MMO Updates

The Nexus Telegraph: Let's hear it for the tweet-quest
Leaderboard: PvP power vs. PvP specialization
Captain's Log: Star Trek Online pleases and teases
Twitch unveils new Turbo ad-free paid access
The Stream Team: On the road again edition, February 4 - 10, 2013
Eldevin is coming to your browser, and it's got the trailer to prove it
The Daily Grind: Should you be able to resell your digital downloads?
MMO Week in Review: Flaming and frost
EVE Evolved: Is EVE becoming a spectator sport?
Red 5 removing Firefall PvP tiers, adding 'regulation' battleframes

The Nexus Telegraph: Let's hear it for the tweet-quest

Posted: 04 Feb 2013 10:00 AM PST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Game mechanics, Opinion, WildStar, The Nexus Telegraph

It's sometimes a dozen of them, to be fair.

There are many parts of WildStar that are treading familiar ground in unusual ways, and quests are no exception to that. We know that the game will have quests, but those quests are compressed into 140-character, Twitter-style soundbites. They're quick nuggets of information sending you to a place to do a thing, and that's it. Needless to say, this has sparked some outrage from people absolutely certain that this is catering to ADD-afflicted jumpy maniacs concerned only with getting the most loot the fastest rather than people who actually care about playing a game.

For starters, I'm not sure these people actually know how ADD works, but that's not the point. The point is that there's a lot to like about the concept of the game's tweet-quests. Obviously we don't know how well the idea will work out in practice, but from what we do know, there's plenty of reason to look forward to the different format.

I should note that those of you who caught my appearance on Nexus Weekly got a preview of some parts of this column, so congratulations for reading ahead. Listening ahead. Whichever. If you didn't catch it, you can listen before or after. It's up to you.

Continue reading The Nexus Telegraph: Let's hear it for the tweet-quest

The Nexus Telegraph: Let's hear it for the tweet-quest originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 04 Feb 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Leaderboard: PvP power vs. PvP specialization

Posted: 04 Feb 2013 09:00 AM PST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Game mechanics, MMO industry, PvP, Opinion, Free-to-play, Leaderboard, Firefall

One of an MMO designer's biggest challenges seems to be reconciling PvP and PvE in a game with gear progression. Another example of such comes courtesy of Red 5 Studios latest Firefall dev blog, where the team basically says that it's doing away with both PvP gear and tiers because of balance concerns.

While the approach that Red 5 is taking is certainly valid, another alternative would be to parcel out PvP progression as a series of specialization choices instead of across-the-board power boosts. For today's Leaderboard, we'd like to know which of these paths you'd prefer, or if you think that MMO PvP is simply a lost cause. Vote after the cut!

Ever wish that you could put to rest a long-standing MMO debate once and for all? Then welcome to the battle royal of Massively's Leaderboard, where two sides enter the pit o' judgment -- and only one leaves. Vote to make your opinion known, and see whether your choice tops the Leaderboard!

Continue reading Leaderboard: PvP power vs. PvP specialization

Leaderboard: PvP power vs. PvP specialization originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 04 Feb 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Captain's Log: Star Trek Online pleases and teases

Posted: 04 Feb 2013 08:00 AM PST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Events, in-game, Patches, Opinion, Star Trek Online, Free-to-play, Rumors, Captain's Log, Anniversary

I have had more fun in Star Trek Online in the past week than I have had in the past six months! Part of the reason has a lot to do with the fact that the game's third anniversary has delivered something that many of us have been craving since the release of last year's featured episode, The 2800: a story-based mission. And it wasn't just any story-based mission; it was a doozy!

The team at Star Trek Online also released a third anniversary trailer, which contained a very big surprise at the very end. The teaser sent shockwaves through the loyal player community. There's a lot to go over, so join me past the jump as I touch on the anniversary celebration and ruminate on what the game will bring us in May 2013!

