MMO Updates

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• Click-click-click: Massively's double-dose of Path of Exile impressions
• WRUP: A week off edition
• The Daily Grind: Do character wipes kill your enthusiasm for betas?
• Betawatch: January 12 - 18, 2013
• MMObility: The Chromebook 'All In One' project - Ten standard MMOs
• New Final Fantasy XIV developer blog is all about hot Eorzean nights
• Arcane Legends adds capture the flag
• Glitch art book shatters fundraising goal
• Wizardry Online adds high-level dungeon for launch
• ArenaNet devs dish on WvW, new achievements, and more
• The Elder Scrolls Online lore video covers the history of war
• MMO Burnout: A week with id Software's Rage

Click-click-click: Massively's double-dose of Path of Exile impressions Posted: 19 Jan 2013 09:00 AM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Events, real-world, Opinion, Massively Hands-on, Massively Event Coverage, Miscellaneous New Zealand-based Grinding Gear Games has a challenge ahead of it: to convince a jaded gaming audience that its online action RPG Path of Exile can be more than just another Diablo III clone. Our Not So Massively crew has been following the game with great interest, zeroing in on its generously sprawling skill tree and item-customization systems in particular. And this Wednesday will see the launch of open beta, leaving only one question left to answer: click-click-click? Well, maybe a few other questions too, like how does it play and is it worth my time? To get some first-hand experience with the latest edition of the game, Massively sent two freelancers -- Gavin Townsley and Jeffery Wright -- to two different Path of Exile developer events last week, one in San Francisco and the other in Los Angeles. Which city won in the quest for the coolest demo? You'll just have to read both to find out. Click-click-click: Massively's double-dose of Path of Exile impressions originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 19 Jan 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

WRUP: A week off edition Posted: 19 Jan 2013 07:00 AM PST Filed under: Betawatch, Miscellaneous My birthday this year is on Sunday. To celebrate the fact that I am one step closer to feeling the icy hand of death crawling along my spine, I took a week off to stare in mute horror at the trainwreck that I have made of my life over the past 30 years. This will be accomplished largely by completely avoiding introspection and combining sleep, video games, and hard liquor in the proper portions. Also some presents. But enough about my whatever, it's time for WRUP! As always, the Massively staff is out and about playing all manner of video games, and you can find out what games we're playing just past the cut. So take a look and let us know what you'll be up to down in the comments! Especially if you will also be staring in mute horror at something -- possibly your attempts to construct a birdhouse. Continue reading WRUP: A week off edition WRUP: A week off edition originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 19 Jan 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Daily Grind: Do character wipes kill your enthusiasm for betas? Posted: 19 Jan 2013 05:00 AM PST Filed under: Betas, Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous When I first got my hands on Neverwinter at PAX East 2012, I happily proclaimed it to be the game of the show. Unfortunately, even if I were eligible to test at the moment, I don't know if I would, simply because I know that anything I do now will be wiped before the game goes live. It's not a question of whether or not I want to play the game, it's a question of whether or not I want to play the game in perpetual preview mode. Obviously, testing is meant to be about finding bugs and balance issues rather than progressing. But there's also the question of whether or not you want to repeat content that you've worked through the first time around when the game actually goes live, burning out on a title before it even reaches launch. So do character wipes kill your enthusiasm for betas? Would you be happier to test and find bugs if you knew that your hard work would stick around? 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 character wipes kill your enthusiasm for betas? originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 19 Jan 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Betawatch: January 12 - 18, 2013 Posted: 18 Jan 2013 05:00 PM PST Filed under: Betas, Launches, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Betawatch, Miscellaneous ArcheAge is soon to launch in its native Korea, marking the end of its testing, and the English site for the game has just received a revamp which is hopefully indicative of an upcoming release. But while players on North American shores won't be able to jump right into the game, they can jump into several other games that have just entered testing, such as Broken Realm's already open beta. And European players can look forward to the beta test of Dragon Nest starting on February 27th. It's also a good time to be a shooter fan. Defiance has started its first bit of testing complete with a new FAQ, DUST 514 is opening the beta gates on January 22nd, and Warface is in closed testing as of now. There's also a new trailer to ramp up excitement for Path of Exile's open beta coming on the 23rd. Need more potential games to test? Jump on past the break to see the full list, and let us know if there's anything we missed (or a game that sneakily added a cash shop) in the comments! Continue reading Betawatch: January 12 - 18, 2013 Betawatch: January 12 - 18, 2013 originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 18 Jan 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

