, I can't finish that sentence. What say you? 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 studio is the most innovative? originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 26 Oct 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

RuneScape runs double XP weekend Posted: 25 Oct 2012 07:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Events, in-game, RuneScape, Free-to-play, Promotions Rev up those fingers, comrades, because they're going to be put to good use this weekend. RuneScape has another double XP weekend in store for any player who wants to see his or her avatar skyrocket through the levels. During the weekend event, all subscribed members will receive double XP for all standard skills. In addition, Jagex is tossing a bone to free players by offering them a 1.2 multiplier for the same length of time. The bonus XP stacks with other XP boosters. The event begins at 8:00 a.m. EDT on Saturday the 27th and continues until the same time on Monday the 29th. [Source: Jagex press release] RuneScape runs double XP weekend originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 25 Oct 2012 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Summoner's Guidebook: League of selfishness Posted: 25 Oct 2012 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: PvP, Opinion, Free-to-play, MOBA, League of Legends, The Summoner's Guidebook Even though League of Legends' new Honor Initiative has greatly improved the conduct of summoners as a whole, I've become very frustrated with "selfish" player behavior as of late. I've been playing a lot of ARAMs inbetween Dominion matches lately, and both game modes give rise to the same problems: impatient players who are too hungry for blood. Killing enemy champions is given a lot of incentive in LoL, and players often put themselves in awful situations that end up putting their whole team at risk of defeat just to get a single kill. This "blood in the eyes" phenomenon is pervasive across the entirety of League, but it is especially common in ARAM. This week, I'm going to look at this kind of selfish behavior and cover some ways you can focus on more team-friendly actions. No, this doesn't mean giving me all the kills. It just means playing for the benefit of everyone and not just for your own personal pride. Continue reading The Summoner's Guidebook: League of selfishness The Summoner's Guidebook: League of selfishness originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 25 Oct 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Massively Exclusive: New RaiderZ screens to celebrate open beta Posted: 25 Oct 2012 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Galleries, Screenshots, News items, Free-to-play The time has finally come to pass. If you've been unable to get into any of the closed beta events for RaiderZ, you can finally just hop on over and start playing the game, as the open beta is now on. That means a whole lot of slashing up enormous monsters, but it also means some features that will be new even to veterans of the closed beta. But perhaps you're not swayed by that. You aren't convinced to play a game simply by knowing that you can chop up monsters; no, you want to see screenshots of the monsters in mid-chopped status to woo you. If that's the case, you can take a look down below, where our gallery for the game is now hosting 18 new screenshots that display a variety of monsters, chopping, and everything in between. If you're already in the game... well, still, new screenshots. And nice ones! [Source: Perfect World Entertainment press release] Gallery: RaiderZ Gallery Massively Exclusive: New RaiderZ screens to celebrate open beta originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 25 Oct 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Elder Scrolls Online updates its site and adds a story page Posted: 25 Oct 2012 04:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Lore, Previews, News items, The Elder Scrolls Online The Elder Scrolls Online does not want for backstory. If anything, its biggest obstacle is the surfeit of backstory presented over the course of five games, enough so that even setting the game during a previously unexplored time can cause issues. So it's not surprising that along with a massive overhaul to the official website, the game's team has put together a new story page providing series fans with a solid set of information to place the upcoming game in the context of its fellow installments. Seeing that page may still not entirely comfort longtime fans of the lore, which is why the site has also provided a new article explaining how the team at ZeniMax Online Studios is handling writing for TESO. The short version is that the game has intentionally been set in a time period during which players have plenty of space to shape the world without derailing future parts of the game, and the team has been working very hard to keep the lore of the new game in line with past and future developments. The Elder Scrolls Online updates its site and adds a story page originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 25 Oct 2012 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Story overview, Reading the Future of the Past of the Elder Scrolls

