MMO Updates

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• Hyperspace Beacon: Handling SWTOR Exploits
• Crowfall's first screenshot shows the Knight's character creation
• H1Z1 boasts 150-200 early access servers, including 'carebear' servers
• Final Fantasy XIV drops a trailer for patch 2.5, Before the Fall
• Guild Wars 2's Point of No Return launches today amidst 'Heart of Thorns' expansion rumors
• The Daily Grind: Do you Kickstart MMOs for the donation or the reward?
• Not So Massively: SMITE's tourney, Shadow Realms' do-over, Heroes of the Storm's new mode
• Funcom announces Anima Well Wednesdays for TSW
• Here's a PvP event schedule for Guild Wars 2
• Blade & Soul raid boss looks grumpy at its future prospects
• RuneScape debates auction halls on retro servers
• The Stream Team: Mayhem in Marvel Heroes' March to Axis
• PlanetSide 2 players planning world record attempt for Jan. 24
• Rumor: World of Warcraft may be prepping a free 'veteran' edition
• Blizzard's Overwatch bumps into trademark issues

Hyperspace Beacon: Handling SWTOR Exploits Posted: 13 Jan 2015 09:00 AM PST Filed under: Sci-Fi, Bugs, Game Mechanics, Endgame, Opinion, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Hyperspace Beacon, MMORPG On this week's Hyperspace Beacon, we just have to discuss the exploit issues that have popped up in Star Wars: The Old Republic as of late. Admittedly, the widespread exploit that SWTOR recently experienced wasn't gamebreaking, and it certainly didn't break the economy as exploits in other games have. In fact, I don't even think that a rollback or anything severe was even considered for this particular exploit. However, the community team mentioned some things in its handling of the situation that made me wonder about exploits and cheats that violate the intent of the game designers. I don't know that I will have all the answers in regards to how to handle specific situations, but I really intend for this to be a conversation starter. I want to read your thoughts in the comments. Continue reading Hyperspace Beacon: Handling SWTOR Exploits Hyperspace Beacon: Handling SWTOR Exploits originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 13 Jan 2015 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Crowfall's first screenshot shows the Knight's character creation Posted: 13 Jan 2015 08:30 AM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Galleries, Screenshots, Classes, Crowfall How much can you ascertain from a single screenshot? In the case of Crowfall's first in-game glimpse, perhaps plenty. Creative Director J. Todd Coleman posted Crowfall's first screenshot on the forums today: a snap of the upcoming title's character creation screen. It shows a Knight (one of 12 or more archetypes listed) along with the class' many statistics. These include a few intriguing anomalies such as "warmth conversion" and "life on hit." Coleman said that the numbers are just placeholders for now and that the Knight is "a fully modeled and animated avatar" at this point. He wanted players to get a feel for the Crowfall's art style and interface as well as a hint as to something else: "There is more to this one than meets the eye... the clues are there, for those with a solid design instinct and an eye for detail." Crowfall's first screenshot shows the Knight's character creation originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 13 Jan 2015 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Official forums

H1Z1 boasts 150-200 early access servers, including 'carebear' servers Posted: 13 Jan 2015 08:00 AM PST Filed under: Betas, Horror, Business Models, Events (Real-World), MMO Industry, PvP, News Items, PvE, Humor, Post-Apocalyptic, Sandbox, H1Z1 In preparation for the early access launch of zombiebox H1Z1, SOE's John Smedley has been busy on social media. Over the weekend, he asked Redditors for suggestions for 50 zombie-themed server names. Last night on Twitter, he indicated that the game will have far more servers come Thursday: looking like we'll have 150-200 H1Z1 servers on 1/15. [9:19 PM - 12 Jan 2015] we'll be announcing the distribution of them (i.e. rulesets, etc) in the next day or two. I think people will be happy. [9:19 PM - 12 Jan 2015] even the disgusting PVE carebear servers will be ready day 1. I'm not happy about that but people tell me I need to get over it. [9:20 PM - 12 Jan 2015] Don't worry, PvE players who've been buying SOE MMOs for 16 years. We're sure he didn't mean it! H1Z1 early access launches January 15th. Smed has previously warned players that they should "NOT BUY EARLY ACCESS" if they are hoping for a completely finished game, but given the number of servers, we expect no one is listening to that advice. H1Z1 boasts 150-200 early access servers, including 'carebear' servers originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 13 Jan 2015 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Reddit, Twitter

