MMO Updates |
- University study explores game loyalty in MMOs
- Touring EverQuest's Rain of Fear with the SOE team
- Introducing Ingress: The MMO by Google
- Alleged hacker accused of creating game using stolen code
- Elite: Dangerous Kickstarter page updates with early procedural footage
- SOE easing PlanetSide 2's grind for launch
- The Daily Grind: Do MMO crossovers break your immersions?
- EverQuest, Ultima Online, and World of Warcraft among Time's top 100 games
- The Summoner's Guidebook: League of Legends' revamped 3v3 mode
- The Guild Counsel: Can guilds and lone wolves coexist?
- EA given best workplace title for LGBT employees
- Age of Wushu closed beta begins today
- The Elder Scrolls Online grapples with questions of race, story, and setting
- SOE releases Vanguard's City of Brass update
- Everything you need to know about Star Wars: The Old Republic's free-to-play update
- Ask Massively: Reviewing and re-reviewing MMOs
| University study explores game loyalty in MMOs Posted: 16 Nov 2012 08:30 AM PST Filed under: World of Warcraft, Culture, Guilds, MMO industry, News items, Star Wars Galaxies, Miscellaneous  Professor Lawrence Sanders, PhD, co-author of the study, discussed how most research focuses on the addictive nature of games instead of the reasons behind players committing to one game over another. He noted, "Our study looked at how to make [games] more competitive in the marketplace." Sanders pointed out that research shows an increase in customer retention by as little as 5% can increase profits by 25 to 95%. So how can developers create the fierce loyalty found in MMO communities surrounding games like World of Warcraft and Star Wars Galaxies? According to the results of the study, which will be published in the International Journal of Electronic Commerce, Sanders suggested that "to build a player's feeling of ownership toward his character, gamemakers should provide equal opportunities for any character to win a battle. They should also build more selective or elaborate chat rooms and guild features to help players socialize."
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| Touring EverQuest's Rain of Fear with the SOE team Posted: 16 Nov 2012 08:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest, Expansions, Interviews, Free-to-play  We had a chance to talk with EverQuest Producer Thom Terrazas, Lead Designer Adam Bell, Assistant Lead Designer Alan VanCouvering, and Community Manager Eric Cleaver about the upcoming expansion. Join us for a look at the lore and new content in Rain of Fear (and a sneak peek at two of the coolest mounts ever!) Continue reading Touring EverQuest's Rain of Fear with the SOE team
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| Introducing Ingress: The MMO by Google Posted: 16 Nov 2012 07:45 AM PST Filed under: Betas, Real life, Trailers, Video, Events, real-world, MMO industry, New titles, News items  Google has joined the MMO scene. The company revealed its new massively multiplayer online alternate reality game, Ingress, yesterday. Players of this new game will be able to capture and defend virtual control points known as portals, but they have to actually get themselves to the proper meatspace location in order to do so. According to the game's trailer, which you can check out just below the cut, scientists have unleashed havoc on the world in the form of a mysterious energy source that gathers around certain locations -- and it's up to players to choose a faction and try to set things straight. Ingress is currently in closed beta and only available to Android users at the moment. There are plans for an iOS version to come. You can sign up for a beta invite and get more details at the official site. Continue reading Introducing Ingress: The MMO by Google
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| Alleged hacker accused of creating game using stolen code Posted: 16 Nov 2012 07:30 AM PST Filed under: MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play, Browser, Legal, Miscellaneous  The indictment states that Kheda, along with others, hacked into Rampid's servers and performed numerous unauthorized tasks, including restoring suspended accounts and stealing the game's code. The hacking took Outwar offline for nearly two weeks over a nine-month period, costing Rampid over $100,000. Kheda then created and profited from his game Outcraft using stolen code. The indictment also contains excerpts from emails where Kheda threatens and tries to blackmail Rampid employees. If convicted on both charges, Kheda faces up to seven years in prison.
