MMO Updates

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• Ask Massively: Destiny is not the boss of me
• RIFT previews Nightmare Tide's Goboro Reef
• Phantasy Star Online 2's western release isn't a lost cause
• Camelot Unchained launches pre-alpha test checklist
• The Daily Grind: Would you pay a sub for an alpha?
• Pirate101 adds Tower of Moo Manchu, tweaks Cool Ranch
• The Think Tank: The best of PAX Prime 2014
• The Stream Team: Getting spacey with Elite: Dangerous
• Aion prepares for September update and birthday
• The Stream Team: ArcheAge finally opens the beta doors!
• Mortal Online details its territory control mechanics
• Warlords of Draenor's Robin Williams tribute confirmed
• Wakfu heads to Steam on September 18th
• The Repopulation rolls out open-world housing and tournaments
• Guild Wars 2's trading post is reworked from the ground up
• Hearthstone announces its sixth season and a new card back
• Destiny's live-action trailer and Dust Palace Strike walkthrough
• ArcheAge begins open beta with 800 MB patch
• E-thugs are actively attacking Trion's stable of MMOs, ArcheAge open beta 'going forward as planned'

Ask Massively: Destiny is not the boss of me Posted: 05 Sep 2014 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, Opinion, Massively Meta, Ask Massively, Destiny, MMORPG Bungie's Destiny launches next week, and since it is by most appearances an MMO (or possibly a fragrance), we've been covering it, albeit lightly since our primary audience is not a console-only audience. But hasn't Bungie said that Destiny isn't an MMO? That was Massively reader icnoevil's primary objection to our coverage: So if the devs themselves have said the game is not an MMO, why does it keep showing up on this site? There's a little thing I repeat to myself every once in a while when studio reps are being pushy about our coverage: I don't work for them. I work for Joystiq. Continue reading Ask Massively: Destiny is not the boss of me Ask Massively: Destiny is not the boss of me originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 05 Sep 2014 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

RIFT previews Nightmare Tide's Goboro Reef Posted: 05 Sep 2014 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Expansions, Game Mechanics, Lore, Patches, Previews, News Items, Free-to-Play, RIFT, Dev Diaries Trion Worlds has begun showcasing the new zones and content coming in RIFT's Nightmare Tide expansion in this week's dev post on Goboro Reef, which will soon become your new favorite spot to drown to death. Expect mesmerizing mermaids, an endangered reef, a threatened well, a critter hatchery, untrustworthy guards, a quest to save the Plane of Water, and the Grotto of Horror. So basically, California. Trion promises that a peek at the Pelagic Order and more bits about the zone are en route. Catch the whole post on the official site. RIFT previews Nightmare Tide's Goboro Reef originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 05 Sep 2014 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Dev post

Phantasy Star Online 2's western release isn't a lost cause Posted: 05 Sep 2014 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, News Items, Consoles, Miscellaneous Did you lose all hope of ever seeing Phantasy Star Online 2 in the west after it launched in Southeast Asia last spring with nary a peep about its arrival on this side of the Pacific? We did too. But a tweet sent by SEGA earlier this week gives us reason to doubt our doubts: PSO2 is still delayed. SEGA is currently working on bringing PSO2 to the West and will update as soon as we know more. It's not a launch date or even much of a promise, but at least it's confirmation that the western version hasn't been abandoned. Phantasy Star Online 2's western release isn't a lost cause originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 05 Sep 2014 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Twitter Via: VG247

Camelot Unchained launches pre-alpha test checklist Posted: 05 Sep 2014 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, News Items, Camelot Unchained Camelot Unchained is running a little bit behind, as we learned last week. It happens; it's the nature of development. But what, exactly, is the source of the delay? The team has launched a pre-alpha testing checklist to explain just that. No, it's not the things players have to do before testing; it's what the team has to get completed before the game is ready for its earliest tests. While there are no time estimates available on the unchecked entries, fans can get a good idea just from the chart how far along the development process is. Presumably, more entries will be filled in as they are completed without other fanfare. If you want to have a one-stop spot to see the state of the game in development, check it out for yourself. Camelot Unchained launches pre-alpha test checklist originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 05 Sep 2014 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Pre-Alpha Testing Checklist

