MMO Updates |
- Choose My Adventure: Final thoughts on my return to LotRO
- Gamescom 2013: Diablo III unveils its first expansion, Reaper of Souls
- MMO Family: MMO trends from kid-friendly game conventions
- World of Tanks opens up European beta for Xbox 360 edition
- WildStar locks you down for a look at crowd control
- The Daily Grind: What do you like about the early game?
- The Elder Scrolls Online will be subscription-based, 'will not jump onto the free-to-play train'
- Divination is RuneScape's 26th skill
- Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean Online sunsetting in September
- Jukebox Heroes: Wurm Online's soundtrack
- Disney's Toontown closing on September 19
- Game of Thrones: Ascent to introduce item enhancements and alliance PvP
- Here's a trailer for Defiance's first DLC pack
- League of Legends compromised; North American accounts and transactions accessed
- The Soapbox: That's not an MMO
- Gamescom 2013: Merc Elite melds MOBA with military tactics
- Guild Wars 2's Clockwork Chaos, end to PvE culling, Zodiac weapons, and the possible return of Super Adventure Box [Updated]
- Shadowfell Conspiracy now live in Dungeons and Dragons Online
- Flameseeker Chronicles: A Guild Wars 2 anniversary wish list
- Hyperspace Beacon: Six misconceptions about SWTOR free-to-play
- Trion's senior vice president of marketing talks RIFT, Defiance, and business
| Choose My Adventure: Final thoughts on my return to LotRO Posted: 21 Aug 2013 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Screenshots, Lord of the Rings Online, Previews, Opinion, Free-to-Play, Hands-On, Choose My Adventure  Last week, you voted for me to focus on the changes in Evendim for this last write-up, so I will not only do that but also let you know what I think of the game as it stands right now as a level 34 Warden. Continue reading Choose My Adventure: Final thoughts on my return to LotRO
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| Gamescom 2013: Diablo III unveils its first expansion, Reaper of Souls Posted: 21 Aug 2013 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Classes, Events (Real-World), Expansions, News Items, Diablo III, Buy-to-Play  All right, the mechanical side of things does come into play. Even if you don't care about the lore or about fighting off fallen angels, you can still care about features like a refined loot system that focuses on providing less loot that's more likely to be useful instead of quite so much garbage. There's also a new class being added, the Crusader, who looks similar at a glance to Diablo II's Paladin. Add in a new NPC who can reallocate stats on gear and you've probably got all of the incentive you need to look forward to the expansion. Continue reading Gamescom 2013: Diablo III unveils its first expansion, Reaper of Souls
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| MMO Family: MMO trends from kid-friendly game conventions Posted: 21 Aug 2013 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Opinion, Free Realms, Kids, MMO Family, Family, Clone Wars Adventures  Kid-gamers are a force to be reckoned with, and they can be just as passionate about their games as adults. What can we learn from them about trends in MMOs? Let's take a look in this week's MMO Family. Continue reading MMO Family: MMO trends from kid-friendly game conventions
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| World of Tanks opens up European beta for Xbox 360 edition Posted: 21 Aug 2013 07:30 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Historical, Galleries, Screenshots, News Items, War, Free-to-Play, World of Tanks  This particular update doesn't just allow more people into the beta; it also adds new tanks to the game. United States and German tanks of tiers VII and VIII have been added to the game, increasing the firepower on all sides of the playerbase. No word yet on an official release, but the easiest way to speed it along is by logging in and testing to provide plenty of data on the console version's performance. [Source: Wargaming.net press release]
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| WildStar locks you down for a look at crowd control Posted: 21 Aug 2013 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-Fi, Video, Game Mechanics, Previews, News Items, WildStar, Subscription, Buy-to-Play  So what's the WildStar solution? Simple: Make sure that even crowd-controlled players have something to do. If you're stunned, you can mash on a key to try and break out early as in many fighting games. Knocked down? Use a roll to get back on your feet quickly. Disarmed? Run over and grab your weapon! You can see several forms of crowd control in the video below, and while the changes might not prevent you from being stunlocked by seven people, you can at least react with something other than patience. [Source: Carbine Studios press release] Continue reading WildStar locks you down for a look at crowd control
