MMO Updates

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• MMO Family: Is the Google generation losing its inventive spirit?
• A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Starting fresh in DC Universe Online
• New SyFy Defiance teaser kinda reminds us of Firefly
• SOE implementing dynamic XP in PlanetSide 2
• TERA going free-to-play in February
• The Daily Grind: What game do you fall in and out of love with repeatedly?
• Blizzard to fix exploit with Diablo III's votekick system
• Jukebox Heroes: Star Wars: The Old Republic's soundtrack
• World of Warcraft releases a new member of the sparklepony family
• Flameseeker Chronicles: War stories in Guild Wars 2
• 2012: The year of the MMO Kickstarter
• Age of Wushu early access beta extended
• Sins of a Dark Age plans to evolve the MOBA genre
• SWTOR's Cartel Market selling character slots, players limited to 349 alts
• The Soapbox: Stop reminding me that I'm playing a game
• Hyperspace Beacon: My top five wishes for SWTOR roleplay
• Chinese game industry saw $9.7 billion in revenue last year
• Massively Exclusive: Neverwinter's Great Weapon Fighter class revealed

MMO Family: Is the Google generation losing its inventive spirit? Posted: 09 Jan 2013 08:00 AM PST Filed under: Opinion, MMO Family, Family, Miscellaneous I was witness to an interesting juxtaposition over Christmas vacation. On one end of the breakfast table was my laptop, with an article about an inventor who warns that the "Google generation" of children is growing up "brain dead" and without the ability to invent and create. But right next to it was my son's laptop, and he was deeply engrossed in a game of Minecraft with his sister and two cousins. Are our children really losing their inventive spirit because of the internet? Should kids put down Minecraft and pick up Meccano instead? Let's take a look at inventor Trevor Baylis' concerns. Continue reading MMO Family: Is the Google generation losing its inventive spirit? MMO Family: Is the Google generation losing its inventive spirit? originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 09 Jan 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Starting fresh in DC Universe Online Posted: 09 Jan 2013 07:00 AM PST Filed under: Super-hero, Game mechanics, Opinion, Free-to-play, First Impressions, DC Universe Online, A Mild-Mannered Reporter I'm not going to lie to you, gentle readers -- I did not have high hopes for DC Universe Online when I signed in. Why not? Lots of reasons. For starters, Champions Online turned out to be very good, and I'm not in the habit of expecting good luck twice in a row. My last outing with a licensed superhero game left me pretty cold. I already knew the game broke from a lot of accepted superhero conventions, and it sure didn't seem like a game that would encourage the same sort of roleplaying atmosphere I love. Last but certainly not least, it's always dicey playing a game designed for both consoles and computers, since frequently one or the other gets the better interface. Despite all of this, I am happy to say that these fears were unfounded. Or at least unfounded enough for it not to matter, which is close enough to the same thing. DC Universe Online is certainly not a successor to City of Heroes, but it's a lot better than I would have guessed, and it's certainly an interesting game thus far in its own right. Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Starting fresh in DC Universe Online A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Starting fresh in DC Universe Online originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 09 Jan 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

New SyFy Defiance teaser kinda reminds us of Firefly Posted: 09 Jan 2013 06:30 AM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Defiance It's not often that we get to write about cool film or television trailers here on Massively, so... thanks Trion! As you're probably aware, the company's Defiance MMO shooter is entering beta later this month. As you're also probably aware, the game is being developed in concert with the TV show of the same name, both of which will debut in April. Yesterday, SyFy released a slick new teaser for the show, and while it doesn't feature any game footage or really mention the MMO at all other than in the closing tag line, we squeed a bit at the Firefly-esque music and the general awesomeness on display. See for yourself after the cut. [Thanks to Segun for the tip!] Continue reading New SyFy Defiance teaser kinda reminds us of Firefly New SyFy Defiance teaser kinda reminds us of Firefly originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 09 Jan 2013 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: YouTube

SOE implementing dynamic XP in PlanetSide 2 Posted: 09 Jan 2013 06:00 AM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Patches, PvP, News items, Free-to-play, MMOFPS, PlanetSide 2 PlanetSide Universe has the details on SOE creative director Matt Higby's latest information dump. Higby says plenty of changes are in store for this month's PlanetSide 2 patch, chief among them some significant tweaks to the game's experience system. In a nutshell, players who have more kills will be worth more XP, and newly spawned players "will be worth a fraction of the current kill reward." You'll also get partial XP for damaging vehicles even if they aren't ultimately destroyed. SOE will also be making server transfer tokens available in PS2's item shop, gifting each empire with a new SMG weapon, and adding player configurable colors and indicators to the game's minimap. That's not all, either, but you'll have to hit the source link below for the full list of changes. SOE implementing dynamic XP in PlanetSide 2 originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 09 Jan 2013 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: PS Universe

