MMO Updates

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• Hyperspace Beacon: Examining SWTOR's producer letter
• World of Warcraft adds selfie support
• Guild Wars 2 is replacing its trait unlock system
• Frontier lays off 15 employees
• The Daily Grind: Are there any MMO dailies that don't make you cringe?
• Not So Massively: The pseudo-MMOs of PAX South 2015
• The Stream Team: This Marvel Heroes event is for the cows
• PAX South 2015: Pox Nora is the coolest online card game you've never heard of
• Star Trek Online starts its fifth anniversary celebration
• World of Warcraft unleashes its full patch 6.1 patch notes
• Here's how to steal from NPCs in Elder Scrolls Online
• PAX South 2015: Life is Feudal revives the good ol' MMO feel
• PlanetSide 2 smashes world record for biggest FPS battle

Hyperspace Beacon: Examining SWTOR's producer letter Posted: 27 Jan 2015 09:00 AM PST Filed under: Sci-Fi, Events (Real-World), PvP, Opinion, Free-to-Play, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Hyperspace Beacon, MMORPG At the community cantina that Star Wars: The Old Republic held this past weekend at PAX South, community manager Eric Musco said that the community team was going to do something different in 2015 during the cantinas. He said that he wanted to reveal some tidbit at each and every event. And this cantina yielded us an early look at Producer Bruce Maclean's roadmap letter to the community. In the letter, he talks about where the SWTOR story will take us, what's on the horizon for flashpoints, personal stories, planets, and the outfit designer. But what is all this new stuff, and should it get people excited about the coming year? Unfortunately, there is no easy answer for that. If you play for similar reasons as I do, then there is plenty to be excited about. However, there are certain players, like PvPers, who might be a little frustrated by what they are seeing and not seeing in the letter. Continue reading Hyperspace Beacon: Examining SWTOR's producer letter Hyperspace Beacon: Examining SWTOR's producer letter originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 27 Jan 2015 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

World of Warcraft adds selfie support Posted: 27 Jan 2015 08:00 AM PST Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Culture, Patches, News Items, Humor, Subscription Were you afraid that with the addition of Twitter support in the next World of Warcraft patch you would be deprived of the joy that is taking selfies in-game? Worry no longer. The addition of the S.E.L.F.I.E. camera in patch 6.1 ensures that you can indeed log in, find a nice view, and then duckface at the camera before shooting off a character picture for all of your devoted followers. It's the best thing in the expansion so far. Grabbing the item requires nothing more than a rare follower mission with no significant bells or whistles, with another upgrade mission available to pick up a set of various filters for the camera. Our sister site has a guide to making use of the new device, along with the requisite speculation that it will tie more directly into the Twitter integration. That feature isn't currently enabled, but it can't be coincidence that the new camera arrived at the same time, can it? World of Warcraft adds selfie support originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 27 Jan 2015 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: WoW Insider

Guild Wars 2 is replacing its trait unlock system Posted: 27 Jan 2015 07:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Expansions, News Items, Guild Wars 2, Buy-to-Play Do you like the current unlocking system for traits in Guild Wars 2? If you don't, you're in good company; very few people actually like it. The good news, at least, is that it doesn't appear that it's going to be a problem in the near future. Game director Colin Johanson spoke out recently on the game's forums stating that the pending release of Heart of Thorns gave the team more freedom for discussing future plans and core gameplay changes. With the inclusions of specializations and account-wide masteries, the existing trait system is going to be replaced by a simpler system to ensure that progress and advancement is where the development team wants it for all Guild Wars 2 characters. More updates on how the system will work are promised as the release draws closer, but if you don't like the existing system, you can at least take heart that it's going to be gone before too much longer. Guild Wars 2 is replacing its trait unlock system originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 27 Jan 2015 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: GW2 Forums Via: Dulfy

Frontier lays off 15 employees Posted: 27 Jan 2015 06:00 AM PST Filed under: Sci-Fi, MMO Industry, News Items, Sandbox, Elite: Dangerous, Buy-to-Play Frontier Developments has axed 15 positions from its Halifax studio somewhat unexpectedly, leaving this branch of the overall studio with a somewhat hazy future. According to investor reports, the move is the result of a refocusing of the company's business plan around its two major games, and with all of the expertise on Elite: Dangerous and the upcoming Coaster Park Tycoon concentrated in Cambridge, it simply made more sense to reduce staff in the satellite studio. No word on what this means for the long-term health of the Halifax location, which may very well be facing the axe as well. Our deep consolation goes to all employees affected by the layoffs. Frontier lays off 15 employees originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 27 Jan 2015 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Gamasutra, Gamepolitics