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| The Daily Grind: What do you like about the early game? Posted: 21 Aug 2013 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous  Of course, that isn't the only good part of the early game. While we sometimes seem to be so focused on what the, ahem, elder game offers, there's something to be said about the charms of the beginning. So what do you like about the early game?  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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| The Elder Scrolls Online will be subscription-based, 'will not jump onto the free-to-play train' Posted: 21 Aug 2013 05:45 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Business Models, The Elder Scrolls Online, Subscription  ZeniMax General Manager Matt Firor confirmed TESO's subscription model in an interview with GameStar. "Charging a flat monthly (or subscription) fee means that we will offer players the game we set out to make, and the one that fans want to play," Firor said. "Going with any other model meant that we would have to make sacrifices and changes we weren't willing to make." Firor was adamant that this was the right move for the game. "The Elder Scrolls Online was designed and developed to be a premium experience: hundreds of hours of gameplay, tons of depth and features, professional customer support -- and a commitment to have ongoing content at regular intervals after launch. This type of experience is best paired with a one-time fee per month. The Elder Scrolls Online will not jump onto the free-to-play train." TESO will offer 30 days of play with the purchase of the client. The subscription price will be $14.99/€12.99/£8.99 a month, and Firor said that the studio will announce pricing discounts in the future.
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| Divination is RuneScape's 26th skill Posted: 20 Aug 2013 07:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, News Items, RuneScape, Browser  Divination is now officially a thing, and it allows players to make signs and portents, transmute resources, and conjur "bountiful divine locations" ripe for harvesting. A new blog post on the RuneScape website has all the details, including where to get started, how to train, and a list of benefits. [Thanks Derrick!]
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| Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean Online sunsetting in September Posted: 20 Aug 2013 06:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, MMO Industry, Free-to-Play, Kids, Sunsets  The official announcement informed players today of the sad news and explained the decision to cancel this title: "The Walt Disney Company is committed to offering high-quality, entertaining play experiences in both online virtual worlds and mobile apps. At this time, we are shifting our development focus towards other online and mobile play experiences, such as Club Penguin and a growing selection of Disney mobile apps." The upshot of this is that the final month will be playable for free to anyone interested, and any players who paid up past August 20th will receive an email with details regarding refunds.
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| Jukebox Heroes: Wurm Online's soundtrack Posted: 20 Aug 2013 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Wurm Online, Opinion, Humor, Sandbox, Jukebox Heroes, Music  "In Wurm, we don't play music constantly," explained Lead Designer Rolf Jansson. "Instead we play a song every now and then often based on the setting or a special event such as when you form a village. If you ever played the Lara Croft Tomb Raider game, the rare music scores really enhanced special situations, and that's what I was aiming for as well." To make matters more interesting, recently the Wurm Online team has sponsored the creation of not one, not two, but three concept albums that will be worked into the game itself. The first such album, Meditation and Work, is now out and is quite good. While we're going to look at the "classic" Wurm tunes today, I didn't want to overlook this new project. Perhaps we'll even get back to it some day! Continue reading Jukebox Heroes: Wurm Online's soundtrack
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| Disney's Toontown closing on September 19 Posted: 20 Aug 2013 05:30 PM PDT Filed under: MMO Industry, News Items, Kids, Family  The announcement post also hints at "Toontastic activities and kooky celebrations" on tap for the title's final month. [Thanks Master Von SuperJinks!]