The Daily Grind: Would you pay a sub for an alpha? Posted: 05 Sep 2014 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Business Models, MMO Industry, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Crowdfunding, Pathfinder Online The MMO community is fast becoming inured to the idea that we're now expected to pay a lump sum for alpha and beta access rather than exchange our testing time for early access. But what about paying a subscription for that access? Pathfinder Online is banking on it. At last weekend's PAX Prime, we learned that the Goblinworks dev team will be charging players $15 a month to play the alpha. The upside is that character data won't be wiped, but it's still a novelty in the industry. Would you pay a sub for an alpha? 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: Would you pay a sub for an alpha? originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 05 Sep 2014 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Pirate101 adds Tower of Moo Manchu, tweaks Cool Ranch Posted: 04 Sep 2014 07:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, Patches, News Items, PvE, Dungeons, Pirate101 Are you a high-level pirate in Pirate101? Have you completed all of Mooshu and all of the Moo Manchu side quests? If so you can partake of the Tower of Moo Manchu, a ten-level group dungeon that KingsIsle says is the toughest content that Pirate101 players have ever faced. This week's update also revamps the world of Cool Ranch with fast transport services and content tweaks including improved drop rates and encounter overhauls. There's plenty more to Pirate101's latest patch, but you'll need to head to the official site to read it all! Pirate101 adds Tower of Moo Manchu, tweaks Cool Ranch originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 04 Sep 2014 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Sept. update

The Think Tank: The best of PAX Prime 2014 Posted: 04 Sep 2014 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Events (Real-World), MMO Industry, Opinion, Massively Meta, First Impressions, Miscellaneous, The Think Tank This year's PAX Prime has drawn to a close, as has our coverage, but how did it fare, on the whole, for MMO players? I polled the Massively writers for their favorite announcements and showings from the con. Here's what we think was the best and most interesting MMO news to come out of PAX Prime. Continue reading The Think Tank: The best of PAX Prime 2014 The Think Tank: The best of PAX Prime 2014 originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 04 Sep 2014 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Stream Team: Getting spacey with Elite: Dangerous Posted: 04 Sep 2014 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-Fi, Video, PvE, Free-to-Play, Massively Meta, Hands-On, Livestream, Sandbox, The Stream Team, Crowdfunding, Elite: Dangerous, MMORPG What happens when you take a space sim rookie, strap him into a starship, and tell him he's free to explore the stars as he pleases? Join Massively's Mike Foster as he discovers the answer to just that question in the current beta build of Elite: Dangerous. Elite, built by Frontier Developments and funded by the crowd, is the subject of this month's Choose My Adventure, and there's no better way to start our journey than by broadcasting our maiden voyage for all to see. The death parade beings at 7:00 p.m. EDT. Game: Elite: Dangerous Host: Mike Foster Date: Thursday, September 4th, 2014 Time: 7:00 p.m. EDT Enjoy our Stream Team video below. Continue reading The Stream Team: Getting spacey with Elite: Dangerous The Stream Team: Getting spacey with Elite: Dangerous originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 04 Sep 2014 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Aion prepares for September update and birthday Posted: 04 Sep 2014 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Aion, Patches, Previews, Free-to-Play, Anniversaries Today's Aion community report is sprinkled with a lot of anticipation over this month's 4.6.2 update. The patch is schedule to arrive on September 24th, bringing with it many balance changes among other game improvements. Aion also will be celebrating its birthday around this time, and the team urges players to look forward to "lots of in-game events" during this momentous occasion. One of the best parts of the report is already in the game: Players should be seeing performance improvements following work done on Aion's network. The team also said that players will be getting an improved My Aion on the official website at an undetermined point in the future. Aion prepares for September update and birthday originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 04 Sep 2014 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Community Report

