| MMO Burnout: Two weeks in the valley with Multi Theft Auto Posted: 01 Feb 2013 08:00 AM PST Filed under: Real life, Galleries, Screenshots, Game mechanics, MMO industry, PvP, PvE, Opinion, Free-to-play, Hands-on, Roleplaying, Crime, Massively Hands-on, First Impressions, Sandbox, MMO Burnout OK, you know that guy who's always going on about how bloody awesome it would be if someone ever made a working multiplayer mod for Skyrim? If you don't know him, well, you do now, because he's me. Back before I was bitten in earnest by the MMO bug, I spent quite a lot of time messing with private servers of both the Jedi Academy and Neverwinter Nights persuasions. And when I say "messing with," I don't mean I logged into them, I mean I hosted them, made mods and skins for them, and generally wasted significant portions of my youth serving as a GM. Needless to say, it was a blast, and the thought of having that experience again in a larger game world is just short of orgasmic. Alas, no one has made much of a multiplayer Skyrim mod yet, and while private servers for NWN and Neverwinter Nights 2 are still running and serving their niche communities quite capably, those are topics for another edition of MMO Burnout. I'd like to tell you about something similar that I've been playing lately, though. It's called Multi Theft Auto. Continue reading MMO Burnout: Two weeks in the valley with Multi Theft Auto  MMO Burnout: Two weeks in the valley with Multi Theft Auto originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 01 Feb 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Origins of Malu beta coming March 30, signups in February Posted: 01 Feb 2013 07:00 AM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Sci-fi, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Sandbox Ready for another round of indie sandbox updates? Good, because this time the title in question is Origins of Malu. The devs at Burning Dog have posted an extensive blurb on the game's official site that touches on various tweaks to the client as well as a bit about beta. The closed testing period has been moved to March 30th and it will focus on systems, scalability, combat, and faction wars. Testers will have access to nearly 100 square kilometers of the game world. Signups will become available toward the end of February. The website update also clarifies the game's financial situation, and contrary to popular belief, Origins is not currently funded. The team originally launched a Kickstarter project last October before canceling it the same day due to what was assumed to be an angel investor. As it turns out, Burning Dog is still negotiating a deal but had to pull out of Kickstarter "due to the chance of scope- and date-change of deliverables to our community." [Thanks to Christian for the tip!] Origins of Malu beta coming March 30, signups in February originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 01 Feb 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Repopulation expands dev team, publishes January update Posted: 01 Feb 2013 06:30 AM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Sandbox It's a new month, which means it must be time for a new end-of-the-previous-month update from the team behind The Repopulation. January saw quite a few changes made to the sci-fi sandbox, including a new GUI, a military perks system, new mission types, a stealth revamp, and more. The dev team also expanded to include a lead musician, a new character artist, and a new level designer. Full details are available on The Repopulation's website. [Thanks to J.C. for the tip!] The Repopulation expands dev team, publishes January update originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 01 Feb 2013 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Webzen buys 100% of Gala-Net, gPotato Posted: 01 Feb 2013 06:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Business models, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play Webzen has announced that it is acquiring MMO publisher gPotato as well as its parent company Gala-Net. According to Reuters, the transaction date is February 15th, after which Webzen will hold 100 percent of Gala-Net's shares. MMO Culture notes that Webzen has already said hello to gPotato customers by publishing Continent of the Ninth Seal on the company's portal. A translated Gala PDF document indicates that the company's second quarter sales for the fiscal year ending in March 2013 were down over 43 percent from the same quarter of the previous year. gPotato is known primarily for publishing Allods Online, Aika, and Sevencore in the west. [Thanks to everyone who tipped us.] Webzen buys 100% of Gala-Net, gPotato originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 01 Feb 2013 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Daily Grind: What's the goofiest class name in an MMO? Posted: 01 Feb 2013 05:00 AM PST Filed under: Classes, MMO industry, Opinion, Massively Meta, The Daily Grind, Humor, Miscellaneous If a game's gotta have classes, I say they need to sound awesome. I'm bored of Paladins and Assassins and Clerics and Warriors; I want to see Troubadors and Deadeyes and Tempests and Saboteurs and Disco Bandits. Some games, like Wakfu, have made class names into an artform: Foggernaut. Xelor's Sandglass. Sram's Shadow. What I don't get is why a Western game company would go to the trouble of implementing class names that sound like weird translations or just generic words mashed together. I'll forgive Korean devs for the Sheath Knight. I'll forgive sandboxes for mundane Bureaucrats and Beggars. But Neverwinter's Great Weapon Fighter is just screaming for a rewrite. Or at least a hyphen. What about you guys -- what class name would you like to see stricken from the roster of your favorite MMO? And what names stand out as the most badass?  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 goofiest class name in an MMO? originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 01 Feb 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| ArenaNet implementing mandatory password change for Guild Wars 2 players Posted: 31 Jan 2013 05:00 PM PST |
