MMO Updates |
- The Road to Mordor: Five frills I love in Riders of Rohan
- Black Desert sandbox launching in 2013
- WRUP: Partial disaster edition
- CCP talks about connecting DUST 514 with EVE Online
- The Daily Grind: Do players ask for too much free in a free-to-play game?
- Betawatch: November 3 - 9, 2012
- Former president of Square Enix calls corporate merger a disaster
- Fallen Earth to introduce farming
- PlanetSide 2 takes a ride with Azure Twilight of the Vanu Sovereignty
- PlanetSide 2 releases huge beta update with metagame content
- Blizzard facing class-action lawsuit over Battle.net authenticators
- New Darkfall Unholy Wars video demonstrates gameplay in HD
- Blizzard lowers the boom on Diablo III cheaters
- Storyboard: Community sites and what they can do
- Firefall beta weekend schedule released [Updated]
- Star Citizen crowd-funding tops $3 million with 10 days to go
- The Tattered Notebook: Touring Chains of Eternity with the EQII team
| The Road to Mordor: Five frills I love in Riders of Rohan Posted: 10 Nov 2012 09:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Expansions, Opinion, Free-to-play, The Road to Mordor  Riders of Rohan does that for me. For years now, we've seen Turbine make its biggest leaps forward with expansions. Sometimes this is in sheer size or new technologies or graphical improvements or storytelling or a combination of any of these. Lord of the Rings Online has come a long, long way from old Archet and the meandering paths of Volume 1, and this expansion actually makes it painful to return to the days and lands of yore. I've found five frills that have charmed me in Riders of Rohan so far. Would you like to hear them? Good. While not all of the following features are brand-new to the game, they are certainly more noticeable than ever before and are used to greater effect. Continue reading The Road to Mordor: Five frills I love in Riders of Rohan
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| Black Desert sandbox launching in 2013 Posted: 10 Nov 2012 08:00 AM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Events, real-world, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Sandbox  MMO Culture reports that the game is 70% of the way toward its open beta milestone, which is currently scheduled for August or September of 2013. Closed beta will happen during "the first half of 2013." Pearl Abyss has 50 developers working on the game, which boasts a seamless open world comparable in size to vanilla World of Warcraft. The devs are also working on a new samurai-type class.
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| WRUP: Partial disaster edition Posted: 10 Nov 2012 07:00 AM PST Filed under: Massively Meta, Miscellaneous  As a result, I think we really need some more incomplete disasters. You know, a disaster that gets up to good, solid disaster levels and then just sort of loses interest partway through. Maybe a hurricane that just gives up and sits five miles off of the coast until it dissipates. I harbor no illusions about removing the concept of a complete disaster, but I'd like some contrast. This installment of WRUP is not a disaster, complete or incomplete. It's actually a column in which the Massively staff members explains their weekend plans, and this week it's also a spot for us to sound off about one-time events. You can also let us know what you're up to in the comments, although you can't let us know whether your plans were a disaster until after the fact. Continue reading WRUP: Partial disaster edition
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| CCP talks about connecting DUST 514 with EVE Online Posted: 10 Nov 2012 06:30 AM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Business models, Economy, Interviews, News items, Free-to-play, MMOFPS, DUST 514  CCP is going into uncharted territory in its attempt to fuse its new console shooter, DUST 514, to its long-running MMO, EVE Online. When breaking new ground like that, it's sensible to take it slow, make sure you're not going to fall into an endless pit, trip over a sleeping cobra, or suddenly throw an incredibly advanced economy into total disarray. CCP's Chief Marketing Officer, David Reid, talked with Joystiq about the challenges the company faces in this endeavor. "If there's anything about EVE that's particularly notorious, it's the fidelity of its virtual economy. You can equate the loss of a giant ship in EVE to some real world amount of money, just based on the time and effort it takes to build. It's really important that, when we do join the games, and we do allow ISK [an in-game currency that can be purchased with meatspace money] to flow between EVE and DUST that we don't accidentally institute some hyper-inflation in one game or the other." Of course, interaction between the games won't be limited to trading. Reid says the grand vision includes space elevators and the ability for EVE characters to go planetside and DUST marines can visit a space station. Check out all the details over at Joystiq.