Final Fantasy XIV drops a trailer for patch 2.5, Before the Fall Posted: 13 Jan 2015 07:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Patches, Previews, Endgame, News Items, Consoles, Final Fantasy XIV, Subscription The final patch before Final Fantasy XIV's first expansion is a week away, and it's got plenty going on, so much that it's being split into three parts. A new trailer for the patch has been unleashed today, showing off bits and pieces of the whole thing but focusing chiefly on the content that will be going live on January 20th. You can view the whole thing just past the break, assuming you have 10 minutes to see all of the various hints and spoilers. Patch 2.5 brings with it more main scenario quests, three new dungeons (Keeper of the Late, Amdapor Keep Hard, and Wanderer's Palace Hard), the World of Darkness raid, a battle against the primal Odin, and a continuation of the Hildibrand storyline. Patch 2.51 is confirmed in the trailer for late February and will include the Manderville Gold Saucer, while part 2 of Before the Fall will wrap up the main scenario and set up the story of Heavensward in late March. Continue reading Final Fantasy XIV drops a trailer for patch 2.5, Before the Fall Final Fantasy XIV drops a trailer for patch 2.5, Before the Fall originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 13 Jan 2015 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: YouTube

Guild Wars 2's Point of No Return launches today amidst 'Heart of Thorns' expansion rumors Posted: 13 Jan 2015 06:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, Patches, News Items, PvE, Guild Wars 2 Last week we showed you the preview vid for Guild Wars 2's latest living story update. Today ArenaNet is publishing the full patch, as Point of the No Return has officially gone live. The firm says that "in addition to bringing the Season 2 storyline to its epic conclusion, Point of No Return delivers new gameplay and access to new treasures." Completing the story will get you the Carapace armor set headgear while fighting the Mordrem Vinewrath gives you a chance to loot the Carapace chest, according to the latest GW2 press release. In other Guild Wars 2 news, thanks to a recent ArenaNet trademark filing, clever Redditors have uncovered what they suspect is the name of the game's rumored expansion: Heart of Thorns. Think they're right? We've included the logo below. [Source: ArenaNet press release] Continue reading Guild Wars 2's Point of No Return launches today amidst 'Heart of Thorns' expansion rumors Guild Wars 2's Point of No Return launches today amidst 'Heart of Thorns' expansion rumors originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 13 Jan 2015 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Daily Grind: Do you Kickstart MMOs for the donation or the reward? Posted: 13 Jan 2015 05:00 AM PST Filed under: Culture, MMO Industry, Opinion, Massively Meta, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous, Crowdfunding I hope it goes without saying in 2015 that Kickstarter really, really isn't an investment; it's a donation. There are no safeties, assurances, or returns on the sums you hand over to indie developers on crowdfunding platforms, even if they promise (without using that word) you a game or a t-shirt at some point. Even with Steam early access games, there's no guarantee you'll ever get the finished product. Some developers take your money, shrug, and move on to the next project, ignoring the comment fury from "backers." That doesn't stop most of us from gambling that the $20 we plunk down now will morph into a $50 game at some point down the road, though, does it? That's how I think of it, anyway, though I've seen some of you folks, particularly the big-spending backers, really become personally and financially invested in a game's development, such that you give way more than you need to to cover the cost of your copy. You're clearly in it for the dream, not the t-shirt or the art book. Let's do a headcount: Do you Kickstart MMOs for the sense of having contributed to an original work of art or for the shiny, tangible reward at the end of your pledge? 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: Do you Kickstart MMOs for the donation or the reward? originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 13 Jan 2015 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Not So Massively: SMITE's tourney, Shadow Realms' do-over, Heroes of the Storm's new mode Posted: 12 Jan 2015 05:00 PM PST Filed under: Betas, Video, Bugs, Business Models, Events (Real-World), Events (In-Game), Game Mechanics, Previews, PvP, News Items, Free-to-Play, MMOFPS, Not So Massively, MOBA, Crowdfunding, Destiny, Elite: Dangerous, Infinite Crisis, Hearthstone, E-sports, OARPG Welcome back to No So Massively, where every Monday we round up the highlights from the past week in the world of MOBAs, roguelikes, MMOTCGs, and other games that aren't quite MMOs. Rumors are swirling about a possible "total reboot" for BioWare's episodic OARPG Shadow Realms. SMITE's world championships closed with half of a $2.6 million prize pool -- the third largest in e-sports history -- awarded to winners Cognitive Prime. SMITE also revealed character Hou Yi and opened Xbox One beta signups. Heroes of the Storm previewed hero league and draft mode, promised new skins and mounts, and posted a Brawl with the Blues event for this coming Wednesday. [Thanks, Dengar.] Valve declared that Dota 2's The International 2015 will take place from August 3rd to 8th in Seattle. Blizzard's Overwatch has already bumped into trademark issues. Hawkgirl arrives in Turbine MOBA Infinite Crisis on January 21st. Both Destiny's latest update and its holiday gift to players were guns. Lots of them. Elite: Dangerous is expanding both its team and its feature set, and it reversed its decision on how to handle the billionaire players created by last week's bug. Elite: Dangerous players also made headlines with their goal to chart out the whole galaxy for science. Blacklight: Retribution's Zombie Studios is shutting down, but the online shooter will live on. Hearthstone posted the winners of its ninth ranked season. Grats to SexyEnvelope. Great name too. MMO guild site Guild Launch rebranded as Gamer Launch in an attempt to target MOBA players. Check out this zombieless fan film honoring DayZ. Another university is adding League of Legends scholarships: Kentucky's University of Pikeville. War Thunder's WW2 Chronicles event series reached its fourth week. MOBA Chaos Heroes Online launched on Steam. Minecraft-like Planets³ is now in pre-alpha for pre-order players. And speaking of Minecraft: Mojang developer Nathan Adams tweeted that almost a million people were playing the blocky sandbox at what he said was a non-peak time on Friday. Continue reading Not So Massively: SMITE's tourney, Shadow Realms' do-over, Heroes of the Storm's new mode Not So Massively: SMITE's tourney, Shadow Realms' do-over, Heroes of the Storm's new mode originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 12 Jan 2015 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Funcom announces Anima Well Wednesdays for TSW Posted: 12 Jan 2015 04:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Horror, Events (In-Game), MMO Industry, News Items, The Secret World Funcom has announced a new Secret World event series called Anima Well Wednesday. What does it entail? It sounds like the content will vary. Community manager Gray "Tomium" Hogan says players can challenge Funcom reps in the fight club, "train 400 mobs to us," or kick back and ask questions of various unnamed guests. To join, send a meet up request to Tomium or Sezmra every Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. EDT. Funcom announces Anima Well Wednesdays for TSW originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 12 Jan 2015 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: AWW