The Daily Grind: Are there any MMO dailies that don't make you cringe? Posted: 27 Jan 2015 05:00 AM PST Filed under: Business Models, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, Opinion, Massively Meta, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous You know what I don't think MMOs need more of? Dailies. I think most core MMO gamers are tired of a mechanic that exists, transparently and unashamedly, to keep us completing repetitive tasks on a daily basis and keep us logging in, and in some cases, paying our subs. Even a well-constructed daily achievement system and totally benign daily login rewards can be irritating. But out on the fringes of the MMO space, gamers are just discovering the allure of the daily. VG247 pubbed an editorial last week arguing that GTA Online ought to copy -- wait for it -- Destiny's "intrinsic" dailies and rewards; without them, the writer opined, players are "reminded that the grind is most certainly real." Call me jaded, but I say themepark dailies are usually just as grindy as whatever formless grind they're meant to replace, and I suspect the players who need something to do at the "end" of online co-op shooters would probably be happier with a sandboxier MMORPG to begin with. But surely there's some sort of dailies that we do like. Are there any MMO dailies that don't make you cringe? Which game can boast the best? (And can we tell GTA Online to copy those, please?) 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: Are there any MMO dailies that don't make you cringe? originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 27 Jan 2015 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Not So Massively: The pseudo-MMOs of PAX South 2015 Posted: 26 Jan 2015 06:00 PM PST Filed under: Betas, Trailers, Video, Business Models, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Free-to-Play, Massively Meta, Trading Card Games, Consoles, MMOFPS, Events (Massively's Coverage), Miscellaneous, Not So Massively, World of Warships, MOBA, League of Legends, Crowdfunding, Destiny, Elite: Dangerous, Path of Exile, 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. This past weekend was PAX South 2015, the first PAX held in San Antonio, and our reporters covered not-so-massive online games in addition to MMORPGs, including Star Citizen, Elite: Dangerous, Shroud of the Avatar, Gigantic, Moonrise and State of Decay, Pox Nora, and TUG. Here's what else the week brought not-so-massive fans. Jef took a look at sandbox Space Engineers for MMO Burnout. League of Legends' 2015 World Championship will be held in Europe. Marvel Heroes kicked off a cow-themed promotion and opened pre-orders for the Winter Soldier. DayZ has now sold over 3 million early access copies. Elite: Dangerous' February patch will focus on "new type of story-driven collaborative content." Heroes of Newerth is adding a new quest system and game mode. Path of Exile threatened cheaters with the banhammer. The Crew announced a new three-car DLC bundle. TUG implemented multiplayer. World of Warships now has aircraft carriers. Borderlands Online posted a trailer in time for its Chinese technical test. My.com released a new World of Speed trailer (it's after the cut). Heroes in the Sky is yet another WWII arcade battler. Shards of War introduced a new playable sentinel named Patches. League of Legends new Nemesis Draft mode is not going well. Destiny's getting a new PvP mode. Hearthstone's January 2015 ranked play season is drawing to a close. The "Wyrmius" minigame arrived in Warframe. Nosgoth landed in open beta. MOBA The Witcher: Battle Arena launched on mobile. A town in the Philippines banned Dota following a fatal stabbing over the game. Continue reading Not So Massively: The pseudo-MMOs of PAX South 2015 Not So Massively: The pseudo-MMOs of PAX South 2015 originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 26 Jan 2015 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Stream Team: This Marvel Heroes event is for the cows Posted: 26 Jan 2015 05:00 PM PST Filed under: Super-hero, Video, Events (In-Game), Free-to-Play, Marvel Heroes, Livestream, The Stream Team Anyone who has played Marvel Heroes for more than 30 minutes knows that this game is big on events because there is always an event going on! And the latest event has really gone to the cows. That's right, cows: many, many cows. Having never been to Bovenheim before, Massively's MJ ventured forth this weekend with other Minions to see what all the heifer hoopla was about. It's no joke when the first explamation heard upon entering was, 'Holy cow!" You seriously have to see this place to believe it. So join MJ and the Minions at 8:00 p.m. for their second trip into the land of moo, moo, quack? Game: Marvel Heroes Host: MJ Guthrie Date: Monday, January 26th, 2015 Time: 8:00 p.m. EST Enjoy our Stream Team video below. Continue reading The Stream Team: This Marvel Heroes event is for the cows The Stream Team: This Marvel Heroes event is for the cows originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 26 Jan 2015 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

PAX South 2015: Pox Nora is the coolest online card game you've never heard of Posted: 26 Jan 2015 04:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Events (Real-World), Expansions, Interviews, PvP, PvE, Free-to-Play, Hands-On, Trading Card Games, Events (Massively's Coverage) Pox Nora is a game that's hard to categorize. It's like Hearthstone, you see, because it's an online card game. But it's also like Civilization because it uses turn-based combat on a variety of maps with terrain that affects the battle. And maybe it's like Minecraft as well because it was built by a tiny team and developed incrementally through the feedback of a passionate fan base. Pox Nora was free-to-play before free-to-play was a thing. It's gone from tiny little indie to SOE-backed product and back again. And through its eight years, it's managed to fly quietly under the radar while its developers continually churn out content, implement community ideas, and expand its possibilities. At PAX South over the weekend, I sat down with Arthur Griffith, CEO of Desert Owl Games and co-creator of Pox Nora, to learn more about the game and its latest content additions. Continue reading PAX South 2015: Pox Nora is the coolest online card game you've never heard of PAX South 2015: Pox Nora is the coolest online card game you've never heard of originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 26 Jan 2015 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Star Trek Online starts its fifth anniversary celebration Posted: 26 Jan 2015 02:00 PM PST Filed under: Sci-Fi, Events (In-Game), Patches, Star Trek Online, Free-to-Play, Giveaways, Anniversaries It was five years ago February 2nd that Star Trek Online came mewing into the MMO world, bringing with it final frontiers, infinite diversity, and canon-approved lockboxes. Cryptic's so excited to share this milestone that it's starting the celebrations a little early with a daily giveaway from today through Thursday, beginning with a free research and development pack. The real special treat is more than just casual freebies, however. The team's introducing a brand-new featured episode, Dust to Dust, starring Garrett Wang as Harry Kim. Q is also returning with his annual events, although this time around he's adding an Omega Particle minigame to the mix. Completing both the featured episode and Q events will earn tokens to spend on various rewards (including a Kobali Samsar Cruiser) and fragments that can be assembled for an Omega upgrade kits. Star Trek Online starts its fifth anniversary celebration originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 26 Jan 2015 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Anniversary giveaway, Fifth anniversary

