Wednesday, January 7, 2015

MMO Updates

MMO Updates

Elite: Dangerous players aim to chart out the whole galaxy

Posted: 07 Jan 2015 09:00 AM PST

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No space battles for you, son.
Over a thousand players in Elite: Dangerous are already unified by a single mission. It's not warfare; it's not economic dominance; it's exploration. The Great Expedition has brought together a huge number of players to start plotting the whole of the game's 400 billion stars, or at least as much as possible. That means coordinating logistics, figuring out routes, sending out pathfinders, and heading off into the great unknown.

While the eponymous expedition hasn't started quite yet, players are already dipping their toes into the process and figuring out how to handle the sort of extended effort required to chart the game's full galaxy. The group counts among its numbers an ex-NASA scientist and several astrophysicists. While it's taking a little time to get up to speed, there's reason to be excited about what the group might find in the future... and what waits out in the depths of virtual space.

MassivelyElite: Dangerous players aim to chart out the whole galaxy originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 07 Jan 2015 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Choose My Adventure: TERA's Fate of Arun

Posted: 07 Jan 2015 08:00 AM PST

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TERA
As was mentioned many times during our end-of-year awards and the comments surrounding them, 2014 was a much better year for adding to existing properties than releasing new ones. Some of the biggest launches of the year came in the form of expansions like Rift's Nightmare Tide, Star Trek Online's Delta Rising, and Star Wars: The Old Republic's Shadow of Revan. Choose My Adventure even took the expansion route last month by investigating World of Warcraft's Warlords of Draenor.

En Masse's TERA, too, received a huge update in 2014, though it launched with significantly less fanfare than some of the other major expansions of the year. Fate of Arun introduced new zones, added new dungeons, and raised the level cap (as expansions are wont to do). It also brought a new game mode in The Coliseum, a PvP/PvE hybrid arena-type thing. Perhaps most notably when compared to the other expansions of 2014, Fate of Arun is free to all TERA players.

Since TERA so often flies under the radar with MMO fans, I thought it might be fun to dedicate this month's CMA to Fate of Arun. So get ready because it's time to start slaying some big-ass monsters.

Continue reading Choose My Adventure: TERA's Fate of Arun

MassivelyChoose My Adventure: TERA's Fate of Arun originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 07 Jan 2015 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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    Learn to beat World of Warcraft's newest raid... in 60 seconds

    Posted: 07 Jan 2015 07:00 AM PST

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    So it's don't stand in the bad, volume twenty? Great.
    We realize that there are a couple of different ways to treat that title, so let's be clear: This video guide will teach you how to beat all of the bosses in Highmaul in 60 seconds. It will not teach you how to take 60 seconds to defeat all of them. Yes, it could go either way, but did you really think you could drop World of Warcraft's raid in a minute of playtime? Nope, it's all about length of tutelage, not length of execution.

    The even shorter version is the universal raid guide for the game, of course: Move out of the thing, stack up if you see everyone else stacking up, and kill the little things. But it's the fine details where everything is really decided. click on past the break and get a minute-long dose of how to not be the one responsible for wiping the group.

    Continue reading Learn to beat World of Warcraft's newest raid... in 60 seconds

    MassivelyLearn to beat World of Warcraft's newest raid... in 60 seconds originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 07 Jan 2015 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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    Revival talks about death, decoration, and defenses

    Posted: 07 Jan 2015 06:00 AM PST

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    Nice rendered still of a house, though.
    You remember Revival, right? You know, the game funding its development by selling in-game houses? That one. The developers haven't been quiet over the holiday season, with several recent blog posts detailing the high-end concepts behind several of the game's key mechanics -- for example, dying, which doesn't simply leave you to run back to your corpse but forces you to traverse the spirit realm, fighting off malicious spirits and seeking the Mortality Gate to drag yourself back from the dead.

    Of course, you can stay alive longer by making use of combat mechanics like the shield wall to defend yourself from dying. You can also use your continued "being alive" status to take advantage of the decoration kits available for housing, which allow you to convert existing rooms with certain fixtures to more functional equivalents. It's all interesting stuff and worth considering if you're sorely tempted to drop a bunch of money on the promise of virtual real estate.

    MassivelyRevival talks about death, decoration, and defenses originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 07 Jan 2015 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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    The Daily Grind: Does your WoW garrison feel like home?

    Posted: 07 Jan 2015 05:00 AM PST

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    wow
    I've been a fascinated outside observer in regard to World of Warcraft's recent expansion and its much-touted garrison feature. I have no doubt that garrisons have filled a lot of purposes and gone all-out on functionality. It's certainly been a powerful carrot for Blizzard to wave in front of players.