| The Summoner's Guidebook: A year of summoning Guidebooks Posted: 31 Jan 2013 04:00 PM PST Filed under: PvP, Opinion, Free-to-play, MOBA, League of Legends, The Summoner's Guidebook It feels sort of strange to be writing the one year anniversary of the Summoner's Guidebook. On the one hand, it feels like yesterday since Shawn asked me to do more MOBA coverage and I pitched the idea of a League of Legends column to him. On the other hand, it feels like I've been writing about League for ages. I've grown tremendously as a player; from a guy who stomps pubbies in low-Elo games to a guy who gets stomped by experts in high-Elo games. I have no illusions about going pro, but I've made a lot of progress up the skill ladder. I don't chalk up this advancement to chance or aptitude. I know I didn't get here on my own. I have you guys to thank -- faithful readers who have read my column, either silently or vocally in the comments, who force performance upon me. I can't just be a hypocrite and tell you to practice a skill. I have to practice what I preach! When my authority in this column falls on my ability to execute on the battlefield, I need to step up my game. This week's Guidebook is my love letter to all of you. Continue reading The Summoner's Guidebook: A year of summoning Guidebooks The Summoner's Guidebook: A year of summoning Guidebooks originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 31 Jan 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Star Trek Online fan video ushers in third anniversary Posted: 31 Jan 2013 03:00 PM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, Video, Culture, Star Trek Online, Free-to-play, Anniversary It's not just the developers at Cryptic who are throwing their effort behind the third anniversary of Star Trek Online. Fan and player STOLilyGarrett put together the latest in her series of STO anniversary videos and it's a doozy. Over the span of two minutes, this video sweeps and swooshes past many of the incredible landmarks, starships, and interstellar vistas that came into being during the past year. It's a really neat fan effort that's received the thumbs-up from the Cryptic team, so we wanted to pass it along to you. You can check it out after the jump. Continue reading Star Trek Online fan video ushers in third anniversary Star Trek Online fan video ushers in third anniversary originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 31 Jan 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Heroes of Newerth's 3.0 update has arrived Posted: 31 Jan 2013 02:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Patches, News items, Free-to-play, MOBA Heroes of Newerth's 3.0 update is finally here! As we reported earlier this month, S2 Games hopes its latest mega-patch will make the popular MOBA title "more accessible than ever" by focusing on the new player experience via a revamped walkthrough. There's also an in-game Learnatorium boasting a series of tutorial videos and a new system of player-controlled AI bots that allow new players to ease into the game before tackling a human opponent. S2 has also added a referral program and a new report-a-player system, both with the goal of making HoN's community the best in the MOBA space. Finally, we've embedded the latest HoN dev diary video for you after the break -- and don't forget the exclusive lore trailer we brought you last week! [Source: S2 press release] Continue reading Heroes of Newerth's 3.0 update has arrived Heroes of Newerth's 3.0 update has arrived originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 31 Jan 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| ArenaNet details Guild Wars 2's living story Posted: 31 Jan 2013 01:45 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Events, in-game, Game mechanics, News items, PvE, Guild Wars 2, Dev Diaries Guild Wars 2's latest content patch, the Flame and Frost prelude, went live this week, bringing with it the beginning of a new "living story." What is living story? ArenaNet narrative designer Angel McCoy is glad you asked, as she's written up a new blog post all about it. The living story team is responsible for adding new content to the story of Tyria -- new heroes, strange plots, and dramatic changes. The stories the team creates are played out over time in the world, following their narrative paths and slowly but surely changing the world of Tyria. Each bit of living story will only be available for a "Certain period of time," but carries lasting impacts. Players can look to special heralds in cities or a new achievement section for clues on where to head for the most recent bits of living story as they arrive in the game. ArenaNet details Guild Wars 2's living story originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 31 Jan 2013 16:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| RaiderZ announces first expansion, Broken Silence Posted: 31 Jan 2013 01:30 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Galleries, Screenshots, Expansions, News items, Free-to-play  Perfect World Entertainment's free-to-play hack-and-slash title RaiderZ is about to get a bit bigger. Today, the developers announced the game's first expansion, titled Broken Silence. The expansion is promised to add "a wealth of new