MMO Updates |
- Build an ArcheAge boat with this handy player guide
- New Age of Wushu trailer highlights game's eight schools
- What DUST 514 means for EVE factional warfare
- SOE soliciting EverQuest II class feedback
- Massively Speaking Episode 232: Good grief
- Goblinworks answers post-Kickstarter questions in latest Pathfinder livestream
- ArenaNet sells three million copies of Guild Wars 2, looks to the future
- Score a Neverwinter alpha key by posting on the forums
- The Daily Grind: Which games make you feel lost without a guild?
- Not So Massively: Exploits, updates, and World of Warcraft's DotA battleground
- Captain's Log: Our Star Trek Online year in review plus a look ahead
- Diablo III lays out the welcome mat for patch 1.0.7 testing
- Fox News discusses Star Wars: The Old Republic's gay expansion planet
- Check out the D.I.C.E. awards finalists
- Gas Powered Games announces Wildman
- Pathfinder Online Kickstarter now successfully funded [Updated]
- Chaos Theory: The Secret World's events deserve encores
- Leaderboard: Yay or nay on NPC mercenaries
| Build an ArcheAge boat with this handy player guide Posted: 15 Jan 2013 09:00 AM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Video, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Guides, ArcheAge, Sandbox  The guide contains a detailed materials list as well as instructions on finding a construction site and tips for transporting materials to the site. Also included is a video that demonstrates the whole process; you can watch the full clip after the cut. [Thanks to Dengar for the tip!] Continue reading Build an ArcheAge boat with this handy player guide
|
| New Age of Wushu trailer highlights game's eight schools Posted: 15 Jan 2013 08:30 AM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Classes, New titles, News items, Free-to-play, Sandbox, Age of Wushu  Still undecided? Snail Games has released a trailer of the schools, giving players get a glimpse of each one. Take a peek after the cut. Continue reading New Age of Wushu trailer highlights game's eight schools
|
| What DUST 514 means for EVE factional warfare Posted: 15 Jan 2013 08:00 AM PST Filed under: Betas, Sci-fi, EVE Online, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, PvP, News items, Free-to-play, DUST 514, Sandbox  While everyone is basically aware of the fact that EVE capsuleers can now coordinate with DUST infantry to deliver orbital strikes, what you may not know is how the factional warfare aspects of both games synergize. In EVE, factional warfare involves earning enough victory points to wrest control of a particular star system away from the local militia. In DUST, mercs who manage to subdue militia districts on the ground make it easier for their EVE counterparts to mop up and take control of the system (or vice versa, as DUST mercs can also make things more difficult). The post goes on to point out that the current interaction between EVE and DUST is intentionally limited so as to ensure a smooth launch and integration of the latter title. Over time, though, CCP plans to add plenty of bells and whistles, all with the ultimate goal of granting players more ways to pursue power and ISK.
|
| SOE soliciting EverQuest II class feedback Posted: 15 Jan 2013 07:30 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest II, Classes, Game mechanics, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play  EQII mechanics lead Mike "Xelgad" Ganz put out a call for feedback designed to make each class more enjoyable to play. SOE is particularly keen on "improving tedious abilities to be more user-friendly," according to Ganz. "Balance issues are always a concern, but numbers tend to spotlight those issues, while it's easy to overlook problems that simply make the classes less fun than they should be," he says. Each of EQII's four archetypes got its own feedback thread, so click through to leave your thoughts regarding Priests, Mages, Scouts, and Fighters.
|
| Massively Speaking Episode 232: Good grief Posted: 15 Jan 2013 07:00 AM PST Filed under: Podcasts, MMO industry, Massively Meta, Massively Speaking, Miscellaneous  Have a comment for the podcasters? Shoot an email to podcast@massively.com. We may just read your email on the air! Get the podcast: [RSS] Add Massively Speaking to your RSS aggregator. [MP3] Download the MP3 directly. [iTunes] Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. [Stitcher] Follow the podcast on Stitcher Radio. Listen here on the page: Read below the cut for the full show notes. Continue reading Massively Speaking Episode 232: Good grief
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Goblinworks answers post-Kickstarter questions in latest Pathfinder livestream Posted: 15 Jan 2013 06:30 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Sandbox  The livestream is now archived on YouTube, and you can watch the entire 47 minutes after the cut. The team answered several community generated questions during the vidcast, among them a confirmed list of beginning playable races (elves, dwarves, humans, and gnomes), clarification on the game's "pet" system, and more. [Thanks to Don for the tip!] Continue reading Goblinworks answers post-Kickstarter questions in latest Pathfinder livestream
|