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| The Daily Grind: Do players ask for too much free in a free-to-play game? Posted: 10 Nov 2012 05:00 AM PST Filed under: Business models, Opinion, Free-to-play, The Daily Grind  On the one hand, this is totally reasonable -- companies have found a lot of ways to monetize games of late, and some of those have become both ubiquitous and incredibly annoying. On the other hand, it's increasingly difficult to establish a baseline of what anyone "should" get for free in a game when the concept of "games are free to start playing" is fairly new. So what do you think? Do players expect more to be free in a free-to-play game than is realistic?  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!
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| Betawatch: November 3 - 9, 2012 Posted: 09 Nov 2012 05:00 PM PST Filed under: Betas, MMO industry, Patches, News items, Betawatch, Miscellaneous  There's also an open beta starting next week in Cabal 2 Online, but that's exclusively Korean, so the language barrier might be an issue for you. The War Z has reshuffled some of its development priorities, MechWarrior Online, Forge, and PlanetSide 2 have all put out new videos (and the last released a major beta patch), and there's the usual assortment of other games humming along in testing. Check the list past the break for the full rundown, and let us know if we missed anything in the comments! Continue reading Betawatch: November 3 - 9, 2012
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| Former president of Square Enix calls corporate merger a disaster Posted: 09 Nov 2012 04:30 PM PST Filed under: MMO industry, News items, Opinion, Miscellaneous  It's undeniable that the studio has seen some titles with poor reception in recent years, with Final Fantasy XIV's launch proving a major misstep for the company at the time (and being the most relevant to the MMO industry). At the same time, Suzuki left the company seven years ago, and the company is in the process of completely revamping Final Fantasy XIV following the mistakes of launch. Whether or not Suzuki is correct or simply a bit bitter after the fact falls to personal interpretation.
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| Fallen Earth to introduce farming Posted: 09 Nov 2012 04:00 PM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, Fallen Earth, Game mechanics, Patches, Free-to-play, Post-Apocalyptic, Crafting  According to the most recent dev blog, post-apocalyptic farming will be a crafting skill that will allow a player to build a three-, six-, or nine-plot farm where organic resources can be grown through seed planting, and animals can be raised. Additionally, harvesting will give a player the chance to get a common, uncommon, or rare component. Farming in PvP zones will increase the resource yield. Be sure to read the entire dev blog for more information on what's coming to the PTS with the next content patch.
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| PlanetSide 2 takes a ride with Azure Twilight of the Vanu Sovereignty Posted: 09 Nov 2012 03:30 PM PST Filed under: Betas, Sci-fi, Trailers, Video, Previews, News items, Free-to-play, MMOFPS, PlanetSide 2  Even with only a short time left before the game goes live on November 20th, the developers are still looking for new videos of groups taking the battle to their enemies with a full dose of factional pride. Still, the Vanu can take heart in knowing that this time, they're second to none in the "looking dangerous while set to aggressive music" category. So jump on past the break and fly your flags, Vanu players. (New Conglomerate players are allowed to scowl in irritation at being last.) [Source: SOE press release] Continue reading PlanetSide 2 takes a ride with Azure Twilight of the Vanu Sovereignty
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| PlanetSide 2 releases huge beta update with metagame content Posted: 09 Nov 2012 03:00 PM PST Filed under: Betas, Sci-fi, New titles, PvP, News items, Free-to-play, MMOFPS, PlanetSide 2  Some of the highlights of this update include continent domination benefits, special facility benefits, and a map functionality to help players find a fight easier. This patch is also changing the way bases are captured, resulting in less attacker and defender dead time; instead of the ticket race, base ownership will be decided by a Tug-of-war system. For full details on these changes and more, check out the official patch notes.
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| Blizzard facing class-action lawsuit over Battle.net authenticators Posted: 09 Nov 2012 02:00 PM PST Filed under: World of Warcraft, MMO industry, Legal  The two plaintiffs claim that in lieu of providing account security to Battle.net players, Blizzard puts the burden of protection in the hands of the subscriber and encourages the purchasing of authenticators. The suit alleges that the sale of authenticators has earned Blizzard $26 million and that Blizzard is profiting "unjustly" from players looking to secure their accounts. The suit mentions several examples of Battle.net accounts being compromised, specifically noting the hack of Battle.net that occurred in August and Blizzard's confirmation of a rise in compromises in May. It also notes that the free authenticators for smartphones were compromised, which the plaintiffs say makes buying a physical authenticator the only true way to protect an account from theft. Activision Blizzard hasn't offered a response as of yet. The two plaintiffs seek damages and an injunction that would prevent Blizzard from adding what the suit describes as "undisclosed fees" to ensure the security of Battle.net accounts (in other words, no more selling of authenticators). We'll keep you updated as we hear more.
