MMO Updates |
- Choose My Adventure: Exploring exploration via Elite: Dangerous
- Latest EVE dev blog outlines notifications in Oceanus
- Aion's 5th anniversary video thanks players, teases upcoming zones
- RIFT: Nightmare Tide to introduce Minions
- Skyforge eschews gank PvP, teases PvPvE battles
- The Elder Scrolls Online pushes players to Upper Craglorn in Update 4
- The Daily Grind: How should studios handle server merges with open world housing?
- Pumpkin Online hits its funding goal
- Grimoire asks for funding to put FPS wizard multiplayer in your hands
- Global Chat: Blaugust triumphant
- The Stream Team: Black market dealings in Elite: Dangerous
- Massively Speaking Episode 313: ArcheRivals
- Guild Wars 2 launches new WvW meta-contests
- Firefall patch 1.1 brings elemental destruction
- ArcheAge's launch trailer shows you the way home
- Raptr shows MMOs and MOBAs dominating the top 20 in August
- Star Trek Online details the art of the new Intelligence ships
- EverQuest begins Darkened Sea beta
- Vice vs Virtue PvP system arrives on Ultima Online's test center
- Massively's ArcheAge launch diary: Day four - Trade runs, sea beasts, and pirates
- Destiny unlocks its first raid and goes on sale
| Choose My Adventure: Exploring exploration via Elite: Dangerous Posted: 17 Sep 2014 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-Fi, Polls, PvE, Hands-On, Choose My Adventure, Sandbox, Crowdfunding, Elite: Dangerous, MMORPG, Buy-to-Play  Last week, Choose My Adventure voters set me on the exploration path in Frontier Development's Elite: Dangerous. While exploration hasn't yet been implemented as a viable career, it's still a thing you can do just because you feel like doing it. It's also a pretty great way to see your life end in a cacophony of flames and shrapnel or to find yourself staring at a map in complete and utter confusion. Still, it beats roasting a Labrador and passing it around the campfire. Continue reading Choose My Adventure: Exploring exploration via Elite: Dangerous
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| Latest EVE dev blog outlines notifications in Oceanus Posted: 17 Sep 2014 09:30 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, EVE Online, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, Patches, PvP, News Items, Sandbox  Notifications are sort of a pre-cursor to EVE's eventual new player experience revamp, with the end goal being a more user-friendly sandbox and a removal of the current tutorial in favor of "a more open-ended experience."
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| Aion's 5th anniversary video thanks players, teases upcoming zones Posted: 17 Sep 2014 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Aion, Events (In-Game), News Items, Free-to-Play, Anniversaries  Continue reading Aion's 5th anniversary video thanks players, teases upcoming zones
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| RIFT: Nightmare Tide to introduce Minions Posted: 17 Sep 2014 08:30 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Expansions, Game Mechanics, News Items, Free-to-Play, RIFT, Subscription  Minions come from a variety of sources across Telara, and they can be dispatched on a variety of different missions. Once they've completed their tasks, they'll return with a variety of rewards including crafting items and dimensional rewards. Minions can only be sent on so many missions before they need a break, though, so a player won't be able to do everything with just a handful of loyal troops. Check out the full preview for a bit more insight into the upcoming system.
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| Skyforge eschews gank PvP, teases PvPvE battles Posted: 17 Sep 2014 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Galleries, Screenshots, Events (In-Game), Game Mechanics, PvP, News Items, Skyforge  My.com says Skyforge will allow small-scale PvP in designated maps with varying team sizes; it will also include a matchmaking system to protect noobs and make it "almost impossible to gank someone." Large-scale PvP, known as Pantheon Wars, is another story, one the studio isn't telling just yet except to hint that it'll involve "complex PvPvE-battles where proper role assignment is crucial." Enjoy the new screenshots.
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| The Elder Scrolls Online pushes players to Upper Craglorn in Update 4 Posted: 17 Sep 2014 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Patches, Endgame, News Items, Consoles, The Elder Scrolls Online, Subscription  The new Dragonstar Arena also debuts with this patch, asking players to fight against waves of oncoming enemies. Plus there's a new crafting trait available, improved grouping mechanics, various bugfixes, the usual assortment. So if you can't wait to go knife up a really important snake and check out the places that all the hip new kids are heading for, go check out the update.