| ArenaNet sells three million copies of Guild Wars 2, looks to the future Posted: 15 Jan 2013 06:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Events, in-game, Game mechanics, News items, Guild Wars 2, Dev Diaries  We've got a whole passel of Guild Wars 2 news for you today, courtesy of ArenaNet Game Director Colin Johanson, who took to the company's blog to talk about some of the game plan for 2013. Johanson kicked things off by nonchalantly dropping the fact that Guild Wars 2 has now surpassed three million copies sold. (The last million milestone was hit in early September.) He then moved on to goals for 2013 -- specifically, to "build on areas of the game that were successful in 2012" and to "learn and apply lessons from things that didn't work as well." ArenaNet has plans to add more events (since more events means fewer repeats all around), build new storylines, and give players of all levels a good reason to go back and re-examine content. Some of those good reasons will come in the form of tokens for achievements (which can be traded in for stuff like ascended gear and infusions), re-imagined daily achievements (and eventually, the option to complete only a certain subset of dailies to get the reward), and more vanity items. Guilds will be getting more love with some new types of content, due "in early 2013," which will allow members to go on missions together. Over time, that system will be expanded with new rewards, missions, and tools to strengthen the importance of guilds within the Guild Wars 2 community. World vs. World will be seeing a lot of the same tweaks as the rest of the game, with the addition of improvements to culling and the introduction of paid server transfers. PvP will also be getting some polish. Revamped reward systems, matchmaking based on skill, the ability to observe other matches, custom arenas, and leaderboards have all been listed as part of the plan. In case that's not enough for the first half of the year, there are also plans to improve the looking for group tool, fix up the Fractals dungeon, set up leaderboards on the website, redesign world and dungeon boss encounters, continue the war on bots, and otherwise tighten up the game as we know it. Skip below the cut to let Johanson speak for himself. Continue reading ArenaNet sells three million copies of Guild Wars 2, looks to the future
|
| Score a Neverwinter alpha key by posting on the forums Posted: 15 Jan 2013 05:30 AM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Free-to-play, Neverwinter  Once you've added your answer to the giveaway thread, you'll just need to sit back and wait until tomorrow when the winners will be contacted via a private message on the boards. [Thanks to Paul for the tip!]
|
| The Daily Grind: Which games make you feel lost without a guild? Posted: 15 Jan 2013 05:00 AM PST Filed under: Culture, Guilds, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous  For some people, not having a group for endgame content is a dealbreaker, but sometimes it's nothing so transparent. You find that you just prefer having a guild around for roleplaying or chatting or PvP or random instance runs or whatever you like. So which games make you feel lost without a guild? A couple of games? Every game? Or do you keep playing even when your guild isn't there any longer?  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!
|
| Not So Massively: Exploits, updates, and World of Warcraft's DotA battleground Posted: 14 Jan 2013 05:00 PM PST Filed under: World of Warcraft, Betas, Game mechanics, New titles, Patches, PvP, News items, Not So Massively, League of Legends, Diablo III, Crowdfunding  We interviewed Ironclad on upcoming MOBA Sins of a Dark Age, its new Realm Quest feature, and plans to support competitive gaming. Dota 2 completitive tournament website joinDOTA has had its YouTube channel restored following last week's unexpected and still unexplained shutdown. To add a bit more of a competitive spirit to its own game, Hi-Rez Studios published a list of SMITE's top 200 players and revealed new character Hercules. With the League of Legends North American championship qualifiers underway, this week Riot Games revealed its new digital artwork contest and displayed the five gingerbread masterpieces that won its recent sculpture contest. Bloodline Champions celebrated its second birthday yesterday with a free gift for all players, but developers admitted that updates will be much less frequent from now on. Last but certainly not least, a new video has been making the rounds recently showing an upcoming 10-player World of Warcraft battleground suspiciously named Defense of the Alehouse Continue reading Not So Massively: Exploits, updates, and World of Warcraft's DotA battleground
|
| Captain's Log: Our Star Trek Online year in review plus a look ahead Posted: 14 Jan 2013 04:00 PM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, Game mechanics, Patches, Endgame, PvE, Opinion, Star Trek Online, Free-to-play, Captain's Log, Anniversary  Join me as I finish up my year in review and then touch on some of Executive Producer Daniel Stahl's answers to player questions in this month's Ask Cryptic post. Continue reading Captain's Log: Our Star Trek Online year in review plus a look ahead
|
| Diablo III lays out the welcome mat for patch 1.0.7 testing Posted: 14 Jan 2013 03:30 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Patches, Previews, Diablo III  One of Patch 1.0.7's chief features is the addition of a dueling zone to the game. This anything-goes, just-for-fun area is called the Scorched Chapel, and it's there that groups of two to four people can hang out and go all fight club on each other. While dueling has neither score nor rewards, the studio figures people might want to do it just for the fun factor. Other improvements coming with 1.0.7 include tweaks to Wizards and Monks, more crafting recipes, an increase to the amount of XP that the monster power system produces in Inferno mode, and an end to the increasing resurrection timer for consecutive deaths.
