MMO Updates

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• Choose My Adventure: A bit of TERA sightseeing
• Wings Over Atreia: Aion entices returning players, removes reviled manastone mechanic
• Blizzard has begun selling Heroes of the Storm Founder's Packs
• Elder Scrolls Online to nuke subs ahead of June 9th console launch
• H1Z1 suffers overnight downtime, whispers of server wipes [Updated]
• The Daily Grind: What's the worst-designed MMO city?
• World of Warships gets carriers, weekend beta event
• Global Chat: Guild Wars 2's economy is broken
• Trove unveils a trailer for the Ice Sage class
• Make your own MMO with Atavism, now on Steam
• Sky castles and a gun-using class coming to TERA in 2015
• CCP talks new EVE destroyer, cash shop SKINs
• Euro Star Citizen fans getting local support, VAT
• The Crew gets some new DLC
• Massively Speaking Episode 330: Ehtch won zee won
• Check out Black Desert's renamed Tamer class in quick combat trailer
• Neverwinter: Elemental Evil bringing the Paladin, higher level cap
• Crowfall teases fealty system, ad/disad mechanics
• Path of Exile unholsters the banhammer for cheaters
• Nine questions for PlanetSide 2's PlayStation 4 closed beta

Choose My Adventure: A bit of TERA sightseeing Posted: 21 Jan 2015 09:30 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Polls, Expansions, PvE, Free-to-Play, Hands-On, Choose My Adventure, TERA, MMORPG There's no question that TERA is one of the most beautiful MMOs on the market. Its open world features gorgeous terrain, cool set pieces, and lots of variation for the screenshot-obsessed. So when Choose My Adventure's voters elected to send me exploring last week, I was more than happy to oblige. I wouldn't accomplish much Fate of Arun stuff, but at least I'd get to see some sights! I also, somehow, learned a bit more about the Warrior class and how to effectively deploy it in combat. It's been a long, hard crawl, but I think I'm finally starting to get the hang of my combo abilities and my evasion techniques. I'm definitely dying less and even occasionally having moments when I feel totally in control of the actions my character is taking and the reasoning behind them. I almost feel... good. Until the next BAM smacks me down, of course. Continue reading Choose My Adventure: A bit of TERA sightseeing Choose My Adventure: A bit of TERA sightseeing originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 21 Jan 2015 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Wings Over Atreia: Aion entices returning players, removes reviled manastone mechanic Posted: 21 Jan 2015 09:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Aion, Events (In-Game), Game Mechanics, Opinion, Free-to-Play, Wings Over Atreia If you haven't checked back into Aion in a while, now might be the time to start plotting your return. Next week NCsoft is introducing a special new experience for those who have been away from the game for more than 30 days; it includes special zones called Abbeys that provide exclusive bonuses as well as quests and gear upgrades. Even better, if one of the reasons you left was the frustration involved in losing all your equipment's manastones when you failed to socket a final stone, you'll be even happier to learn that that particular mechanic is being removed from the game! That's right: Aion players will no longer risk losing already successfully socketed manastones when trying to put another one in (a much needed change that I championed years ago!). We've got the scoop on these new changes from Associate Product Manager Sean Orlikowski -- along with news of an upcoming Shugo event instance and the breakthrough system that raises enchantment levels -- in this special return of Wings Over Atreia. Continue reading Wings Over Atreia: Aion entices returning players, removes reviled manastone mechanic Wings Over Atreia: Aion entices returning players, removes reviled manastone mechanic originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 21 Jan 2015 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Blizzard has begun selling Heroes of the Storm Founder's Packs Posted: 21 Jan 2015 08:00 AM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Trailers, Video, News Items, Free-to-Play If there's any company in the world that could launch a new MOBA title without needing to sell founder's packs, it would probably be Blizzard. But we'll ever know beyond the dark realms of speculation, of course, because sales have already started on the founder's packs for Heroes of the Storm. And yes, that pack includes access to the current closed beta, if its $39.99 price tag didn't already create that implication in your mind. Aside from beta access, the pack includes three heroes: Tyrande, Diablo, and Raynor, each with an alternate skin. Diablo gets to look fishy, Tyrande gets to look like a Blood Elf, and Raynor takes all of that high-powered armor off (which seems like a bad idea on a battlefield, but I guess that's why I'm not a space marine). You also get a mechanical golden wolf mount to ride around on the battlefield and 2500 gold for the game, which is more than enough money to buy anything that costs less than 2500 gold. Check out the pack trailer just past the break. [Thanks to Siphaed, deathandtexas, and Vincynt for the tip!] Continue reading Blizzard has begun selling Heroes of the Storm Founder's Packs Blizzard has begun selling Heroes of the Storm Founder's Packs originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 21 Jan 2015 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Founder's Pack