TERA going free-to-play in February Posted: 09 Jan 2013 05:15 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Business models, Game mechanics, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play, TERA TERA is officially going free-to-play this February. The exact date has yet to be released, but En Masse Entertainment has collected all of the other pertinent details in a lengthy F2P FAQ that you can find on the official website. The new game service will feature three tiers: Founder, Elite, and Standard. Standard is TERA's free offering, while Elite is the usual $14.99 per month subscription option. Founder status is acquired by purchasing and redeeming a copy of the game and is good for life. Some of the free-to-play limitations include character slots (two per server with the option to purchase more), bank slots (72 with the option to purchase more), and various brokerage fees and taxes. There are no race, class, or content limitations, although Elite players do get dungeon cooldown bonuses. A full list of account tier differences may be found in the official FAQ. You can also check out the F2P announcement trailer after the cut. Continue reading TERA going free-to-play in February TERA going free-to-play in February originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 09 Jan 2013 08:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Announcement

The Daily Grind: What game do you fall in and out of love with repeatedly? Posted: 09 Jan 2013 05:00 AM PST Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous With the few long-term MMOs that I've played, such as World of Warcraft or Lord of the Rings Online, I've seen a general pattern emerge in regards to my feelings toward them. I saw myself go through highs of loving these titles and becoming completely enamored with them, descending to the lows where the mere sight of the icon incites loathing, and so on and so forth. Sometimes I explain this with a farming metaphor. It's an old farming technique to let a field go fallow -- stay dormant -- every few years so that the soil isn't depleted. It actually replenishes the field to make a strong crop for when it's next used. So I recognize that sometimes the good stuff in my games begin to deplete from overuse, and I simply let them go fallow until my interest is revitalized. Enough about me, what about you? What game do you fall in and out of love with repeatedly, and how do you handle that rollercoaster? 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: What game do you fall in and out of love with repeatedly? originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 09 Jan 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Blizzard to fix exploit with Diablo III's votekick system Posted: 08 Jan 2013 05:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Culture, Game mechanics, Patches, News items, Diablo III Playing Diablo III in Hardcore mode is a harrowing experience. No matter how good you are as a player, there's always the real worry that one careless move will mean the end of a character you've worked hard to level. Unfortunately, sometimes that careless move is simply playing in a public game, as griefers have been exploiting the votekick system to cause players to die and lose everything through no fault of their own. As it currently stands, a player who has been kicked by popular vote will be rooted in place for 10 seconds while the character is ejected. Griefers have used this to kick players in the middle of monster-heavy rooms, resulting in 10 seconds of uninterrupted monster beatdowns with no chance of reprieve. So how to fix this? Well, Blizzard plans to remove the 10 second lockout in the near future to ensure that a kicked player can still move and respond rather than get pointlessly murdered. There's no word on whether this will be a hotfix or rolled into a larger patch, but it's definitely on the horizon. Until it goes live, though, you might not want to have your hardcore characters on a public game. Blizzard to fix exploit with Diablo III's votekick system originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 08 Jan 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Votekick PK Solution Via: PC Gamer

Jukebox Heroes: Star Wars: The Old Republic's soundtrack Posted: 08 Jan 2013 04:00 PM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, Free-to-play, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Jukebox Heroes, Music When an upcoming MMO announces its collector's edition, the very first thing I check for is whether it includes the soundtrack or not. I know, big surprise, right? But that often can be a crucial factor in my purchasing the product, especially if it doesn't look like the score's going to be released anywhere else. Star Wars: The Old Republic's CE included the soundtrack... but only half of it. The other half was given away for free by BioWare in the days leading up to the game's release. So with my CE purchase and a little downloading know-how, I was able to piece together the SWTOR soundtrack to make a cohesive whole. Making a Star Wars score on the scale of an MMO was a huge project, and BioWare enlisted a host of composers for it: Mark Griskey (Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II) Gordy Haab (Kinect Star Wars), Wilbert Roget (Monkey Island 2), Lennie Moore (Halo Combat Evolved Anniversary), Jessie Harlin (Star Wars: Republic Commando), Jared Emerson-Johnson (The Walking Dead), Peter McConnell (Psychonauts), and Steve Kirk (Farmville). It's a great soundtrack that fuses John Williams' classic strains with each composer's own take on the universe, and it definitely deserves to be covered. Continue reading Jukebox Heroes: Star Wars: The Old Republic's soundtrack Jukebox Heroes: Star Wars: The Old Republic's soundtrack originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 08 Jan 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