Allods previews the vehicle-based skirmish of Summerhold Posted: 25 Oct 2012 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Patches, Previews, News items, Free-to-play, Allods Online Allods Online has always laid claim to having a robust system of vehicle customization with its astral ships. The upcoming skirmish available in the next patch takes that vehicle affection to the next level with the battle of Summerhold. Players who take part in this conflict won't be fighting a PvP objective but will instead be piloting a variety of vehicles to take out a rampaging prototype weapon controlled by a goblin. The vehicles are each laid out with strengths and a few crucial weaknesses to force players to work as a team; the high-damage artillery unit can't open fire unless the nimble spotter gets up close to the prototype, but of course the spotters will be ripped apart without a defensive line, and so on. Based on how fast the prototype unit is taken down, players will be awarded a variety of medals which can be exchanged for prizes including minipets and vanity items. If you're looking forward to vehicle-based mayhem, take a look at the full rundown for all the details. Allods previews the vehicle-based skirmish of Summerhold originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 25 Oct 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Summerhold Preview

SWTOR lead dev addresses free-to-play concerns Posted: 25 Oct 2012 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-fi, Business models, Free-to-play, Star Wars: The Old Republic Star Wars: The Old Republic players are checking out the game's potential free-to-play changes on the test server, and serious concerns about some of the restrictions have prompted a response from BioWare. Lead Designer Damion Schubert wrote a lengthy forum post to state that the team's been observing the test server and has decided to make a few changes to the F2P restrictions. In particular, free players will now get two quickbars instead of one, can experience five PvP warzones a week instead of three, and will find the temporary lock timer for items bought in the cash shop reduced. Schubert said that a more detailed post is incoming; it will spell out details for preferred status players, who include any former subscribers to the game. He also addressed the controversy over the store selling endgame mod crystals to low- and mid-level characters by explaining that it will not unbalance the game: "We're still philosophically avoiding putting any stat advantage at this level that subscribers cannot earn through reasonable normal play." SWTOR lead dev addresses free-to-play concerns originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 25 Oct 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Forum post #1, Forum post #2 Via: Darth Hater

SOE Live 2012: To City of Brass and beyond for Vanguard Posted: 25 Oct 2012 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Events, real-world, Patches, Vanguard, Free-to-play, Massively Interviews, Massively Event Coverage Though off the radar for a long while, at least where updates were involved, Vanguard has enjoyed a resurgence of late. Inspired by the recently rebuilt (and still growing) development team and increased support from Sony Online Entertainment, excitement has burgeoned for the rebirth of the five-year-old game. So while Vanguard may not have presented the as many panels or pulled in as many fans as the bigger titles at SOE Live, player and developer dedication and enthusiasm was abundant. Besides attending the "The Future of Vanguard!" panel, I sat down with Producer Harvey Burgess to get his thoughts on how the game has performed since the move to free-to-play and to learn both what's around the corner (City of Brass, finally!) and what's on the horizon for the fantasy MMO. Continue reading SOE Live 2012: To City of Brass and beyond for Vanguard SOE Live 2012: To City of Brass and beyond for Vanguard originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 25 Oct 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Why I Play: APB Reloaded Posted: 25 Oct 2012 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Screenshots, Game mechanics, Opinion, Free-to-play, All Points Bulletin, Crime, Why I Play Those of you who have followed me on this quaint little internet of ours for any reasonable amount of time know that I'm a sandbox guy. I love freedom, choice, and the leg room to explore and build to my heart's content. I'm not a big fan of PvP, general chat, bored griefers, or people acting like idiots. But in direct contrast to this claim, APB: Reloaded is one of my all-time favorite MMOs. APB: Reloaded is one of those games that I happily jump into when I'm feeling bored with other games or just miss real action. When I'm solo, it's a bit of an outlet for any stress or frustrations I might have because I can just be a complete jerk and it's part of the game. But when I'm with a group, the dynamic changes completely. Sure, the game has its problems and is notorious for the lag and cheater issues, but that doesn't really affect why I play the game. Then why do I play APB: Reloaded? Continue reading Why I Play: APB Reloaded Why I Play: APB Reloaded originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 25 Oct 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Turbine hit with unspecified number of layoffs Posted: 25 Oct 2012 12:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, MMO industry, Free-to-play, Legal, Miscellaneous The Boston Globe is reporting that Turbine has laid off an unspecified number of employees today due to restructuring. It's unclear how many of the 400-person workforce were let go. Warner Bros. Entertainment Group Spokeswoman Remi Sklar issued the following statement: "As part of the continual review of our business operations and fluctuating market conditions, we have had to make reductions in our Turbine workforce. The group continues to remain an integral part of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment." Former Community Specialist Suzie Owen acknowledged on Twitter that she was one of those let go: "Looking for work in the Boston-Providence area. Any links would be most appreciated. I am unable to relocate at this time." Turbine recently hired several game industry veterans to include in its teams. Massively contacted Turbine for further clarification and received the same quote. Turbine hit with unspecified number of layoffs originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 25 Oct 2012 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Boston Globe