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| Elite: Dangerous Kickstarter page updates with early procedural footage Posted: 16 Nov 2012 07:00 AM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, Video, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Sandbox  There is a wee bit of footage featuring procedurally generated rocks, stars, and clouds (all of which look, well, early), but it seems like we're a long ways from proper gameplay footage and feature sets. The good news is that Braben is quite enthusiastic, and the project is about halfway to its fund-raising goal with 49 days to go. You can view the video in its entirety after the break. Continue reading Elite: Dangerous Kickstarter page updates with early procedural footage
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| SOE easing PlanetSide 2's grind for launch Posted: 16 Nov 2012 06:00 AM PST Filed under: Betas, Sci-fi, Trailers, Video, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, PvP, News items, Free-to-play, MMOFPS, PlanetSide 2  In other PS2 news, a New Conglomerate outfit is finally getting its 15 minutes of fame. Like the Vanu Sovereignty's Azure Twilight and the Terran Republic's Black Widow Company, the NC's 666th Devil Dogs are now the proud owners of a slick promotional video featuring plenty of in-game battle footage. Check it out after the cut. [Source: SOE press release] Continue reading SOE easing PlanetSide 2's grind for launch
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| The Daily Grind: Do MMO crossovers break your immersions? Posted: 16 Nov 2012 05:00 AM PST Filed under: Anarchy Online, Lore, MMO industry, Opinion, Massively Meta, The Daily Grind, The Secret World, Humor, Promotions, Miscellaneous  MMO crossovers can likewise break my immersions. I'm not talking about sequels, and I'm not even talking about the unholy marriage of EVE Online and DUST 514. I'm talking about Funcom putting leet pets from Anarchy Online into The Secret World's cash shop, which is a thing that did in fact happen yesterday. It joins the Ultima Online ankh necklace my character wore in Warhammer Online on the list of bizarre cross-MMO promotions that really don't make a whole lot of sense in-character. Why in the world would my character in TSW have an adorable leet pet from the the planet of Rubi-Ka? What's next -- cupid wings on Ewoks? Oh. Right. So what do you think, morning crew and minipet-hoarders? Does this sort of promotion satisfy some deep craving, or does it just break your immersions?  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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| EverQuest, Ultima Online, and World of Warcraft among Time's top 100 games Posted: 15 Nov 2012 06:00 PM PST Filed under: World of Warcraft, EverQuest, Culture, News items, Ultima Online, Miscellaneous  The entries on EverQuest and Ultima Online both make note of the longevity and long-term success of the older titles, while the World of Warcraft article homes in on the diverse audience attracted to MMORPGs (something arguably true of the former titles as well). While other MMOs didn't make the list, it's well worth taking a look at the full article if you want a walk down video game memory lane.
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| The Summoner's Guidebook: League of Legends' revamped 3v3 mode Posted: 15 Nov 2012 05:00 PM PST Filed under: Game mechanics, Patches, PvP, Opinion, Free-to-play, Guides, MOBA, League of Legends  I didn't want to comment right away on the new direction for TT. The game mode is new, and the metagame is in its infant stages. People are trying new strategies and builds, and while initially strong tactics have already been discovered, there's no telling whether those tactics will last into the start of Season 3. Any competitive game has points in time when different things are overpowered, and as people discover new counters, the true metagame will start to surface. This week in the Summoner's Guidebook, we'll look at my first experiences in TT and what I think of the new mode. It's starkly different from the old version, and the strategies are not obvious. Is it as broken as the detractors say, or is the meta still coming together? Continue reading The Summoner's Guidebook: League of Legends' revamped 3v3 mode
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| The Guild Counsel: Can guilds and lone wolves coexist? Posted: 15 Nov 2012 04:00 PM PST Filed under: Culture, Guilds, MMO industry, Opinion, The Guild Counsel, Miscellaneous  I was inspired to write this column after seeing the comments in last week's column by reader McGuffin, who pointed out that not everyone wants to socialize in guild chat and share stories about life outside the game. He's right, but it raises the question of why such a someone would want to join a guild, since guilds are usually thought of as a social network of sorts. Many MMOs now have looking-for-group tools (and some even have raid finders), so in theory, there would be no need to join a guild at all if you aren't into the social side of it. But there actually are good reasons for guilds and shy players to team up, and in this week's Guild Counsel, we'll look at a few or those plus some ways for both groups to co-exist happily. Continue reading The Guild Counsel: Can guilds and lone wolves coexist?