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| The Daily Grind: How should studios handle server merges with open world housing? Posted: 17 Sep 2014 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous, Housing  It seems to be a recipe for disaster any way that you look at it. One solution would be to force everyone out of the pool, er, server and then make a completely new server for those populations to fight over. Another solution would be to award a housing plot to the character with the most seniority. What do you think? How should studios handle server merges with open world housing?  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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| Pumpkin Online hits its funding goal Posted: 16 Sep 2014 08:00 PM PDT Filed under: News Items, Miscellaneous, Crowdfunding  The Kickstarter page launched with a modest goal of $30,000 in funding; the game is also seeking entrance on Steam Greenlight. If you were fond of the concept but didn't want to toss money in without the safety of a funded campaign, there's still a little more time to throw money into the pot. [Thanks to wolfyseyes for the tip!]
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| Grimoire asks for funding to put FPS wizard multiplayer in your hands Posted: 16 Sep 2014 07:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, New Titles, MMOFPS, MOBA, Crowdfunding  According to the Kickstarter description, "Grimoire is a multiplayer mage FPS with MOBA-style abilities that puts the player in control of devastating magic." Players can fight from first- or third-person views and take on the role of one of 10 wizard classes. Grimoire's been in development for a year, is currently being voted for on Steam Greenlight, and even has a combat preview demo that you can download and try right now. The makers said that the game's had "practically no budget" up this point, which is why they're looking to raise $42,000 to improve what's already been made. The soundtrack is being composed by Pirates of the Caribbean Online vet Marcus Zuhr. [Thanks to Dengar for the tip!] Continue reading Grimoire asks for funding to put FPS wizard multiplayer in your hands
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| Global Chat: Blaugust triumphant Posted: 16 Sep 2014 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: World of Warcraft, Lord of the Rings Online, Culture, Warhammer Online, Opinion, Humor, Global Chat, Miscellaneous, ArcheAge, Elite: Dangerous  While not everyone who signed up succeeded in sticking out the entire month, it certainly injected some life into summer doldrums and got people talking. The 2014 Blaugust Wrap-up does a great job giving an overview of the challenge and a list of all of the blogs involved. If you're looking for outspoken opinions put forth at a prodigious rate, I'd suggest checking these out. Speaking of outspoken opinions, we've also got plenty of them in the form of the most interesting posts from the past two weeks! Global Chat... away! Continue reading Global Chat: Blaugust triumphant
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| The Stream Team: Black market dealings in Elite: Dangerous Posted: 16 Sep 2014 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-Fi, Video, PvE, Massively Meta, Hands-On, Livestream, Sandbox, The Stream Team, Elite: Dangerous, MMORPG, Buy-to-Play  Will he end up blown to bits by overzealous federal ships? Or can he make a career as one of Elite's next great outlaws? Tune in at 7:00 p.m. EDT to find out. Game: Elite: Dangerous Host: Mike Foster Date: Tuesday, September 16th, 2014 Time: 7:00 p.m. EDT Enjoy our Stream Team video below. Continue reading The Stream Team: Black market dealings in Elite: Dangerous
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| Massively Speaking Episode 313: ArcheRivals Posted: 16 Sep 2014 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Podcasts, MMO Industry, News Items, Massively Meta, Massively Speaking, Miscellaneous  Get all of our opinions and analysis on the most important stories of the past week right here on Massively Speaking, the industry's leading MMO podcast. And if you have a comment, question, or topic for the podcasters, send 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 313: ArcheRivals
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| Guild Wars 2 launches new WvW meta-contests Posted: 16 Sep 2014 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, PvP, News Items, Guild Wars 2, Promotions, Buy-to-Play  The first contest is looking for the players who use the Overwolf application while streaming, aiming for the highest number of concurrent viewers on Twitch. Whoever wins gets some SteelSeries peripherals as well as 8,000 gems. Meanwhile, if that's not your thing, you can also create a WvW War Report, share it via YouTube, and be eligible to win 5,000 gems if your offering is the best. So it's not about your PvP skill here, just about your ability to entertain people via that skill (or lack thereof).
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| Firefall patch 1.1 brings elemental destruction Posted: 16 Sep 2014 02:30 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Patches, Free-to-Play, MMOFPS, Firefall  As the name suggests, Patch 1.1: Elemental Destruction is all about ways to unleash different elements upon enemies to bring about their ruin. The update's newest weapons are the plasma flak cannon and bio injector, however even older weapons can get new modifiers to change their damage type. The additional weapon modifiers include thermal, flaming thermal, bioactive, virulent bioactive, electrical, charged electrical, beam, laser beam, microplasma, and emissive microplasma. Even grenade launchers have gotten love with new ways to throw out explosives in a spread or cluster. Patch 1.1 also adds five dynamic encounters, two new ARES job boards, and a hardcore version of Kanaloa the Destroyer. Check out Massively's previous in-depth look at the new weapon types of Patch 1.1.