Here's a PvP event schedule for Guild Wars 2 Posted: 12 Jan 2015 03:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Events (In-Game), MMO Industry, PvP, News Items, Guild Wars 2 ArenaNet has given us a heads-up relative to Guild Wars 2's near-future PvP events. Global events go down every Sunday, whereas North America gets a weekly 2v2 shindig each Tuesday. If neither of those days work for you, hit up the full announcement post because there's basically something PvP-related happening in GW2 all week long. Here's a PvP event schedule for Guild Wars 2 originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 12 Jan 2015 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: PvP schedule

Blade & Soul raid boss looks grumpy at its future prospects Posted: 12 Jan 2015 02:00 PM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Free-to-Play, Blade & Soul, Dungeons Blade & Soul will soon have a new 24-person raid boss to fight, and if a teased poster is any indication, the big bad doesn't look happy at being at the bottom of a pile-on. However, it does look competent, as evidenced by all of the dead bodies at its feet. MMO Culture reports that the raid will be tailored to include the upcoming Warlock class, although there are no other details or specifics to absorb at the moment. Until we know more, content yourself to gaze into the eyes of madness after the break and know that this beast holds the key to all of your loot dreams... at least if you're in Korea. The rest of us are still impatiently awaiting the game in the West. Continue reading Blade & Soul raid boss looks grumpy at its future prospects Blade & Soul raid boss looks grumpy at its future prospects originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 12 Jan 2015 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: MMO Culture

