MMO Updates

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• WRUP: The strange purgatory of Final Fantasy XIV edition
• The Daily Grind: What great feature do you think deserves more publicity?
• Betawatch: January 26 - February 1, 2013
• Learn about the ships of Kartuga with this new video
• Entropia Universe raises a glass to its 10th anniversary
• League of Legends kicks off third season of e-sports
• Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn announces beta signups
• Storyboard: Play to the medium
• Some Assembly Required: Kick(start)ing the sandbox genre
• MMObility: The Chromebook 'All-In-One' project - The pros and cons wrap-up

WRUP: The strange purgatory of Final Fantasy XIV edition Posted: 02 Feb 2013 07:00 AM PST Filed under: Massively Meta, Miscellaneous Lately I've been thinking about Final Fantasy XIV. All right, that's not really unusual, but it hasn't been in my usual capacity of thinking about the game's future. No, I've been thinking that it's been too long since I played the game, that I should log in and level Lancer or Culinarian a bit -- that sort of thing. It's missing a game that's gone, except it's not gone, it's just on pause for the moment. Needless to say, I'm happy that it's February and I'll be getting a chance to jump into the beta soon. You know I'll be rocking a Highlander lady. I realize that some of you may have no idea what in the world half of those terms referred to, so to assuage you, here's a new installment of WRUP, complete with the usual Massively weekend plans. And you can even leave your weekend plans in the comments, too! It's a miracle of science. Continue reading WRUP: The strange purgatory of Final Fantasy XIV edition WRUP: The strange purgatory of Final Fantasy XIV edition originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 02 Feb 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Daily Grind: What great feature do you think deserves more publicity? Posted: 02 Feb 2013 05:00 AM PST Filed under: Culture, Game mechanics, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous No one talks about The Secret World's stealth missions. A few people do, but by and large if you asked a random person about the game they'd mention investigation missions and then stop. Which is a shame, because while the stealth-based missions aren't on par with Metal Gear Solid or points related, they're incredibly clever and universally fun to play through. They're also a great way to bring in some of the sense of horror and danger that the game wants to create. It's hardly surprising that an MMO would have some features that get more or less advertisement; after all, there are a lot of moving parts in any given MMO, and it's easy to miss one or two things along the way. So today's your chance to rectify that. What great feature in a game do you think deserves more publicity? Is it a type of quest, a combat system, or even just a minor bit of visual customization? 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 great feature do you think deserves more publicity? originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 02 Feb 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Betawatch: January 26 - February 1, 2013 Posted: 01 Feb 2013 05:00 PM PST Filed under: Betas, MMO industry, News items, Betawatch, Miscellaneous Last week was the week for games hitting open beta, but this week has been much quieter on the testing front, with most of the news being about tests taking place in the future. Origins of Malu has finally dated its closed testing events for the end of March, and Neverwinter has its first closed testing weekend starting next week. You can also buy your way into that testing cycle if you're so inclined. Path of Exile has already hit open beta, and as it turns out the transition went very well for the game. Defiance is gearing up for its second beta weekend starting February 8th, with the game launching on April 2nd. Last but not least, War Thunder has entered open beta if you don't have enough historical warplane simulators in your life. Looking for more testing enjoyment? Skip on past the break to see the full list of games in testing, and let us know if anything is missing down in the comments. Continue reading Betawatch: January 26 - February 1, 2013 Betawatch: January 26 - February 1, 2013 originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 01 Feb 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Learn about the ships of Kartuga with this new video Posted: 01 Feb 2013 03:00 PM PST Filed under: Betas, Video, Game mechanics, PvP, News items Boats! Who doesn't love 'em? If you just answered "me," you're probably not the key demographic for the upcoming pirate battle game Kartuga. But if you do like boats, oh boy have we got news for you. Three different ship sizes and 40 visual types -- it's ship heaven in there. Small ships are speedy but can't really take a hit, large ships are virtually unsinkable but not so quick at maneuvering into position, and medium ships take all things in moderation. You don't just get to look at these ships, oh no! You get to fight in 'em. At the core of Kartuga is cooperative PvP. You'll go head-to-head with other captains in teams of four. The game goes into closed beta at the end of February, and you can preregister now. Skip below the cut to take a good, hard look at the boats. [Source: InnoGames press release] Continue reading Learn about the ships of Kartuga with this new video Learn about the ships of Kartuga with this new video originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 01 Feb 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Entropia Universe raises a glass to its 10th anniversary Posted: 01 Feb 2013 02:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-fi, Entropia Universe, Sandbox, Anniversary Entropia Universe, the "massively multiplayer online real cash economy," typically has been best known for its ludicrously expensive sales of virtual property and structure. Now it has another reason to be in the spotlight: The MMO(sigh)RCE has made it to its 10th anniversary. The title launched on February 1st, 2003, and has generated loads of money through the creation, sale, and purchase of its online worlds. According to MindArk, Entropia Universe is a favorite of the Guinness Book of World Records when it comes to the most valuable virtual items ever sold. MindArk recently released a mobile app for Entropia Universe and outlined a 2013 roadmap through the anniversary and beyond. [Source: MindArk press release] Entropia Universe raises a glass to its 10th anniversary originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 01 Feb 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