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| Game of Thrones: Ascent to introduce item enhancements and alliance PvP Posted: 20 Aug 2013 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Game Mechanics, Patches, PvP, News Items, PvE, War, Free-to-Play, Browser, MMORPG  The main problem, it appears, is that there currently isn't enough to do after finishing volumes one and two of the story. Disruptor Beam determined that the lack of options upon the completion of the story leaves players with no reason to play, noting, "There needs to be something more to our endgame." The studio has a two-part plan to keep players engaged. The first is item enhancement, which allows players to modify items to adjust their attributes and unlock new abilities. Improved items can be made permanent so they persist through reincarnation. The second part is alliance vs. alliance combat and diplomacy, which enables players to create alliances of up to 500 members and declare war (or form peaceful bonds). Alliances will be able to own camps and use those camps as launch points for attacks against other alliances. According to Disruptor Beam, both of these features are still in the deep testing phase. The studio hopes to have them rolled out in the next few months. In the meantime, it appears as though Game of Thrones: Ascent is growing more and more into a fully featured MMO every day. [Thanks to Dengar for the tip]
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| Here's a trailer for Defiance's first DLC pack Posted: 20 Aug 2013 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, Patches, News Items, Defiance, Buy-to-Play  The titular Castithan species is available should you wish to create a new character. Or feel free to change the species of your existing avatar if you'd rather. Trion has also added an instanced single-player horde mode option that ties into the new storyline. If you're playing on consoles, you've also got some new achievements and trophies to hunt. The Castithan Charge Pack costs $9.99 on PCs and the PlayStation 3. Xbox 360 users will need 800 Microsoft points. Don't forget to check out the trailer after the cut. [Source: Trion press release] Continue reading Here's a trailer for Defiance's first DLC pack
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| League of Legends compromised; North American accounts and transactions accessed Posted: 20 Aug 2013 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, PvP, News Items, Free-to-Play, MOBA, League of Legends  Also accessed were hashed and salted credit card numbers from around 120,000 transactions made in 2011. Riot noted that the payment system in question has not been used since July of 2011 and that it is "taking appropriate action to notify and safeguard affected players." If your information was affected, you will receive an email from Riot. All North American players will be required to change their passwords "to stronger ones that are much harder to guess." In the meantime, keep an eye on your accounts for any suspicious activity.
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| The Soapbox: That's not an MMO Posted: 20 Aug 2013 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, EVE Online, MMO Industry, Opinion, Guild Wars 2, Free-to-Play, MMOFPS, MMORTS, World of Tanks, The Soapbox, Miscellaneous, MOBA, League of Legends, MMORPG, Buy-to-Play  There was a time when "online" told you everything you needed to know about a game because there was really only one type of online game. You knew in picking up an online game that you and some friends would be leveling, looting gear, and slaying dragons. It took a while for developers to notice that online play was actually a thing that could work in more than one particular format. Nowadays, online games range from traditional MMORPGs like Guild Wars 2 and RIFT to MOBAs like SMITE and League of Legends. There's no clear definition for what an MMO is or isn't because so many games are massive, multiplayer, and online. Maybe it's time to embrace MMO as a broader term than previously thought. Continue reading The Soapbox: That's not an MMO
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| Gamescom 2013: Merc Elite melds MOBA with military tactics Posted: 20 Aug 2013 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Events (Real-World), New Titles, War, Free-to-Play, Events (Massively's Coverage), MOBA  Merc Elite is being developed by 49Games and is the first title that studio has produced for Bigpoint since being acquired in 2011. It's going into open beta this summer and will be playable in a browser with the Unity 3D engine. The title was introduced at Gamescom this week. If you're hanging around there, you can get your hands on it now in Hall 8.1, booth B11; otherwise, you can sign up for the beta on the website. [Source: Bigpoint press release]
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| Posted: 20 Aug 2013 12:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Patches, News Items, Guild Wars 2, Buy-to-Play  Scarlet Briar has revealed both herself and her minions with the latest patch for the game, and that means more things for players to do across the game. Content-wise, activities center around the invasions popping up all over the game world, including enemies from previous Living World updates arriving in droves. New meta-achievements are available along with a new instance to tie up the story and give players the opportunity to push back the invaders for good. If that's not enough for you, you can also pick up new items in the game's cash shop or enjoy the usual array of bugfixes and tweaks. So what are you waiting for? Log in and start smashing some clocks. [Update: ArenaNet's PR has further contacted us to promise an end to culling in PvE. Culling is GW2's system for hiding players and mobs from view to help FPS. Optimizations made since the removal of WvWvW culling enabled the team to turn it off in PvE as well. We've posted behind the break two images provided by Anet intended to show the difference in Lion's Arch.] [Update 2: We've also embedded Richie's awesome preview of the new Zodiac weapons after the cut.] [Update 3: Based on a preview image found on the official GW2 site, clever Redditors have postulated that Super Adventure Box will be returning on September 8th!]