The Stream Team: ArcheAge finally opens the beta doors! Posted: 04 Sep 2014 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Video, Free-to-Play, Livestream, ArcheAge, The Stream Team Finally! After such a long, long wait, the ArcheAge beta doors have opened wide. Any and all who want to delve into this land of flying, fun, and farming can come see it for themselves. Oh, and don't forget the PvP... and trade routes... and drag races... well, there's plenty to do. And you can finally be a part of it all, including Massively's MJ's wild and wacky adventures. If you feel up to the challenge, come to the Elven lands on the Naima server to see what trouble you can get into with her. Join us live at 5:00 p.m. for this final weekend of ArcheAge before launch. Game: ArcheAge Host: MJ Guthrie Date: Thursday, September 4th, 2014 Time: 5:00 p.m. EDT Enjoy our Stream Team video below. Continue reading The Stream Team: ArcheAge finally opens the beta doors! The Stream Team: ArcheAge finally opens the beta doors! originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 04 Sep 2014 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Mortal Online details its territory control mechanics Posted: 04 Sep 2014 02:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Game Mechanics, Previews, PvP, News Items, Free-to-Play, Mortal Online, Subscription Do you want some land in Mortal Online? Then why beat around the bush? Why not just reach out and take it? The game's territory control system is arriving soon, and the developers have offered an introductory guide at the system to give players a better look at how everything will fit together. Players will be able to place and upgrade a variety of structures in controlled territory, with most structures requiring skills to be placed but not improved. NPC contracts can also be used for shopkeepers, guards, and the like. What can and cannot be placed is determined by guild stones, which are gated by the number of members in your guild. Players can also choose the behavior of guards in the town, ranging from law-abiding to attacking any players not in the guild on sight. The update is also bringing in a minor change for free-to-play players, limiting free accounts to logging in from one computer per day, which is intended to prevent players from creating free accounts and logging into all of them in short order to boost guild sizes. You can take a look at the full territory control guide on the official site. [Thanks to Dengar for the tip!] Mortal Online details its territory control mechanics originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 04 Sep 2014 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Territory Control Manual

Warlords of Draenor's Robin Williams tribute confirmed Posted: 04 Sep 2014 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Culture, Expansions, MMO Industry, News Items Last month rumors swirled about a possible tribute to the late Robin Williams in this winter's World of Warcraft expansion. WoWhead has now confirmed that a new zone in Warlords of Draenor features an ever-burning interactive lamp which summons a genie who subsequently recites a line that Williams made famous in Aladdin. Data-miners have sussed out additional character models that might end up as Williams homages, as well as a new title -- "Comedian" -- and a large broken egg that could be a Mork & Mindy reference. Williams, an avid gamer and World of Warcraft player, died on August 11th. Warlords of Draenor releases on November 13th. Warlords of Draenor's Robin Williams tribute confirmed originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 04 Sep 2014 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: WoWhead Via: Polygon

Wakfu heads to Steam on September 18th Posted: 04 Sep 2014 01:30 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, News Items, Free-to-Play If you've lamented the fact that Steam currently has a distinct lack of isometric tactical-ish MMORPGs available at the moment, you'll be happy to know that Wakfu is heading to the platform on September 18th. The game is currently in closed testing until September 16th, with no character wipes planned between now and the launch. Closed beta players will receive a special reward in the form of an item inspired by Valve's properties. A thread has been created for the developers to share places where keys are available, for those who want to get in on the Steam testing before it's too late. If you'd rather just wait a little bit until the launch on the 18th, that works too. [Source: Ankama press release] Wakfu heads to Steam on September 18th originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 04 Sep 2014 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Repopulation rolls out open-world housing and tournaments Posted: 04 Sep 2014 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-Fi, Game Mechanics, News Items, Sandbox, Housing, The Repopulation The Repopulation is looking back over its updates through the month of August and letting fans and backers alike know how the game is developing. The biggest addition was the rollout of open world housing in PvE regions; the team has changed how plots are placed to allow players more freedom in choosing locations. City plots will see a similar restructuring for contested regions. More people than before will get to try these changes, as well; the price for early access to the game has been dropped to $100 and all of the Round 1 backers should be invited to the game's test by the coming weekend. Player-created tournaments were also rolled out for testing; while the final version will be available in player-run cities, the current implementation is in a testing instance. The minigame system got its basic implementation, and of course there was the usual array of tweaks, balance changes, and bugfixes. Check out the full update for all of the details if you're watching the game from afar with eager eyes. The Repopulation rolls out open-world housing and tournaments originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 04 Sep 2014 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: End of August 2014 report

Guild Wars 2's trading post is reworked from the ground up Posted: 04 Sep 2014 12:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Economy, Patches, Previews, Guild Wars 2, Buy-to-Play It seems as though you are not really a Guild Wars 2 player until you have had a good rant about the trading post at some point. Those rants might become scarce with this month's patch, as ArenaNet has reworked the game's auction house to be more user friendly. "The first iteration of the trading post didn't do a great job of exposing its offerings to users, and that's something we've worked hard to improve," the team posted in a new features pack dev diary. To facilitate this desire, the team rebuilt the trading post using a new browser engine. The improvments to the trading post include a revamped user interface, faster loading, better browsing and search functions, clearer categories, and a cleaner buy/sell screen. The end result is "an objectively better product" for all users, according to the studio. Guild Wars 2's trading post is reworked from the ground up originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 04 Sep 2014 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Trading post dev blog