    But what I've been wondering is whether garrisons are so functional that they forgot to be personal. In other words, do garrisons feel like "home" in-game even if you can't decorate and customize them the way that you can in other MMO housing systems? Has your character finally set down roots or does this feel like just another mission hub?

    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!

    MassivelyThe Daily Grind: Does your WoW garrison feel like home? originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 07 Jan 2015 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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      Global Chat: The 2014 MMO blogosphere in review

      Posted: 06 Jan 2015 05:00 PM PST

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      wildstar
      The end of the year is a traditional time of reflection, especially among writers and gamers who want to put a pretty bow on progress and journeys made before the next chapter is explored. So it is with bloggers, as practically everyone is using the last days of 2014 to look back at the year and its MMOs.

      So today we'll be going on a trip to see what the blogging community members thought of this year, what they did in it, and whether their January 2014 predictions came true. My summary of each article will be shorter than usual simply because there are so many of them!

      Continue reading Global Chat: The 2014 MMO blogosphere in review

      MassivelyGlobal Chat: The 2014 MMO blogosphere in review originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 06 Jan 2015 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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        Salem lead mulls solutions for sub-par combat

        Posted: 06 Jan 2015 04:00 PM PST

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        Are you a fan of indie fantasy sandbox Salem? Do you like walls of text that give your mousewheel a serious workout? You might enjoy today's Salem update, then, as Mortal Moments project lead John Carver has a lot to say. And why not? It's been nearly six months since the last such dev blast.

        Carver writes with affection of Salem's refusal to "cater to the masses" and its similar disdain for "polygon counts over content." Combat, though, isn't quite where the devs would like it. Carver says that combat is "by far the dumbest thing we do," and that despite the intentional learning curve, some sort of "upper level strategy is missing."

        While Carver doesn't outline specific remedies, he says that the first step is to expand Salem's available combat moves.

        [Thanks Chrysillis!]

        MassivelySalem lead mulls solutions for sub-par combat originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 06 Jan 2015 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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        TERA puts the wraps on 2014

        Posted: 06 Jan 2015 03:00 PM PST

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        tera
        Even though we're well into the new year, there are some who have yet to finish saying goodbye to the old one. One of these people is TERA Community Manager Tonka, who introduces a two-minute video tribute to 2014 in the game. And the above picture is misleading, by the way: He doesn't want to punch the year in the face so much as praise it.

        You can get Tonka and a musical tribute to TERA's previous year after the break!

        Continue reading TERA puts the wraps on 2014

        MassivelyTERA puts the wraps on 2014 originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 06 Jan 2015 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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        That Play2Crush thing is called Crowfall

        Posted: 06 Jan 2015 02:45 PM PST

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        Artcraft struck a nerve over Christmas with its cryptic this-industry-sucks reveal that trumpeted some sort of new virtual world. Our announcement post garnered nearly 300 comments, so we figured a few of you would like to know that the title is officially called Crowfall.

        There's a new site with a countdown timer to the full reveal along with a few paragraphs inciting the community with phrases like "deeper than a virtual amusement park" and "more impactful than a virtual sandbox."

        MassivelyThat Play2Crush thing is called Crowfall originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 06 Jan 2015 17:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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        DCUO reclaiming inactive names this month

        Posted: 06 Jan 2015 02:30 PM PST

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        SOE will be releasing inactive character names for current DC Universe Online players to claim "shortly after January 20, 2015." If you haven't logged since July 20, 2013 -- that's 18 months ago, for what it's worth -- your character names will be appended with an underscore and a roman numeral. SOE says that accounts and characters "will remain otherwise intact" and that no deletions will occur.

        If you want to be that guy who saves names in games he doesn't play, you can simply log in once prior to January 20th. But you're not that guy, right?

        MassivelyDCUO reclaiming inactive names this month originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 06 Jan 2015 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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        Black Desert Korean OBT exploits lead to permabans

        Posted: 06 Jan 2015 02:00 PM PST

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        If you were hoping for an exploit-free experience when Korean sandbox import Black Desert heads west, you may still get it. But you may not, if Steparu's recent experience in the game's K-OBT is any indication.

        Problems include a buy-back dupe, mob kills that gave abnormal amounts of experience, and "something with the shop." Steparu also reports that developer Pearl Abyss and publisher Daum have permabanned serious offenders and deleted ill-gotten gains from "light abusers."

        MassivelyBlack Desert Korean OBT exploits lead to permabans originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 06 Jan 2015 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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        Riot is building a dedicated network for League of Legends

        Posted: 06 Jan 2015 01:30 PM PST

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        How important is ping disparity to the makers of the world's biggest MOBA? Well, Riot is currently building a dedicated network specifically for League of Legends, so it must be pretty important.