Elder Scrolls Online to nuke subs ahead of June 9th console launch Posted: 21 Jan 2015 07:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Business Models, Events (Real-World), Launches, News Items, Consoles, The Elder Scrolls Online, Buy-to-Play ZeniMax has this morning formally announced what the internet has been suspecting for months: The Elder Scrolls is going buy-to-play and dropping its required monthly subscription on March 17th for PC players, the same deal that will go live on June 9th for console players when it launches on PS4 and Xbox One. Rebranded as The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited, ESO will still have an optional premium subscription membership called ESO Plus, which will provide "exclusive in-game bonuses, a monthly allotment of crowns to use in the store and access to all DLC game packs." The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited includes all the great gameplay from the original PC/Mac game, plus all the updates and content additions, including the exciting new Justice and Champion systems. All existing PC/Mac game accounts, open or closed, will be updated to the Tamriel Unlimited edition in March and former players will be invited back to the game at that time to experience all that is new in the world. New players will make a one-time purchase of the game and play, without restrictions, for as long as they like - without game subscription fees. Tamriel Unlimited will be supported with special, optional downloadable content available for purchase and an in-game Crown Store for convenience and customization items. Regular updates and new gameplay will be offered to all players to enjoy free of additional charges. The studio will host a livestream at noon EST today to further explain the announcement, but for now, you'll have to be contented with The Confrontation cinematic trailer -- that, and your smug satisfaction if this announcement validated your own hunch. Continue reading Elder Scrolls Online to nuke subs ahead of June 9th console launch Elder Scrolls Online to nuke subs ahead of June 9th console launch originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 21 Jan 2015 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Bethesda

H1Z1 suffers overnight downtime, whispers of server wipes [Updated] Posted: 21 Jan 2015 06:00 AM PST Filed under: Betas, Horror, Bugs, News Items, Post-Apocalyptic, Miscellaneous, Buy-to-Play, H1Z1 It's not an easy time to be playing H1Z1 right now, especially since you sort of can't. The game's servers went down last night for a quick fix, according to Sony Online Entertainment president John Smedley; they've been down since, with players getting increasingly vocal and anxious about what comes next. No further updates have come from the company after Smedley's assurance that there are issues to be fixed that cannot be solved simply by rolling back to the previous patch. Once players can get back in to the game, there may very well be a server wipe greeting them (a possibility suggested by the technical director), although perks like tickets, crates, and cosmetic recipes will not be lost in the event of a server wipe. SOE has promised to give plenty of notice before taking such drastic measures. Players are divided on whether this is a good thing or not, although widespread reports of item duping sit at the root of the issue. There's still no ETA on when the servers will be back online or what will be fixed when they come back up, but players could be looking at a very different environment. [Update: Servers appear to be up again now. SOE has said that the promised European servers are still incoming: "getting MORE servers, still calculating what we can fit."] H1Z1 suffers overnight downtime, whispers of server wipes [Updated] originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 21 Jan 2015 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Wipe request/Dupe reports, Wipe discussion thread, Server wipe necessity Via: Eurogamer

The Daily Grind: What's the worst-designed MMO city? Posted: 21 Jan 2015 05:00 AM PST Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous One of my personal pet peeves in any roleplaying game is to have to navigate around an overly large city. I guess I'm just not a city guy at heart. But that annoyance is doubly so for any video game metropolis that suffers from poor design. I can name several examples, although today World of Warcraft's Undercity springs to mind. While delightfully atmospheric, it was nevertheless a pain in the tuckus to traverse. There were too many elevators, vertical space, and long, long runs around the outer circle, all of which kept me away if I could help it. What do you think is the worst-designed MMO city and why? 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's the worst-designed MMO city? originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 21 Jan 2015 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