Hearthstone announces its sixth season and a new card back Posted: 04 Sep 2014 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, PvP, News Items, Free-to-Play, Miscellaneous, Hearthstone Are you ready for the sixth season of competitive Hearthstone play? Because it's live right now, complete with a new card back for players to show off. This season offers a nautical look with the Pirate back available through September. Players who have hit at least Rank 20 or higher in ranked play mode will be awarded the card back at the end of the month. As in previous months, success in ranked play will earn you bonuses toward the next season, but even if you start at or above Rank 20 this season you'll need to play at least one ranked match to earn the new card back. Fortunately, you have plenty of time to do just that if you want your deck to tell opponents that they'd better buckle their swashes. Hearthstone announces its sixth season and a new card back originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 04 Sep 2014 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Hearthstone September Ranked Play Season

Destiny's live-action trailer and Dust Palace Strike walkthrough Posted: 04 Sep 2014 11:30 AM PDT Filed under: Trailers, Video, Game Mechanics, Previews, News Items, PvE, Dungeons, Destiny, Buy-to-Play We've got two new videos from upcoming sci-fi shooter-MMO Destiny today. The first is the live-action "Become A Legend" trailer from Bungie. The second is from the official PlayStation blog, and it highlights Destiny's three-man level 18 Dust Palace Strike mission, a "long-form, loot-dropping mission" in which players "team up with two friends and take down the Cabal in an ancient ruin on Mars." The replayable, 30-minute mission is exclusive to PlayStation editions until later this fall. Buy-to-play Destiny launches next week for those who have a PS3 and PS4. Catch the videos after the break! Continue reading Destiny's live-action trailer and Dust Palace Strike walkthrough Destiny's live-action trailer and Dust Palace Strike walkthrough originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 04 Sep 2014 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: YouTube, More YouTube

ArcheAge begins open beta with 800 MB patch Posted: 04 Sep 2014 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Patches, Free-to-Play, ArcheAge, Sandbox Why is everyone leaving school and work early today? It's the beginning of ArcheAge's open beta, silly. And coming out ahead of this afternoon's OBT is an 800 megabyte patch full of new features, bug fixes, and preparations for post-launch goodness. The new features with Build 4.7 include a mid-size farm cart, an auto-kick for AFK players, and the auction house. Subscribers get full access to the latter feature, while free players who have never subbed can buy from the auction house but must pay to unlock the ability to post items. There's good news for folks who hoard labor points, as identifying quest rewards no longer requires these. To prep ArcheAge for fast post-launch delivery, the patch also insituted a number of locked features that will be rolled out during later dates. These features include Auroria and Diamond Shores zone functionality, the fishing tournament, arena rankings, submarines, the Red Dragon, and Hasla weapons above tier one. ArcheAge begins open beta with 800 MB patch originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 04 Sep 2014 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Patch notes Via: Junkies Nation

E-thugs are actively attacking Trion's stable of MMOs, ArcheAge open beta 'going forward as planned' Posted: 04 Sep 2014 10:30 AM PDT Filed under: Events (Real-World), MMO Industry, News Items, Legal, RIFT, Miscellaneous, ArcheAge, Defiance, Trove Trion Community Manager Ocho has just posted an announcement to players of RIFT, ArcheAge, Defiance, and Trove that the studio is currently under a denial-of-service attack affecting some game services. He writes, Following last night's ISP maintenance, our overnight team has confirmed a DDOS that is currently aimed at Trion's services. We're actively working with our ISP partners and the authorities on both mitigating its effects and ensuring this group gets caught. Our live games are up and ArcheAge's open beta is going forward as planned. While the attack persists, there may be some effects on network stability and some website unavailability. You also may need to use the Resend Code option for our login security and RIFT's Coin Lock if the email doesn't reach you at first. We'll keep you informed as the situation evolves. If I'm bored of writing about the lame antics of script-kiddies, I'm sure MMO studios are livid about being forced to divert resources to combat them. E-thugs are actively attacking Trion's stable of MMOs, ArcheAge open beta 'going forward as planned' originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 04 Sep 2014 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Forum announcement

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