RuneScape debates auction halls on retro servers Posted: 12 Jan 2015 01:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Culture, News Items, RuneScape, Free-to-Play, Browser The old school servers for RuneScape are something of a community experiment. Yes, the servers are meant to keep a classic feeling alive alongside the modern game, but they're also meant to be fun for the players. This is why the developers have opened up a thread for discussing whether or not to bring the Grand Exchange on to the old school servers, with a detailed explanation of the potential benefits and drawbacks. Some of the features available in the Grand Exchange on the "main" version of the game would not necessarily be available on the old school site due to technical limitations. It would, however, replace the Trading Post while still leaving the game's normal trade interface untouched. If you're an old school gamer who wants to sound off on the matter, take a look at the thread and figure out what would best serve the community. That's why it's up for discussion, after all. RuneScape debates auction halls on retro servers originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 12 Jan 2015 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: The Grand Exchange

The Stream Team: Mayhem in Marvel Heroes' March to Axis Posted: 12 Jan 2015 12:00 PM PST Filed under: Super-hero, Video, Marvel Heroes, Livestream, The Stream Team Marvel Heroes has plenty of things planned for 2015; Hulk's review is coming up quick, and Winter Soldier will soon join the lineup. That means Massively's MJ needs to get some time in on her favorites before she's seduced away by even more heroes and villains! And luckily for her, there was a new One-Shot released recently that she can dive into. MJ will be jumping back on either Rogue or Storm to collect some loot during Midtown Madness as well as strike a blow against Hydra in One-Shot: March to Axis. Join us live at 3:00 p.m. for MJ's latest caped crusades. Game: Marvel Heroes Host: MJ Guthrie Date: Monday, January 12th, 2015 Time: 3:00 p.m. EST Enjoy our Stream Team video below. Continue reading The Stream Team: Mayhem in Marvel Heroes' March to Axis The Stream Team: Mayhem in Marvel Heroes' March to Axis originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 12 Jan 2015 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

PlanetSide 2 players planning world record attempt for Jan. 24 Posted: 12 Jan 2015 11:30 AM PST Filed under: Sci-Fi, Culture, Events (In-Game), MMO Industry, PvP, News Items, MMOFPS, PlanetSide 2 PlanetSide 2 players are trying to beat the Guinness world record for the largest number of gamers simultaneously in a single instance of an online FPS. That's kind of a mouthful, isn't it? In any event, organizers have taken to the PS2 forums and are planning to pull 1,100 players together on the Jaeger server on January 24th. PlanetSide 2 players planning world record attempt for Jan. 24 originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 12 Jan 2015 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: PS2 forums Via: PCG

Rumor: World of Warcraft may be prepping a free 'veteran' edition Posted: 12 Jan 2015 11:00 AM PST Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Business Models, Free-to-Play, Rumors, Subscription World of Warcraft dataminers, while diving into the piles of information for the upcoming Patch 6.1, may have found game-changing evidence that the title is preparing a new free-to-play option. The data files include several references to a "Veteran Edition," in a similar fashion to the already-existing Trial Edition, which allows players to level to 20 for free. The Veteran Edition has several limitations listed, including a level cap, money cap, and chat channel restrictions. There's a lot of speculation going on right now as to whether or not the Veteran Edition will happen, and if it does what it will entail. MMO blogger Superior Realities theorizes that WoW will allow subscription-lapsed accounts to continue playing with the above restrictions. [Thanks to Tyler for the tip!] Rumor: World of Warcraft may be prepping a free 'veteran' edition originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 12 Jan 2015 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: MMO Champion, Superior Realities

Blizzard's Overwatch bumps into trademark issues Posted: 12 Jan 2015 10:00 AM PST Filed under: Sci-Fi, Super-hero, MMO Industry, News Items, Legal, Miscellaneous, Overwatch Remember when no one knew what Overwatch was and we were all speculating it was some sort of expansion based on the fact that the trademark had been filed? Oh, it was a more innocent time. Unfortunately for that trademark, it might be having a little bit of a problem after all, as it has come to light that another company filed an earlier claim for the trademark that would supersede Blizzard's use of the name due to likelihood of confusion. The trademark that has already been filed is for an app that can be used to provide enhanced functionality for paintball matches, laser tag matches, and the like. Both trademark applications are currently suspended pending investigations, so it remains to be seen whether Blizzard will be pushing forward or will change the name of the game to something legally different. Like Oversupervise, for instance. Blizzard's Overwatch bumps into trademark issues originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 12 Jan 2015 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: US Patent and Trademark Office, NeoGAF summary Via: VG24/7

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