World of Warcraft unleashes its full patch 6.1 patch notes Posted: 26 Jan 2015 01:00 PM PST Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Classes, Game Mechanics, Patches, News Items, Subscription The first major patch for World of Warcraft's latest expansion is here! If by "here" you mean "on the test realm," anyhow. So not here at all. The opposite of here; still preparing to be here. One might even go so far as to say it's there. But the full (preliminary) patch notes for the test realm are available right now for those who'd like to see what's around the corner aside from brand-new Blood Elf models. Garrison fans will have plenty of things to enjoy, with new visitors offering quests, new follower missions, and a new music box available. Players can also make use of a new Twitter integration feature and the new heirloom collection tab. Several classes are also seeing talent and balance adjustments, including across-the-board buffs to healer damage output for adventuring in the world. No word yet on when the patch will drop, but you can see what it contains from the patch notes. World of Warcraft unleashes its full patch 6.1 patch notes originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 26 Jan 2015 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Patch 6.1 PTR notes

Here's how to steal from NPCs in Elder Scrolls Online Posted: 26 Jan 2015 12:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, Patches, News Items, The Elder Scrolls Online "Justice is coming to Tamriel," according to ZeniMax's latest website notice. It's probably more accurate to say that criminality is coming to Tamriel, though. More specifically, Elder Scrolls Online's upcoming Update 6 features the justice system which will enable your avatar to participate in a variety of underhanded activities including murder and thievery. The latter involves relieving hapless NPCs of their valuables while avoiding those pesky town guards, and the former involves assaulting and even killing AI citizens. At some point you'll end up with a bounty on your head, which in turns affects how guards react to your presence. Click through the links below to read the rest of the details. Here's how to steal from NPCs in Elder Scrolls Online originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 26 Jan 2015 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Update 6

PAX South 2015: Life is Feudal revives the good ol' MMO feel Posted: 26 Jan 2015 11:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Events (Real-World), Interviews, New Titles, Opinion, Events (Massively's Coverage), MMORPG When the assignment for Life Is Feudal came to me, I questioned why I was covering a game that really didn't seem to be an MMORPG in my eyes because of its separate servers and the survival feel of the setting. It felt to me initially that I was covering another DayZ, one set in a medieval era and no zombies. But as I found out at this year's PAX South, I was completely wrong. Interestingly, I didn't find out what kind of mistake I made from the head honcho of Bitbox, Vladimir Piskunov. I found out from someone who has been playing for a long time and was invited to play at the Life Is Feudal booth. His name is Bill, and he's the "superfan" who demoed the game for me. He explained the ins and outs of the mechanics until I started having Ultima Online flashbacks. We discussed the skill system and trekked around the world, and then reminded me that LiF will eventually be an MMORPG. And I could certainly see how. If sandboxes are your thing as they are mine, then maybe this game is up our alley. Continue reading PAX South 2015: Life is Feudal revives the good ol' MMO feel PAX South 2015: Life is Feudal revives the good ol' MMO feel originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 26 Jan 2015 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

PlanetSide 2 smashes world record for biggest FPS battle Posted: 26 Jan 2015 10:00 AM PST Filed under: Sci-Fi, PlanetSide, MMO Industry, Free-to-Play, MMOFPS, PlanetSide 2 Those of you who turned out to help PlanetSide 2 set a world record this past Saturday now have the satisfaction of knowing that you're officially a part of gaming history. The Guinness World Records title for "Most Players Online in a Single FPS Battle" was set by the combined efforts of three factions and 1,158 players on January 24th in the game. The immense fight took place in a single instance and surpassed the previous record holder of Man vs. Machine, which reached only 999 players in 2012. The title will be included in the Gamer's Edition of the World Records. PlanetSide 2 Producer David Carey wanted to thank those who participated, adding that this put the title right back where it belonged: "PlanetSide held the original record for this achievement and we're thrilled to have officially taken it back with PlanetSide 2." [Source: SOE press release] PlanetSide 2 smashes world record for biggest FPS battle originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 26 Jan 2015 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

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