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| EA given best workplace title for LGBT employees Posted: 15 Nov 2012 03:00 PM PST Filed under: Culture, MMO industry, Warhammer Online, The Secret World, Star Wars: The Old Republic, RIFT, Miscellaneous  The Human Rights Campaign has given the company a 100 percent rating which has earned it the title of "Best Place to Work for LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender) Equality" for 2013. In addition to providing what they call a welcoming work environment for everyone, EA has also made changes to its medical benefits, involved itself in LGBT community events, and publicly denounced the Defense of Marriage Act. EA currently publishes some of the most popular console and PC games out there, including the MMOs Star Wars: The Old Republic, The Secret World, Warhammer Online, and more.
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| Age of Wushu closed beta begins today Posted: 15 Nov 2012 02:30 PM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, News items, Free-to-play, Age of Wushu  The game is being endorsed by iconic martial artist and actor Jet Li, so if that's not a big enough stamp of approval for you then we're not sure what to tell you. If you want to get your hands on some adrenaline-pumping, House-of-Flying-Daggers-esque martial arts action, you can either pre-purchase the game or request a beta key from Snail Games by e-mailing beta (at) snailgamesusa (dot) com. But be sure to act quickly, because supplies are limited!
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| The Elder Scrolls Online grapples with questions of race, story, and setting Posted: 15 Nov 2012 02:00 PM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Lore, Community Q&A, The Elder Scrolls Online  If you're concerned that the three factions will offer thinly veiled copies of each other's quests, the devs have good news: "Each Alliance's content in TESO is as varied and dynamic as the Alliances themselves are -- your adventures an Argonian in the Ebonheart Pact, for example, will be quite different than those of a Bosmer in the Aldmeri Dominion." Another player asked how similar places will be that are covered in both the single-player titles and the MMO; the devs replied, "The stories and events that unfold in these areas during The Elder Scrolls Online will be different than those in past Elder Scrolls games. The people living in these familiar places won't be too different from their brethren in later times; however, they will have different views and tales to tell, based on the current events that are impacting their daily lives."
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| SOE releases Vanguard's City of Brass update Posted: 15 Nov 2012 01:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Classes, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Patches, News items, PvE, Vanguard, Free-to-play  We previewed the new content at last month's SOE Live, and you can also check out today's patch notes to see what exactly the devs have in store. The short version goes something like this: There's a dozen new boss mobs and accompanying loot drops, a 12-player encounter featuring The Keeper of Lesser Wishes, and the city of Jhor Razkur, which is a new adventure area designed for players at or approaching the level cap. Quests to enter the City of Brass can be obtained outside Khal's eastern walls. Today's patch also introduces the Thanksgiving-themed Harvest Festival and tweaks the Druid class as well as the game's market window.
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| Everything you need to know about Star Wars: The Old Republic's free-to-play update Posted: 15 Nov 2012 12:00 PM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, Patches, Free-to-play, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Guides  To help get you caught up to speed, we've rounded up all of our pertinent posts about Update 1.5 and SWTOR's F2P in this handy holorecording. For those of you not thinking about black sheep turning to the dark side of the Force and baaa'ing out lightning, you can check out our coverage after the jump. Continue reading Everything you need to know about Star Wars: The Old Republic's free-to-play update
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| Ask Massively: Reviewing and re-reviewing MMOs Posted: 15 Nov 2012 11:00 AM PST Filed under: MMO industry, Reviews, Opinion, Massively Meta, Ask Massively, Miscellaneous  "The whole game rating business doesn't necessarily do a great justice to MMOs. MMOs are designed to grow over time and get better with every major release. It might be better if sites like Metacritic could find a way to rate MMOs by releases instead of just the initial day one . . . There are plenty of MMOs that have made huge strides since day one and some that have even gotten worse. Until then, we will continue to offer the game for free and ask for people to try it out and decide for themselves."Quipped Massively reader Matthew12, "If only there were MMO gaming blogs and websites that keep up to date with the MMOs and their updates... oh wait; there are." Continue reading Ask Massively: Reviewing and re-reviewing MMOs
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