World of Warships gets carriers, weekend beta event Posted: 20 Jan 2015 06:00 PM PST Filed under: Betas, Historical, Trailers, Video, Classes, Events (In-Game), Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, PvP, News Items, War, World of Warships Wargaming has officially introduced the aircraft carrier to World of Warships. The class launch brings the total number of playable warship types to four including the destroyer, the cruiser, and the battleship. "Aircraft carriers offer a unique angle to combat, delivering RTS-style gameplay and the ability to launch three types of warplane squadrons (fighters, dive bombers, and torpedo bombers) against any opponent," the company says. In other WoWS news, Wargaming is planning a three-day testing event called Wings Over Water. It starts on January 23rd and runs through the 25th. Click here to sign up, and don't forget to watch the trailer after the cut! Continue reading World of Warships gets carriers, weekend beta event World of Warships gets carriers, weekend beta event originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 20 Jan 2015 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Wings Over Water

Global Chat: Guild Wars 2's economy is broken Posted: 20 Jan 2015 05:00 PM PST Filed under: EverQuest II, Culture, Opinion, Guild Wars 2, Global Chat, Miscellaneous, The Repopulation, Elite: Dangerous Guild Wars 2's economy remains a hot-button issue even two-and-a-half years after its release. In this week's exploration of the blogosphere, one writer pulls out all the stops to let you know what's broken about this MMO's economy -- and how it can be fixed. In addition to this thoughtful read, Global Chat will hear some snark on silly hotbar icons, pontificate about poor MMO names, deliver The Repopulation first impressions, and invite you to participate in a grand MUD experiment. Let's get going! Continue reading Global Chat: Guild Wars 2's economy is broken Global Chat: Guild Wars 2's economy is broken originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 20 Jan 2015 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Trove unveils a trailer for the Ice Sage class Posted: 20 Jan 2015 04:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Classes, News Items, Free-to-Play, Sandbox, Trove We understand what you're worried about, dear readers, so allow us to reassure you. In the trailer past the cut, there are no references to an animated film from the Disney corporation about cold. There are also only two ice puns, and they're "puns" only by the most generous definition of the term. More like ice-related references for Trove's Ice Sage. Of course, part of the reason for this is probably the fact that the trailer lasts a grand total of thirty seconds, so there wasn't all that much time for ice-based humor. But if you want to see the class in action, you can do so, and isn't that what you're really after? Glad to hear it. Jump on past the break and chill out. Continue reading Trove unveils a trailer for the Ice Sage class Trove unveils a trailer for the Ice Sage class originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 20 Jan 2015 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: YouTube

Make your own MMO with Atavism, now on Steam Posted: 20 Jan 2015 03:30 PM PST Filed under: MMO Industry, News Items Think you can do better than all the MMO devs currently making games for a living? Have at it with Atavism, a new make-your-own MMO development environment based on Unity and now available via Steam. "Atavism allows game designers to focus on making their game and to not worry about programming," says Neojac CEO Jacques Rossouw in a new press release. "In fact many of our clients have been able to have a prototype within a matter of weeks. You don't need to have a million dollar budget any more to develop an MMO game. Our team, along with Unity, has already done most of the heavy lifting with pre-designed plugins for every system. All you need to do is setup what stats you want to use with them." Neojac is building its own MMORPG called Neo's Land using the Atavism toolset. Make your own MMO with Atavism, now on Steam originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 20 Jan 2015 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Steam