content, including an increased level cap of 40, new zones, an updated PvP battle arena system, new epic monsters to conquer piece-by-piece, and much more." Whew, that was a mouthful, but it sounds as if RaiderZ players will have plenty to look forward to. RaiderZ's senior producer Mark Hill states that in the expansion, "the Grand Wall of Silence has fallen [and] the Kingdom of Rendel and its citizens face a new threat from the north," and adds that players can "expect more info very soon." So in the interim, how about some shiny pictures? Everyone loves shiny pictures. Check out the gallery below for seven screenshots highlighting some of what players can expect from the Broken Silence expansion. [Source: Perfect World Entertainment press release] RaiderZ announces first expansion, Broken Silence originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 31 Jan 2013 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| City of Steam's bestiary gives pre-launch advantage Posted: 31 Jan 2013 01:00 PM PST Filed under: Betas, Sci-fi, Lore, Free-to-play, Browser, City of Steam While we're twiddling our thumbs waiting for the steampunk City of Steam to finally release, Mechanist Games has a great way that we can prepare for the launch. The team has put a spotlight on the website's bestiary, a helpful encyclopedia of creatures and people that players will be encountering in the game proper. Beyond just providing some flavor and filling in some lore, the bestiary has a practical purpose by giving players details as to the strengths, weaknesses, and relationships between the mobs. The bestiary can be searched by individual creatures and by species and has plenty of cool pictures to boot. City of Steam's bestiary gives pre-launch advantage originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 31 Jan 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| League of Legends enforces 'zero tolerance' policy on test server Posted: 31 Jan 2013 12:30 PM PST |
| EA 'pleased' with SWTOR F2P so far Posted: 31 Jan 2013 12:00 PM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, Business models, MMO industry, Free-to-play, Star Wars: The Old Republic In EA's third quarter earnings call, the company mentioned SWTOR and expressed cautious optimism toward the changes that free-to-play brought to the game. "As a reminder," CFO Blake Jorgensen reported, "on November 15th we launched our free-to-play option for Star Wars: The Old Republic. Very early indications have been positive and we are pleased with the initial results, but it is too early to know how successful this will be in the long term." Jorgensen said that SWTOR, among other titles, helped to contribute a tidy sum to the company: "Extra content and free-to-play contributed $185 million, up 50% led by FIFA and Madden Ultimate Team and Star Wars: The Old Republic." [Thanks to John for the tip!] EA 'pleased' with SWTOR F2P so far originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 31 Jan 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| LotRO commits to housing revamp, player council, and more Rohan in 2013 Posted: 31 Jan 2013 11:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Previews, Free-to-play, Dev Diaries, Housing Turbine's Kate Paiz might be brief in her Lord of the Rings Online producer's letter, but this economy of words holds a treasure trove of ideas for the year. In the letter, she outlines the primary goals for the game in 2013, including a much-requested housing revamp and further expansion into the Rohan region. Paiz outlines four initiatives for the year. The first is forming a player's council to facilitate discussion and feedback between players and the dev team. The second is adding Western Rohan to the game, initially through a region called Wildermore in the spring and later through a bigger addition in the fall. The third is the aforementioned housing revamp, which will take place later in the year. The fourth initiative is an effort by the team to make "significant changes" to classes. "We will be making some significant changes to the skills and traits of the Free Peoples classes," Paiz writes. "We'll be pruning out skills that just feel disappointing in play and increasing the potency of others. The end result will be fewer skills, but a more profound impact on moment-to-moment play." LotRO commits to housing revamp, player council, and more Rohan in 2013 originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 31 Jan 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| CCP reveals fanfest trailer for EVE's 10-year anniversary bash Posted: 31 Jan 2013 10:00 AM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, Trailers, Video, EVE Online, Events, real-world, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play, DUST 514, Sandbox Have you secured your tickets for this year's EVE fanfest? You might want to get a move on, if not, as CCP's party at the top of the world is only a couple of months away. This year looks to be even rowdier than usual, as it's EVE's 10th anniversary and the company is taking over Iceland's Harpa Concert Hall from April 25th through the 27th to celebrate. EVE devs will be on hand, as will plenty of alcohol, live bands, DUST 514 shenanigans, and the Icelandic Philharmonic Orchestra. CCP has released a teaser trailer for the event, and we've got it for you after the break. [Source: CCP press release] Continue reading CCP reveals fanfest trailer for EVE's 10-year anniversary bash CCP reveals fanfest trailer for EVE's 10-year anniversary bash originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 31 Jan 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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