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| Shadowfell Conspiracy now live in Dungeons and Dragons Online Posted: 20 Aug 2013 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Dungeons and Dragons Online, Expansions, Launches, New Titles, News Items, PvE, Free-to-Play, MMORPG  Shadowfell Conspiracy brings a host of features to Dungeons and Dragons Online including new iconic heroes, the now-standard geographical expansion, and a level cap raise to 28. Two versions of the expansion are available: one collector's edition ($49.99) that includes three character slots and three iconic heroes and a standard edition ($29.99) including one character slot and one iconic hero. Both include varying quantities of Turbine Points and skill tomes. If you're curious to see Shadowfell Conspiracy in action, be sure to check out our in-depth look from July. [Source: Turbine press release]
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| Flameseeker Chronicles: A Guild Wars 2 anniversary wish list Posted: 20 Aug 2013 11:30 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Opinion, Guild Wars 2, Flameseeker Chronicles, Anniversaries, Buy-to-Play  Guild Wars 2 is doing very well. Even setting aside ArenaNet's announcement last week that the game is officially the fastest-selling MMO ever, GW2 has enough players who are dedicated to it and spending money on it to justify a content patch every two weeks, and the development team is showing no signs of slowing down. It's a success story in an unforgiving industry where successes are few and far between; while many other studios are restructuring and redefining their games -- or even shutting games down altogether -- GW2 is holding steady a year after launch. Happy birthday, GW2! I love this game. If I didn't, I'd be nuts to devote time to writing a weekly column about it, let alone play it almost every day. Even though I had nothing to do with its creation, I'm proud of it in a way, and I'm happy for the people who made it because they deserve success. Based on what's been talked about, I feel pretty good about what's coming up in the second half of the year. There are a few lingering nitpicks I have, though, that run the risk of becoming so entrenched that they hang out on the back of the priority list for years -- and they're at the top of my wish list for things I'd like to see before GW2's two-year anniversary rolls around. Continue reading Flameseeker Chronicles: A Guild Wars 2 anniversary wish list
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| Hyperspace Beacon: Six misconceptions about SWTOR free-to-play Posted: 20 Aug 2013 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Business Models, Opinion, Free-to-Play, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Guides, Hyperspace Beacon, MMORPG  In my guild, we have a couple of players who no longer pay for the game through a subscription. Most are raiders who do nothing but raid or roleplayers who are just interested in telling their characters' stories within the MMO. However, there is one member of my guild who I believe has truly beaten the free-to-play model. Surprisingly, he has spent nothing on the game since coming back a little more than a month ago. He has everything unlocked, a stockpile of bonuses and weekly passes, and about three million credits sitting in his bank that he can actually use despite the escrow limitation. During the next couple of editions of my free-to-play experiment, I will focus on his experience. But first, let's debunk some misconceptions about F2P. Continue reading Hyperspace Beacon: Six misconceptions about SWTOR free-to-play
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| Trion's senior vice president of marketing talks RIFT, Defiance, and business Posted: 20 Aug 2013 10:30 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Business Models, Interviews, MMO Industry, News Items, Free-to-Play, Consoles, RIFT, Defiance, Buy-to-Play  One of the major elements Maffitt discusses is the company's willingness to try different marketing techniques compared to those traditionally used in the industry. He stresses the need for businesses to change with the times, noting that free-to-play models are something to embrace as a new direction of the marketplace. The result is a need to be more analytical and flexible in strategies and have quicker turnarounds for what does or does not work, a strategy being used with vigor with Defiance. If the business side interests you, check out the full interview with Maffitt.
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