Sky castles and a gun-using class coming to TERA in 2015 Posted: 20 Jan 2015 03:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Classes, Previews, PvP, Free-to-Play, TERA, Dungeons Peer into the ball, strange bear thing with a skull cowboy hat, and tell us what future TERA holds. Or better yet, we could just read the brand-new producer's letter with all sorts of spoilers about the coming year! But the ball, that's cool too. The team is gearing up for an ambitious 2015, if this letter is any indication. Plans for February include sky castles for guilds, the Sky Cruiser Endeavor dungeon, and a 5v5 version of Champions' Skyring. Past that, TERA will host more frequent small events, a community costume design contest, the opening of the Dreadspire, and a brand new "gun-toting" class. Finally, the team promises to be better about talking to its playerbase. "As for our communication of the process -- yes, it has to get better, and it'll start with me," Producer Treeshark said. Sky castles and a gun-using class coming to TERA in 2015 originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 20 Jan 2015 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Producer's letter

CCP talks new EVE destroyer, cash shop SKINs Posted: 20 Jan 2015 02:30 PM PST Filed under: Sci-Fi, EVE Online, Business Models, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, PvP, News Items, Sandbox CCP released a pair of EVE dev blogs today, one of which focuses on a new tactical destroyer slated for February's Tiamat release. The other entry concerns ship painting, and more specifically Super Kerr-Induced Nanocoatings, or SKINs, if you prefer. SKINs differ from the paint jobs currently populating EVE's cash shop in that they function as "a license to use a specific design or pattern for a ship. You then apply that license to your character and then your character will be licensed to use that design whenever you wish," according to the blog. For now, CCP says, SKINs are permanent and cannot be lost even if you're podded. CCP talks new EVE destroyer, cash shop SKINs originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 20 Jan 2015 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: SKINs

Euro Star Citizen fans getting local support, VAT Posted: 20 Jan 2015 02:00 PM PST Filed under: Sci-Fi, Business Models, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Sandbox, Star Citizen Are you a Star Citizen fan based in Europe? If so I've got good news and bad news. The good news is that Cloud Imperium is opening a "publishing arm" in the UK and thus will provide local customer support. The bad news is that Euro customers will be subject to the VAT beginning on February 1st. "We wish there were an alternative to charging the tax, but also believe that it is in our best interest to expand Star Citizen's footprint to a part of the world that has proven to be truly passionate about space games," CIG explains on its website. Euro Star Citizen fans getting local support, VAT originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 20 Jan 2015 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: CIG Via: VG247

The Crew gets some new DLC Posted: 20 Jan 2015 01:30 PM PST Filed under: Trailers, Video, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, News Items The Crew -- you know, that online racing thing that Ubisoft launched late last year -- has just published something called an "extreme live update." I've spared you the capital letters in the press release, but rest assured that the devs think highly of this new drop that features four additional missions and unlockable tuning specs. Ubi has also announced a DLC consisting of three new cars: the Aston Martin V12 Zagato, an SRT Viper GTS, and the Abarth 500. Don't forget the teaser video embedded after the break. [Source: Ubisoft press release] Continue reading The Crew gets some new DLC The Crew gets some new DLC originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 20 Jan 2015 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Massively Speaking Episode 330: Ehtch won zee won Posted: 20 Jan 2015 01:00 PM PST Filed under: Podcasts, MMO Industry, News Items, Massively Meta, Massively Speaking No matter where you looked this week, something big was going on. Whether it was the early release of a certain zombie MMO, strong rumors of a thorny expansion, or hints that other titles may be offering free versions in the future, the news kept our team hopping and will keep our podcasters today talkin'! 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 330: Ehtch won zee won Massively Speaking Episode 330: Ehtch won zee won originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 20 Jan 2015 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Check out Black Desert's renamed Tamer class in quick combat trailer Posted: 20 Jan 2015 12:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Classes, News Items, Sandbox, Black Desert Black Desert fans already knew that a Tamer class was heading into the game; today that class is available to play on the Korean servers under the new name of Beast Master. As the name would suggest, the Beast Master class utilizes summoned magical beasts during battle and has a close-to mid-range fighting style; the skills available will be dependent on whether or not the player is fighting alongside her pet or is mounted during the battle. If you want a quick peek at how the Beast Master plays, check out the class combat trailer below. Continue reading Check out Black Desert's renamed Tamer class in quick combat trailer Check out Black Desert's renamed Tamer class in quick combat trailer originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 20 Jan 2015 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Black Desert January 20th update, Black Desert special event Via: MMOCulture