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| New Darkfall Unholy Wars video demonstrates gameplay in HD Posted: 09 Nov 2012 01:30 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Darkfall, Game mechanics, New titles, PvP, News items, Sandbox  Continue reading New Darkfall Unholy Wars video demonstrates gameplay in HD
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| Blizzard lowers the boom on Diablo III cheaters Posted: 09 Nov 2012 01:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Bugs, Legal, Diablo III  The studio also used the ban announcement as an excuse to clarify its position on hacks and third-party software. If you're curious about what steps over the line that Blizzard has in mind, wonder no longer. Beyond allowing some players to get away with an unfair advantage over others, cheat programs reportedly cause instability and performance issues with client software and Battle.net at large. "We strongly recommend that you avoid using any third-party software which interacts with Diablo III," Blizzard posted, "even if you are accessing that software from a reputable third-party site-as doing so can result in permanent ban from the game."
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| Storyboard: Community sites and what they can do Posted: 09 Nov 2012 12:00 PM PST Filed under: Culture, Opinion, Roleplaying, Storyboard, Miscellaneous  Odds are good that you don't really want that experience outside of a high school dance and quite possibly not even then. So you need a way to know that you're getting in good with the roleplayers. In short, you need a community. I've been thinking of late about what community sites should be doing and what they actually can do. It's a point of contention because fostering a solid community relies strongly on having a central point of congregation, but trying to build a single community for an entire game's roleplayers is exceptionally difficult. Continue reading Storyboard: Community sites and what they can do
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| Firefall beta weekend schedule released [Updated] Posted: 09 Nov 2012 11:00 AM PST Filed under: Betas, Sci-fi, Events, in-game, News items, Free-to-play, MMOFPS, Firefall  If you've been watching Firefall from afar, salivating over news tidbits and dreaming of one day getting to actually play the game yourself, today is a very special day. Not because you get into the game today, of course, but because there's finally a schedule for when you can expect to play. No, there isn't a release date. There is, however, a beta weekend schedule! Starting on November 9th, November 30th, and December 7th, the betas will run for 48 hours. During each of those weekends, there'll be a specific theme to the testing. You'll have a chance to call down thumpers like a lunatic, wage war against indigenous wildlife, and beat back the Chosen. Get more information or sign up on the beta page on the official site. Note that not everyone who signs up is guaranteed access; the team will be sending out invites to registered players in batches throughout the beta weekends. [Update: We've clarified that not everyone who signs up is guaranteed a spot in the beta, though with the planned stress tests, your chances look pretty good!]
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| Star Citizen crowd-funding tops $3 million with 10 days to go Posted: 09 Nov 2012 10:30 AM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Sandbox  The company initially launched a self-managed fundraiser on its own website that has generated over $2 million in pledges to date. This was supplemented by a Kickstarter drive that has taken in over $1 million. Roberts' pre-alpha demo reel has attracted nearly 45,000 backers as of press time, and the Wing Commander creator says that the crowd-funding success will allow the dev team to work on additional features. "This is extremely exciting for me and our team because it will enable us to create the game we've been talking about to our fans over the past month," Roberts explained. "But we can do even more. I'm still hoping that we'll reach four million dollars before we close. This will allow us to do more sooner, especially on things like our modder tools." Cloud Imperium has also announced a pledge referral program to help reach its new $4 million goal. [Source: Cloud Imperium press release]
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| The Tattered Notebook: Touring Chains of Eternity with the EQII team Posted: 09 Nov 2012 10:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Galleries, Screenshots, EverQuest II, Expansions, Game mechanics, Previews, News items, Free-to-play, Hands-on, Legal, Massively Interviews, Massively Hands-on, The Tattered Notebook  This past week, we had a chance to see some of the new zones with a guided tour from Producer Holly Longdale and Designer Carlos Mora. They took us to the Ethernere and explained several exciting new features along the way. Read on for highlights! Continue reading The Tattered Notebook: Touring Chains of Eternity with the EQII team
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