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| ArcheAge's launch trailer shows you the way home Posted: 16 Sep 2014 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Game Mechanics, Launches, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Races, ArcheAge, Sandbox  View it in full after the break. Continue reading ArcheAge's launch trailer shows you the way home
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| Raptr shows MMOs and MOBAs dominating the top 20 in August Posted: 16 Sep 2014 01:30 PM PDT Filed under: Culture, MMO Industry, Miscellaneous  "With a late July release, Firefall made a 40-spot jump into the top 20 for August. Not too surprisingly, Firefall is converting more players from fellow F2P shooter Warframe than any other game, with Dota 2 coming in second," Raptr posted. Other online titles fleshed out the list, such as League of Legends (#1), Dota 2 (#3), SMITE (#5), and World of Tanks (#13). Card battler Hearthstone is still hanging onto the top 10 at #8.
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| Star Trek Online details the art of the new Intelligence ships Posted: 16 Sep 2014 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Expansions, News Items, Star Trek Online, Free-to-Play, Subscription  Stokan explains that most of the choices going into the design were weighed against these two rules, such as adding in glowing sensor panels that both highlighted the ships' scanning functionality while providing a distinct silhouette. The design blog also stresses that players can expect extra customization for these ships, including the option to make the hull finish look a bit more typical for Federation craft. Check out the whole process and more bits of concept art in the full blog entry. [Thanks to Lonegun for the tip!]
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| EverQuest begins Darkened Sea beta Posted: 16 Sep 2014 12:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest, Expansions, Patches, Free-to-Play  Producer Thom Terrazas posted a letter on the forums yesterday informing players that the beta would begin today and continue through October 24th. Terrazas also put out a call for raiding guilds to sign up to test the expansion's raid content on September 22nd. Following that, the early access launch for The Darkened Sea will start on October 28th and the full release will follow on November 11th. There will not be a pre-order for the expansion. "We are also working on an easy way for players to purchase the expansion plus a monthly subscription to get in quickly and avoid getting left behind. Stay tuned for those details very soon," Terrazas promised. Coming next week to EverQuest is an update that will include a robe category for the player studio and a way to transfer large amounts of currency at a time.
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| Vice vs Virtue PvP system arrives on Ultima Online's test center Posted: 16 Sep 2014 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Events (In-Game), Game Mechanics, Patches, PvP, News Items, Ultima Online, Sandbox, Dungeons, Subscription  Yes, Vice vs Virtue is a a new system designed to bring a fresh version of Order and Chaos consensual PvP -- any PvP, really -- to landmasses that are currently PvE, including Trammel and most of the expansion territories launched in the last forever. The opt-in faction-based system brings the battle to the core cities of the game and rewards participants with a special currency that can be traded for everything from mounts and artifacts (gear) to murder pardons and hair dye. Look, UO players take their hair dye very seriously. The patch also introduces new trader quests to the game and revamps dungeon loot spawns to encourage ventures to the open-PvP Felucca facet. The devs have invited players to help stress test the systems this afternoon.
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| Massively's ArcheAge launch diary: Day four - Trade runs, sea beasts, and pirates Posted: 16 Sep 2014 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Game Mechanics, Launches, MMO Industry, New Titles, PvP, PvE, Opinion, Hands-On, First Impressions, ArcheAge, Sandbox, Player-Generated Content  I'm usually apathetic about MMO PvP. I mean, I will PvP with friends, but I don't think I've ever sat down to play an MMORPG and thought, "Hmm, maybe I'll go kill some players tonight!" PvP factors heavily into ArcheAge's design, though, so I knew going in that I'd be doing it more than in most of my other MMOs. I just didn't know it would end up being as fun as it was on last night's trade run. Continue reading Massively's ArcheAge launch diary: Day four - Trade runs, sea beasts, and pirates
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| Destiny unlocks its first raid and goes on sale Posted: 16 Sep 2014 10:30 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Endgame, News Items, Consoles, MMOFPS, Promotions, Dungeons, Destiny  Haven't yet picked up the game? Well, you can do so now at a discount; despite the short amount of time Destiny has been out, retailer BrandsMart is reportedly offering the game for $30, which larger retailers such as Target and Wal-Mart may or may not price match. (Reports are conflicting.) While you likely won't be ready for the Vault of Glass if you take the offer, you will be able to get in on the ground floor a fair bit cheaper, so it's still a win. Kotaku argues that as of this morning, Destiny has "resoundingly mediocre review scores" with "76.29% on GameRankings and a 77 on Metacritic." Our sister site Joystiq reviewed the game this morning, giving it four out of five stars.
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