Ask Massively: Every six weeks Posted: 25 Oct 2012 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Events, real-world, MMO industry, Opinion, Guild Wars 2, Massively Meta, Ask Massively, Allods Online, Community Q&A, Miscellaneous Every six weeks, another Massively writer takes over Choose My Adventure, a column that asks readers to vote in polls to determine what the writer will play and do within the reader-selected game. The columnist bravely plunges into the role you design, even when you sadistically vote that he or she play a naked blue Gnome who fights in melee with guns and is forbidden to leave PvP battlegrounds except to craft cookie dough. That doesn't usually make for the best showcase of a game, which you're quick to tell us when the writer has a scattershot experience at your bidding. Today's Ask Massively is all about the Choose My Adventure series and finding order in its chaos. Continue reading Ask Massively: Every six weeks Ask Massively: Every six weeks originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 25 Oct 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Star Citizen's Roberts doesn't want to watch Batman on his iPhone Posted: 25 Oct 2012 11:30 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Business models, Game mechanics, Interviews, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Mobile, Sandbox Star Citizen space sim guru Chris Roberts is a great interview. We should know, since he just talked our ears off on this week's Massively Speaking podcast. The Wing Commander creator also has some pretty strong opinions about the state of the games industry that he's returned to after an extended break. While Roberts acknowledges that "there are cool things you can do on mobile," he also questions the wisdom of abandoning traditional platforms for it. If you think about Angry Birds --Rovio, right?-- it's the biggest outlier in the history of gaming. I mean, they've had a billion downloads. Last year, they did $100 million in revenue, and of that, $30 million was licensing. So they actually did $70 million in revenue off their core business, which is mobile. And they're an order of magnitude bigger than [other mobile developers] in terms of single-game sales. You compare and contrast that with, say, Call of Duty that does $1 billion every year. It's doing well over 10 [times] what [Rovio] is doing. Now, there aren't one billion downloads of Call of Duty, but people pay $60 [each] for it. And you've got World of Warcraft, and plenty of other things that are doing around $500 million, like Madden or Battlefield. What that tells you is that the core gamer is willing to pay for the premium experience. Roberts goes on to explain how he believes that new trends can co-exist with traditional models, but he also points out the inherent limitations that bother him as a gamer. "For me, the analogy is I can watch Dark Knight Rises on my iPhone, but do I want to? I want to go see it on a big-ass IMAX screen. I'm into games because I like to have that immersion. And I just can't do it on a mobile [device], and I can't do it on a Facebook game." Star Citizen's Roberts doesn't want to watch Batman on his iPhone originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 25 Oct 2012 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: ShackNews

RIFT's Storm Legion open beta begins November 2nd Posted: 25 Oct 2012 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Expansions, MMO industry, News items, RIFT Want an early look at RIFT's Storm Legion expansion? First you should read our hands-on preview. After that, you might want to consider jumping on board for the open beta test that begins November 2nd. Trion has issued a press release noting the time frame and procedure for taking part in the expansion's final test phase. You'll need to create a beta account and download the client. You can either create a new character or transfer your live server avatars to the beta environment. The testing concludes on November 5th, and Storm Legion releases on November 13th. [Source: Trion press release] RIFT's Storm Legion open beta begins November 2nd originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 25 Oct 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

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