MMObility: The Chromebook 'All In One' project - Ten standard MMOs Posted: 18 Jan 2013 04:00 PM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Real life, Sci-fi, Game mechanics, Previews, PvP, PvE, Opinion, War, Free-to-play, Browser, Casual, Virtual worlds, MMORTS, Kids, Family, Miscellaneous, MMObility, Sandbox It's time for another installment of my month-long look at the Samsung Chromebook, the newest in the line of all-in-one devices brought to us by Google. Everything has worked pretty well so far, but the light notebook does have its issues. I'm so used to using my Google Nexus 7 tablet for reading emails and now reading articles and magazines that I am having a hard time without the pinch-to-zoom. I love the instant zooming; it's much easier when I am reading or surfing the net. (Wait, do we still say "surfing the net"?) In fact, the main issue with the Samsung Chromebook is its size. I have to hit ctrl-+ to zoom in pages often. Other than the smaller fonts, few other issues have cropped up -- I've found gaming has been really fun on this little guy. I've noticed that everyone who reads of gaming on the device is sort of perplexed. Why would I want to game on such a non-gaming machine? It's simple, really. As the title says, this is another attempt of mine to find the perfect device for doing all that I do using only the browser: writing, gaming, gaming, writing, watching videos, writing, and playing games. This week, I have 10 "standard" MMOs for you. These are games that act more like a common, client-based MMOs than the MMORTS titles I covered last week, but with some exceptions. The desktop browser can handle amazing, 3-D graphics, but a Chromebook does not allow downloads like Unity or Java. Keep that in mind. Continue reading MMObility: The Chromebook 'All In One' project - Ten standard MMOs MMObility: The Chromebook 'All In One' project - Ten standard MMOs originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 18 Jan 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

New Final Fantasy XIV developer blog is all about hot Eorzean nights Posted: 18 Jan 2013 03:00 PM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Screenshots, News items, Consoles, Final Fantasy XIV The days in Final Fantasy XIV are for adventuring, but the nights... well, the nights are also for adventuring. It's kind of what you do. Not that it mattered in the last testing phase, as the team had not yet fully implemented the Eorzean day cycle. But it's in place for the next testing phase, and a new installment on the official developer's blog shows off what the city of Gridania looks like once the sun goes down. Astute observers of the night sky will immediately notice the lack of Dalamud in the sky, but even casual observation makes it clear that the moon's phases are crisper than in the original version of the game. Considering the speed of the game's day-to-night cycle and the impact that moon phases may or may not have upon crafting, this is remarkably important. Check out the other comparison shots in the full blog entry. New Final Fantasy XIV developer blog is all about hot Eorzean nights originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 18 Jan 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Here's to the Nights