World of Warcraft releases a new member of the sparklepony family Posted: 08 Jan 2013 03:00 PM PST Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, News items The Internet exploded with rage when World of Warcraft released a mount for $25 the first time around. But it sold well, and as a result we've seen several new mounts released for the game over the years. So the new Swift Windsteed likely won't raise many eyebrows over its release or its now-familiar price point, which is the same $25 you have probably come to expect. As with previous special mounts, the Swift Windsteed can operate as a flying mount and will scale to match your highest riding speed, making it a purely cosmetic option. The unlock is account-wide once purchased, giving all present and future characters a free mount for all-purpose use in perpetuity. So if you collect mounts or just feel like you could use a qilin to carry you across the skies of Azeroth, you've got reason to be excited. World of Warcraft releases a new member of the sparklepony family originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 08 Jan 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Swift Windsteed Via: MMO-Champion

Flameseeker Chronicles: War stories in Guild Wars 2 Posted: 08 Jan 2013 02:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, PvP, Endgame, PvE, Opinion, Guild Wars 2, Flameseeker Chronicles I'm really big on the moments in games that turn into memories, whether that's in Guild Wars 2, your pen and paper variety of choice, or any other game. I mean, you probably remember a lot of your time in-game (unless you play a lot while really tired or otherwise impaired), but there's a difference between, say, recalling some of the quests you had to complete in order to fill a renown heart and recounting that seriously epic time that you and that other Guardian (whom you haven't seen since) totally took on that Champion Jungle Troll all on your own and stomped his face, man, even though you were both underleveled -- you just swapped to scepter/focus and kited him around while the other dude was whalin' on him with the great sword and it was just so cool. (We were really proud of ourselves, OK?) Similarly, there's a difference between walking up to an NPC-defended tower and laying siege to a player-defended one. Sure, you'll probably remember both of them, but one is going to make the sort of experience that sticks with you. Continue reading Flameseeker Chronicles: War stories in Guild Wars 2 Flameseeker Chronicles: War stories in Guild Wars 2 originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 08 Jan 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

2012: The year of the MMO Kickstarter Posted: 08 Jan 2013 01:00 PM PST Filed under: MMO industry, Opinion, Miscellaneous, Crowdfunding Kickstarter is perhaps the biggest story in the world of gaming since the birth of the home video console or the integration of online components into consumer entertainment. No new product, innovation, or invention has carried with it such immense potential for shifting the way the industry plans, builds, and delivers its products. And with projects covering everything from hardware to companion apps, it's almost impossible now to imagine a gaming world without Kickstarter, even though it was our reality just a few short months ago. The legacy of Kickstarter is one that we're witnessing in real-time. Most of the major successful projects are slated for late 2013/early 2014 releases, giving us plenty of time to speculate on what may or may not go wrong with the crowd-funding model and the products it bears. Over the next year, games will either make it to market or they won't. Developers will squander their budgets or release on time. It's all up in the air. With that in mind, we thought now would be a good time to look back on some of the biggest MMO Kickstarter projects of 2012. The fate of some of these titles is inexorably tied to the fate of Kickstarter as a viable game-creating platform -- and maybe even crowd-sourcing as a whole. Continue reading 2012: The year of the MMO Kickstarter 2012: The year of the MMO Kickstarter originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 08 Jan 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Age of Wushu early access beta extended Posted: 08 Jan 2013 12:30 PM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Free-to-play, Sandbox, Age of Wushu Age of Wushu fans, Snail has some good news for you. Originally the company planned to power down its servers on January 9th at the end of the game's second closed beta test. According to a new forum post, though, this is no longer the case. Snail's fantastical version of Ming Dynasty China will continue "until further notice." The beta test is essentially functioning as an early access period for pre-order customers since all game progress will carry over to the martial arts MMO's official launch. Age of Wushu was originally scheduled to launch on February 1st in North America. Age of Wushu early access beta extended originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 08 Jan 2013 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Announcement

Sins of a Dark Age plans to evolve the MOBA genre Posted: 08 Jan 2013 12:00 PM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Galleries, Screenshots, Game mechanics, Interviews, New titles, PvP, Wallpapers, News items, Free-to-play, Massively Interviews, MOBA, League of Legends Over the past few years, the Defense of the Ancients-inspired MOBA genre has spawned some of the biggest games on the planet. League of Legends has become one of the most played PC games in the world, and both it and Dota 2 now pump millions of dollars per year into competitive tournaments. It looks like MOBAs are here to stay, but the genre is still relatively young and there's plenty of room to experiment with new gameplay. Upcoming MOBA Sins of a Dark Age plans to evolve the genre with the addition of a new Realm Quest feature. At random points throughout a match, quests may spawn that change the rules of the game and provide new opportunities for conflict. Developer Ironclad Games, known for its Sins of a Solar Empire franchise, hopes this will add a new strategic level to the game that favours players who can adapt to changing circumstances and take advantage of the opportunities that quests present. Sins of a Dark Age will be free-to-play on release but you can join the closed beta now by purchasing a Founder Edition package. Read on for our interview with Ironclad co-founder and producer Blair Fraser on the Realm Quest system and plans to support competitive gaming in Sins of a Dark Age. Gallery: Sins of a Dark Age Continue reading Sins of a Dark Age plans to evolve the MOBA genre Sins of a Dark Age plans to evolve the MOBA genre originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 08 Jan 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