        The firm explains why in a Q&A posted this week, and the short version is that your ISP is focused primarily on moving large amounts of data in seconds or minutes, which is fine for streaming video but not so fine for real-time gaming. To make matters worse, your internet connection "might bounce all over the country instead of running directly to where it needs to go," Riot says, "which can impact your network quality and ping whether the game server is across the country or right down the street."

        The solution is a direct network for LoL traffic as well as some sort of partnership with US and Canadian ISPs to facilitate player access.

        MassivelyRiot is building a dedicated network for League of Legends originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 06 Jan 2015 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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        Massively Speaking Episode 328: Back in the saddle

        Posted: 06 Jan 2015 01:00 PM PST

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        PATHFINDER
        The Massively Speaking podcast is booting back up after being shut down over the holiday season, only to emerge in one of the most notorious news wastelands of the year: early January. Still, there are a few important stories to talk about, such as one game soft launching and another suspiciously dropping a certain payment option. What do these omens portend for the coming year?

        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:
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        [MP3] Download the MP3 directly.
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        Listen here on the page:



        Read below the cut for the full show notes.

        Continue reading Massively Speaking Episode 328: Back in the saddle

        MassivelyMassively Speaking Episode 328: Back in the saddle originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 06 Jan 2015 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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          Rumor: BioWare's Shadow Realms 'totally rebooted'

          Posted: 06 Jan 2015 12:30 PM PST

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          Shadow Realms is "going through big changes and may have been totally rebooted," according to an unnamed source who spoke to Kotaku. BioWare's episodic online action RPG was revealed in August of last year and was hit with an alpha delay on October 31st.

          A "reliable source familiar with goings-on at BioWare Austin" tells Kotaku that the title was revamped in October and "will now have a full campaign." Why the changes? Apparently BioWare's decision to embrace the integration of EA's digital store and Origin coincided with the decision to reboot Shadow Realms. "Developers at EA take budget hits if they don't use internal technology and services," Kotaku says.

          MassivelyRumor: BioWare's Shadow Realms 'totally rebooted' originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 06 Jan 2015 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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          ArcheAge tosses its end-of-holiday update on the test server

          Posted: 06 Jan 2015 12:00 PM PST

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          We aren't going until everyone here is absolutely certain the oven is off.
          Testing out an update that's mostly meant to just turn off the holiday event might seem to be overkill, but ArcheAge has seen such problems with bugs that the team behind the game is apparently taking no chances. A small patch is currently available on the test server and will go live later this week; it contains the shut-off for all of the holiday events (so players with gifts or stockings should use them before the deadline).

          This build also contains adjustments to the MTX Pet Healing Potion; the potion will now heal pets for 100% of their health, and a future build will add a resurrection effect. A Marketplace addition is also slated to go live on the test servers within the next few days. If you want to make sure that everything's working fine after the event gets turned off, you can hop on the test server today.

          MassivelyArcheAge tosses its end-of-holiday update on the test server originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 06 Jan 2015 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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          Kickstarter successfully aided 1,980 gaming projects in 2014

          Posted: 06 Jan 2015 11:00 AM PST

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          kickstarter
          We've been wondering around the office if crowdfunded MMOs are on the downswing after previous years' highs. It might well be the case, but even so, Kickstarter continues to be a funding powerhouse in the games industry.

          GamesIndustry reports that 1,980 gaming projects were successfully funded via Kickstarter in 2014, with a total of $89.1 million raised between them. Those projects were just a fraction of the year's 22,252 funded campaigns.

          For more Kickstarter and crowdfunding news, make sure to read Massively's Make My MMO column every week.

          MassivelyKickstarter successfully aided 1,980 gaming projects in 2014 originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 06 Jan 2015 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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          World of Warcraft brings back its anniversary event

          Posted: 06 Jan 2015 10:00 AM PST

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          Bring it back for a week, then discard it again forever. Totally keen.
          Did you get everything done that you wanted during World of Warcraft's 10-year anniversary event? If you did, great, but if you didn't... well, still great because you're getting another shot at it. Community manager Bashiok posted on the forums that the team is bringing back the anniversary event for one more week, starting today at 1:00 p.m. EST and ending on January 13th at the same time.

          The reactivation is confined to the North American servers, so players elsewhere in the world hoping for more time with anniversary antics will be sadly disappointed. There's also nothing new in the event, so if you have everything, you can sit this round out. Otherwise, log in today and start celebrating a decade of the game's operation... like, again.

          MassivelyWorld of Warcraft brings back its anniversary event originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 06 Jan 2015 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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