Neverwinter: Elemental Evil bringing the Paladin, higher level cap Posted: 20 Jan 2015 11:30 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Patches, Previews, Free-to-Play, Neverwinter, Housing Elements are the "in" thing for 2015, especially in the Dungeons & Dragons universe. First we found out that DDO will be implementing the Temple of Elemental Evil this year, and now we've gotten word that Neverwinter's newest module will be called Elemental Evil (it's no coincidence; both titles have a relationship with Wizards of the Coast, who likes to do these tie-ins). This module will be a significant one when it comes early this year. Elemental Evil will add a new class to the game, the Paladin, and increase the level cap from 60 to 70. The increased level cap means more skills and quests for all eight classes. Cryptic also announced that future updates in 2015 for Neverwinter will include the player guild housing Strongholds system, the Xbox One launch, and the arrival of popular D&D characters. [Source: Cryptic press release] Neverwinter: Elemental Evil bringing the Paladin, higher level cap originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 20 Jan 2015 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Crowfall teases fealty system, ad/disad mechanics Posted: 20 Jan 2015 11:00 AM PST Filed under: Screenshots, Game Mechanics, Previews, PvP, News Items, Crowfall Upcoming MMO Crowfall is rolling out new teases this week, including some concept art of guild banners and a screenshot of character creation, which suggests an advantage/disadvantage system no doubt intended to tug the heartstrings of former Shadowbane players. But what has our attention is the newly unveiled fealty chart, which definitely whisks Shadowbane or Asheron's Call immediately to mind. "This isn't a guild org chart," Crowfall's J. Todd Coleman cautions. "We support guilds (and guild structures) but we've laid a different system on top of that, which ties player fealty directly to land ownership. More on that system, and how it ties to siege conquest, will be coming soon." Coleman promises "a more substantial update coming later this week." We've included all three images below. Continue reading Crowfall teases fealty system, ad/disad mechanics Crowfall teases fealty system, ad/disad mechanics originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 20 Jan 2015 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Dev forum post

Path of Exile unholsters the banhammer for cheaters Posted: 20 Jan 2015 10:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Culture, Game Mechanics, News Items, Free-to-Play, Path of Exile The team behind Path of Exile has been pretty forgiving up to this point. Players have been a bit more commonly warned that there will be penalties if they're cheating. But that's over now. The latest race season has finished, and players who were found to have cheated have been given a grand total of no rewards even if they were technically eligible. Nearly 4,000 players will log in to find a warning to disable any cheats they have running before they get banned. From this point forward, any incidents with cheating software will result in a ban, end of discussion. This is true even if the player in question argues that the cheat was being used for quality-of-life purposes; those issues will be addressed in the future and don't justify cheating. Players are reminded that they are allowed to run tools that don't require the client to be running and single-action hotkeys without a problem, so don't worry about being punished just for having Fraps in the background. Just... don't cheat. Path of Exile unholsters the banhammer for cheaters originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 20 Jan 2015 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Race Season Prizes and Cheating

Nine questions for PlanetSide 2's PlayStation 4 closed beta Posted: 20 Jan 2015 09:30 AM PST Filed under: Betas, Sci-Fi, Interviews, Free-to-Play, MMOFPS, PlanetSide 2 Today, PlanetSide 2 has taken another large step for gamerkind by embarking on the closed beta test for its PlayStation 4 version. To help clarify the process of bringing this sci-fi shooter to this console, we sat down with SOE Executive Producer Clint Worley and peppered him with nine eight vital questions. Massively: Can you go into some of the logistics of adapting PlanetSide 2 to the PlayStation 4? Clint Worley: PlanetSide 2 has its own identity, and it is important for us to stay true to that, even on the PS4. Our main focus has been on a redesigned user interface that makes navigation easier for players using the Dualshock 4 controller. Player customization, navigation, and organization are all critical elements that require intuitive controls. The team has done a few passes on the user interface, and now it is time to get it in front of the players. We are looking forward to getting player feedback and tuning the experience for the launch of the game. Continue reading Nine questions for PlanetSide 2's PlayStation 4 closed beta Nine questions for PlanetSide 2's PlayStation 4 closed beta originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 20 Jan 2015 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

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