SWTOR's Cartel Market selling character slots, players limited to 349 alts Posted: 08 Jan 2013 11:00 AM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, Business models, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play, Star Wars: The Old Republic Star Wars: The Old Republic's 1.6.2 patch notes are now live on the game's website. Along with a laundry list of tweaks and bug fixes, there are a couple of blurbs that might interest free-to-play players concerned about character slots. First of all, slot restrictions are now being enforced, so free players should see a maximum of two per server. Preferred status players get six slots per shard, while subscribers get 12. If you must know, the global active character limit is 350! The Cartel Market is selling additional slots at a cost of 600 Cartel Coins. SWTOR's Cartel Market selling character slots, players limited to 349 alts originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 08 Jan 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: 1.6.2. notes

The Soapbox: Stop reminding me that I'm playing a game Posted: 08 Jan 2013 10:30 AM PST Filed under: Culture, Opinion, Humor, The Soapbox, Miscellaneous To me, the most amazing part of a video game is the way that it can steal you away from the real world in a way that nothing else quite can. A good book or film will take your focus for several hours, but you're still aware that there's a layer between you and the media. A good game blurs that, lets you creep into the game world for a while and experience things you never would otherwise. There are moments of wonder and joy that you can feel from a few hours in games that are simply unmatched. So please, stop ruining it. MMOs in particular have gotten bad about this. It's ironic, as the genre as a whole lends itself to people taking a step into another world. But what's changed isn't a matter of systems or mechanics, just a sense of what designers feel are completely acceptable breaks between in-game reality and the real world. It's annoying. So stop reminding me that I'm playing a game, will you? Continue reading The Soapbox: Stop reminding me that I'm playing a game The Soapbox: Stop reminding me that I'm playing a game originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 08 Jan 2013 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Hyperspace Beacon: My top five wishes for SWTOR roleplay Posted: 08 Jan 2013 10:00 AM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, Opinion, Free-to-play, Roleplaying, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Hyperspace Beacon A few weeks back, I was nostalgically asked, "Remember those days when talking about Star Wars: The Old Republic was all about speculation?" Those days might be long gone now, but the beginning of a new year always prompts a resurgence of dreams of the year to come. And although I still love playing SWTOR, I believe there are many areas that could use some touching up. I attended a fantastic roleplay event this past Saturday on The Ebon Hawk server. It was just a social event, but there were added touches like prizes and an in-character scavenger hunt. As a member of the planning crew, I took a look back at what could make an event like this better. The execution of the event could be tightened up, but there are several potential additions to the game itself that would have improved the festivities. This prompted me to think about what improvements could make roleplay better in general. So here it is: my top five wishes for roleplay in Star Wars: The Old Republic. Continue reading Hyperspace Beacon: My top five wishes for SWTOR roleplay Hyperspace Beacon: My top five wishes for SWTOR roleplay originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 08 Jan 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Chinese game industry saw $9.7 billion in revenue last year Posted: 08 Jan 2013 09:30 AM PST Filed under: Business models, MMO industry, News items, Miscellaneous Video games are a pretty big deal in China. How big? According to TechWeb the Chinese gaming industry brought in a whopping $9.7 billion last year, which marks a 35.1 per cent year-on-year growth rate from 2011. Online gaming accounted for 90% of total revenue, with mobile gaming and hardware making up the remaining 10%. The report also predicts significant future growth for China's games industry, with revenue expected to top $21.7 billion by 2017. Chinese game industry saw $9.7 billion in revenue last year originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 08 Jan 2013 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: TechWeb Google Translate Via: GamesIndustry.biz

Massively Exclusive: Neverwinter's Great Weapon Fighter class revealed Posted: 08 Jan 2013 09:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Classes, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Free-to-play, Neverwinter Neverwinter's Great Weapon Fighter isn't to be trifled with. It's not just the mouthful of a name that strikes fear in the hearts of enemies far and wide. Oh no, it's also the medium to heavy armor and the ginormous two-hander that requires years of intense strength training to lift. Fortunately for Neverwinter fans, learning to play the class doesn't take that long, and the first part of your Great Weapon Fighter education starts with with our class reveal video after the break. We've also got a screenshot gallery for your perusal as well as a few related words from the Neverwinter dev team. Gallery: Neverwinter: Great Weapon Fighter reveal Continue reading Massively Exclusive: Neverwinter's Great Weapon Fighter class revealed Massively Exclusive: Neverwinter's Great Weapon Fighter class revealed originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 08 Jan 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

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