Arcane Legends adds capture the flag Posted: 18 Jan 2013 02:30 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Patches, PvP, Free-to-play, Mobile It's the popular sport of summer camps everywhere, and now capture the flag is coming to mobile devices. Spacetime Studios is introducing the game into Arcane Legends as the first step toward a larger PvP offering. Capture the flag takes place in a 4v4 arena and comes complete with achievements, titles, and leaderboards. Spacetime has plans to add more PvP modes and maps in the future. The studio said that Arcane Legends has been downloaded more than four million times to date. [Source: Spacetime Studios press release] Arcane Legends adds capture the flag originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 18 Jan 2013 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Glitch art book shatters fundraising goal Posted: 18 Jan 2013 02:00 PM PST Filed under: Screenshots, Culture, MMO industry, Free-to-play, Virtual worlds, Crowdfunding Glitch may be down, but it's not out. The whimsical, non-violent MMO closed its doors on December 9th of last year, but fans of the game still hold its memory close to their hearts. That's exactly why former art director Brent Kobayashi (AKA Meowza, AKA Kukubee) decided to gather together everything that he and the Glitch art team designed over the years, including never-before-seen concept art and some worlds that didn't make it to the game. Through Indiegogo (one of the many alternatives to Kickstarter), Brent set up a project to raise $17,000 for production of a hardcover book showcasing the art of Glitch. But as happens with the internet, the initial goal was shattered with the current money raised at just over $105,000 with 34 hours left to go on the campaign. The good news is that this book will certainly become a reality. The better news is that you still have time to grab one for yourself! [Thanks to Sounder for the tip!] Glitch art book shatters fundraising goal originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 18 Jan 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Wizardry Online adds high-level dungeon for launch Posted: 18 Jan 2013 01:00 PM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Video, Free-to-play, Dungeons, Wizardry Online While we remain on standby for Wizardry Online's delayed launch, the team at SOE has used the time to shoehorn in an additional feature for release: the Underground Dragoon Ruins. The Dragoon Ruins is a high-level dungeon full of nasty creatures and even nastier traps. We've got a video featuring combat and exploration of the ruins after the break. It's got a warrior beating up ghosts, giant rock monsters, and -- most insidiously of all -- little glowy lights. A little glowy light once killed that warrior's whole village, and she's sworn revenge over it. That's all you need know. Continue reading Wizardry Online adds high-level dungeon for launch Wizardry Online adds high-level dungeon for launch originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 18 Jan 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Wizardry Online forums

ArenaNet devs dish on WvW, new achievements, and more Posted: 18 Jan 2013 12:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Game mechanics, MMO industry, News items, Guild Wars 2 ArenaNet trotted out a trio of game devs yesterday to answer your Guild Wars 2 questions via livestream. The vidcast has since been archived on the company's TwitchTV channel, and we've also embedded it just past the cut for your convenience. Taking center stage are Anet's Mike Zadorojny, Jonathan Sharp, and Matt Witter. Topics include revitalizing deserted PvE areas, a new achievement system, and various world-vs. world tweaks. Continue reading ArenaNet devs dish on WvW, new achievements, and more ArenaNet devs dish on WvW, new achievements, and more originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 18 Jan 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: GW2 Twitch

The Elder Scrolls Online lore video covers the history of war Posted: 18 Jan 2013 11:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Lore, News items, Dev Diaries, The Elder Scrolls Online If you've been keeping an eye on The Elder Scrolls Online, you've probably noticed that its three chief factions are at war. The Aldmeri Dominion, Daggerfall Covenant, and Ebonheart Pact have been established as mortal enemies -- but why? Loremaster Lawrence Schick sheds a little light on the three-way conflict in a new lore video. You're a hip, savvy Internetter; we know you don't have a lot of time. Here's the skinny: All three alliances want to control Cyrodil, the central part of the continent that houses the very heart of Tamriel. The Tharns that rule Cyrodil are weak, and each alliance thinks that it has the power to steer Tamriel in the proper direction. Skip below the cut to watch the video to learn about all the intricate details. [Thanks to groovy webizen Paul for the tip!] Continue reading The Elder Scrolls Online lore video covers the history of war The Elder Scrolls Online lore video covers the history of war originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 18 Jan 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

MMO Burnout: A week with id Software's Rage Posted: 18 Jan 2013 10:00 AM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, Galleries, Screenshots, Game mechanics, Reviews, Opinion, Hands-on, Massively Hands-on, Post-Apocalyptic, MMO Burnout So I've been dabbing in id Software's RAGE over the last little while. Actually, I'm not sure whether the late-2011 shooter is called RAGE or simply Rage, but either way, it has the worst (or perhaps least descriptive) video game name of all time. Also, yes, I know it's not an MMO. This is MMO Burnout and I thought we were past that already. Anyhow, I'm afraid I'm going to have to recommend the title to burned-out MMO gamers for several reasons. It's quite beautiful, quite fun, and it's the perfect getaway from the typical massively multiplayer grind. Gallery: MMO Burnout - Rage Continue reading MMO Burnout: A week with id Software's Rage MMO Burnout: A week with id Software's Rage originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 18 Jan 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

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