League of Legends kicks off third season of e-sports Posted: 01 Feb 2013 01:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Video, PvP, Free-to-play, MOBA, League of Legends League of Legends is about ready to begin its third season of the League Championship Series, and this time Riot Games is bringing a few interesting changes to the field. Season 3 goes live on February 7th for North America and Europe and features four-days-per-week of streamed e-sports as teams battle to become the best -- and bring home the dough. For Season 3, Riot is fiddling with the structure to make a new league ranking system that should offer a "greater sense of progression." Players will battle it out in six tiers of similarly matched teams until the cream rises to the top. To help all players understand the changes, Riot's provided a handy infographic and FAQ covering the pertinent points. There's also a goofy promo video of players running around an empty stadium in slow-motion, and you know you want to see that. It's after the jump. Thank us later. Continue reading League of Legends kicks off third season of e-sports League of Legends kicks off third season of e-sports originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 01 Feb 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: LCS Season 3, League changes

Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn announces beta signups Posted: 01 Feb 2013 12:00 PM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, News items, Consoles, Final Fantasy XIV Final Fantaxy XIV: A Realm Reborn is coming. In preparation for joyous occasion, it's about time for beta testing to begin. The time to apply is now! Phases one and two of beta testing will be PC only, while PlayStation 3 testing will begin in phase three. Players will need to begin beta testing with new characters, which will be wiped at the end of phase three. From phase four onward, characters and such will continue on into the official game (barring the need for data wipes for unforeseen reasons). Folks who applied for the alpha test don't have to reapply but aren't necessarily guaranteed access to the beta. Legacy campaign members can participate in the beta from phase one without application but should apply specifically for the PS3 beta tests if they want to go that route. To see the ins and outs of eligibility, take a look at the system requirements, or scratch the itch of general curiosity, check out the game's beta information page. Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn announces beta signups originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 01 Feb 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: FFXIV beta details

Storyboard: Play to the medium Posted: 01 Feb 2013 11:00 AM PST Filed under: Lore, Opinion, Roleplaying, Storyboard, Miscellaneous One of the greatest moments of education I had in college was when a professor sat down to discuss a story I was writing with me. He said to me, "Eliot, this story is never going to be as good as it could be like this." "Well, I'm learning. I mean, I could rewrite the --" "No, it isn't that you're not good enough as a writer, it's that this story isn't a novel. You're writing the best novel out of it that you can, but this is a story for a graphic novel. No matter how well you write it, it's always going to be a novelization of a comic book." That was the first moment that I really started to understand the idea of writing something for a medium instead of just writing a story in the form available to you. That there are some stories that just don't work in certain formats, whether that format is novels or comics or movies or even roleplaying. And it's why I'm talking specifically about the medium today, because it's an easy concept to miss but an important one to keep in mind. Continue reading Storyboard: Play to the medium Storyboard: Play to the medium originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 01 Feb 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Some Assembly Required: Kick(start)ing the sandbox genre Posted: 01 Feb 2013 10:00 AM PST Filed under: MMO industry, Opinion, Some Assembly Required, Sandbox, Crowdfunding Sandbox aficionados are known to reminisce about the "good old days." You know, that time long lost in the past when the greats of open-world play like Ultima Online and Star Wars Galaxies (pre-NGE of course) enjoyed their heyday. Many a lamentation has also been heard about how things have never been the same, or how nothing has filled that void. Of course, the sandbox never died. In 2012 we started the year off with a guide to games sporting sandbox features to scratch a variety of virtual world itches and we ended with a look at some promising upcoming titles for 2013. With plenty of choices abounding, why are sandbox fans still decrying the lack of a home? It could be because they want one home for everyone to settle in together, basically one game to rule them all. But how realistic is that? Even with the plethora of offerings now, many folks want to play their ideal sandbox, and everyone has their own idea of what the perfect one would be (and conversely, what would kill it). Perhaps the answer, then, is to forget about a single universal home that accommodates the masses and actually create a number of niche games where people find exactly what they are looking for. Wait, that's already happening? Enter Kickstarter. Continue reading Some Assembly Required: Kick(start)ing the sandbox genre Some Assembly Required: Kick(start)ing the sandbox genre originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 01 Feb 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

MMObility: The Chromebook 'All-In-One' project - The pros and cons wrap-up Posted: 01 Feb 2013 09:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Historical, Real life, Video, Culture, Opinion, Free-to-play, Browser, Mobile, Casual, MMORTS, Guides, Miscellaneous, MMObility, Sandbox Well, it's been pretty much a month since I first got my hands on this Samsung Chromebook. In that time they have become a very successful product, and I've witnessed a lot of new 'Bookers falling in love with the device. I wanted to set out to see if I could use one device for pretty much every aspect of my digital life, from work to play. I've had help from my wife along the way, as she quickly got used to how easily the device worked. I've pushed it in every way that I could think of. I've watched videos on it, plugged things into it, written on it and used it to play games. So, what do I think now? Does this little notebook fill every need? Well, yes and no. It's definitely able to do what I want it to do, but I want it to do some pretty specific things. I also wanted to show that gaming, especially massively multiplayer gaming, is accessible from the 'Book. Why? The truth is that I wanted to illustrate how MMO games not only come in all shapes and sizes, but that there are many different communities all over the world that enjoy very successful browser-based, "low-tech" MMOs. As far as Massively is concerned, this experiment was an attempt to sneak in some very cool MMOs under the guise of "cool new gadget." Continue reading MMObility: The Chromebook 'All-In-One' project - The pros and cons wrap-up MMObility: The Chromebook 'All-In-One' project - The pros and cons wrap-up originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 01 Feb 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

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