|
| Fox News discusses Star Wars: The Old Republic's gay expansion planet Posted: 14 Jan 2013 03:00 PM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, Culture, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play, Humor, Star Wars: The Old Republic  According to Fox News, Makeb will be the "gay planet" added in the expansion, likening the current limitation of this new content to segregation and noting that many players are opposed the inclusion of same-sex relationships in the game. There is no mention of the number of players requesting the feature, nor of the variety of (presumably) non-gay quests and content available on Makeb. In short, it's missing a number of nuances regarding the situation, something that might be good for a raised eyebrow or two from fans and detractors alike.
|
| Check out the D.I.C.E. awards finalists Posted: 14 Jan 2013 02:00 PM PST Filed under: World of Warcraft, Contests, Events, real-world, MMO industry, News items, Guild Wars 2, Miscellaneous  The nominees for the 16th annual D.I.C.E. (hint: It's spelled out right in the image) awards have been listed! While Journey is (deservedly) leading the list with 11 nominations, MMOs and not-quite-MMOs have done their genre proud. Diablo III, Torchlight II, and Guild Wars 2 are all in the running for Role-Playing / Massively Multiplayer Game of the Year. Diablo III also got tapped for a shot at Outstanding Achievement in Online Gameplay, Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design, and Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition. World of Warcraft's Mists of Pandaria expansion is also in the running for the original music composition award.Winners will be announced at the awards ceremony on Thursday, February 7th. There are oodles of other games in the running for oodles of other titles, so be sure to check out the complete listing of nominees.
|
| Gas Powered Games announces Wildman Posted: 14 Jan 2013 01:00 PM PST Filed under: Business models, New titles, News items, MOBA, Crowdfunding  Gas Powered Games, the studio behind Age of Empires and a handful of other titles, has hopped on the Kickstarter train. Wildman hit Kickstarter today and has 32 days to hit its $1,100,000 goal. The game is an three-way action RPG/RTS/MOBA hybrid. GPG CEO Chris Taylor told Gamasutra that he's basically "betting the company on it." The Kickstarter is meant both to raise the necessary funds to continue making the game and to give fans a stake and voice in Wildman's development. If the project hits its funding and makes it to release, we're hoping it'll feel right at home in our Not So Massively column.
|
| Pathfinder Online Kickstarter now successfully funded [Updated] Posted: 14 Jan 2013 12:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, News items, Sandbox, Crowdfunding  Pathfinder Online's Kickstarter campaign is coming right down to the wire, and it's anyone's guess whether the game will achieve its funding goal of a million bucks before the campaign ends in six hours. As this is being written, the campaign has amassed $972,177, meaning that the campaign needs to pick up an additional 30 grand or so within the next six hours. So far, the campaign has been raking in a steady flow of contributions, and $30,000 in six hours isn't a terribly farfetched goal. Unless there's a sudden drought of pledges, it looks like Pathfinder Online is going to achieve its goal with (admittedly very little) time to spare. If you're trying to decide whether or not to pledge and would like to know more about the game, Goblinworks CEO Ryan Dancey has started an impromptu ask-me-anything thread on Reddit, so feel free to pop by and ask some questions. [Update: The Kickstarter just passed $1,000,000. Pathfinder Online incoming!]
|
| Chaos Theory: The Secret World's events deserve encores Posted: 14 Jan 2013 11:00 AM PST Filed under: Horror, Real life, Events, in-game, Opinion, Free-to-play, The Secret World, Chaos Theory  No more Mayan Zombie hate! The end had finally come. No, not of the world -- of the in-game event that was celebrating the end of days in The Secret World. For just over two weeks, folks got to enjoy special missions, collect special loot, purchase special costumes, and even fight special mobs. But once the end came, the opportunity was lost forever. You see, the End of Days was a singular affair commemorating one particular real-world happening. As such, it was a bit of a once-in-a-lifetime deal. That particular happening -- the end of the Mayan calendar -- will never repeat, so it makes sense that TSW's event shouldn't either, right? Wrong. While I fully concur that events should not go on forever or be so frequent that they lose their special nature and the excitement that comes with being a part of them, I do not agree that The Secret World should have any one-time-only events. Like any successful performance, events should be granted encores. Instead of these events being once-in-a-lifetime, I propose that events should be once-in-a-long-time. Anything else actually hurts the game. Here's why. Continue reading Chaos Theory: The Secret World's events deserve encores
|
| Leaderboard: Yay or nay on NPC mercenaries Posted: 14 Jan 2013 10:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest II, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Opinion, Free-to-play, Leaderboard  For today's Leaderboard, I'd like to focus on these NPC bots, not just in EverQuest II but as an MMO design concept in general. On the one hand, they're clearly a boon to solo players. On the other, they do discourage grouping and could possibly be seen as a detriment to newer players checking out an older game. What do you think? Vote after the cut!  Ever wish that you could put to rest a long-standing MMO debate once and for all? Then welcome to the battle royal of Massively's Leaderboard, where two sides enter the pit o' judgment -- and only one leaves. Vote to make your opinion known, and see whether your choice tops the Leaderboard!Continue reading Leaderboard: Yay or nay on NPC mercenaries
|
| You are subscribed to email updates from Massively To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