Continue reading Captain's Log: Star Trek Online pleases and teases

Captain's Log: Star Trek Online pleases and teases originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 04 Feb 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Twitch unveils new Turbo ad-free paid access

Posted: 04 Feb 2013 07:00 AM PST

Filed under: Business models, MMO industry, News items

Twitch is adding a new paid access tier to its video streaming platform. Twitch Turbo provides "uninterrupted, ad-free live video game broadcasts" as well as "access to exclusive chat badges, emoticons, and colors which enable enhanced interactivity between broadcasters and viewers."

The new service also bumps paying viewers to the front of the customer service line and costs $8.99 per month.

Twitch currently services more than 23 million gamers on a monthly basis.

[Source: Twitch press release]

Twitch unveils new Turbo ad-free paid access originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 04 Feb 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Stream Team: On the road again edition, February 4 - 10, 2013

Posted: 04 Feb 2013 06:00 AM PST

Filed under: Massively Meta, Livestream, Miscellaneous, The Stream Team

Oh I can certainly wait to get on the road again. Or in my case, the tarmac. Tarmac squatting is not on the top of my list of vacationing highlights.

Yes folks, I am out and about, traveling to and fro, which means that my gaming time is severely curtailed. The agony! Thankfully, I have my trusty laptop and Massively TV to quell my withdrawal symptoms. A daily dose of my favorite games hosted by The Stream Team will help me get through the rough week ahead. A little banter in the chat room, a little watching the livestreamers fall, sprint, and charge to their deaths in a variety of pixeled worlds... yeah, that will definitely brighten things and tide me over!

Continue reading The Stream Team: On the road again edition, February 4 - 10, 2013

The Stream Team: On the road again edition, February 4 - 10, 2013 originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 04 Feb 2013 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Eldevin is coming to your browser, and it's got the trailer to prove it

Posted: 04 Feb 2013 05:30 AM PST

Filed under: Fantasy, Screenshots, Trailers, Video, New titles, Previews, News items, Browser

If that crab-guy on the left is playable, they've got a strong initial showing here.

So how do you want to try your new games? Do you want them in a separate client or do you want them as something you can just run in your browser? The team at Hunted Cow Studios is aiming at the latter with its upcoming game Eldevin, a large-scale fantasy MMO currently in development for browser play.

Eldevin is meant as a story-based game, containing all of the hallmarks you'd expect from a normal MMO -- dungeons, quests, a long-format story, PvP, and so forth. The designers are aiming at content on par with client-based AAA MMOs, but the game will be playable on an operating system and on lower-end machines without a loss in quality.

Sound intriguing? Then you can check out some early screenshots of the game and its UI as well as a new trailer just past the break. Closed beta signups are available now, with testing commencing in March and open beta and launch slated to follow later this year.

[Source: Hunted Cow Studios press release]

Gallery: Eldevin

Continue reading Eldevin is coming to your browser, and it's got the trailer to prove it

Eldevin is coming to your browser, and it's got the trailer to prove it originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 04 Feb 2013 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: Should you be able to resell your digital downloads?

Posted: 04 Feb 2013 05:00 AM PST

Filed under: Business models, Culture, MMO industry, Opinion, The Daily Grind

Gamasutra recently reported on a German consumer advocacy group that has a bone to pick with the game industry's largest digital distributor. VZBV has gone to court over a complaint against Valve which stems from the software giant's stance against digital resales.

Valve's Steam platform doesn't allow users to sell previously purchased games, and VZBV says that similar policies will harm digital distribution over the long-term "as users realize more fully the implications of having their content tied down to a single digital platform."

It can be argued, though, that the industry-wide shift to digital is predicated on the desire for more control over end users and the desire to kill used game sales, so it will be interesting to see Valve's response to this and other similar challenges that may surface in the future. What say you, Massively readers? Do you think you should be able to resell your digital games?

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: Should you be able to resell your digital downloads? originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 04 Feb 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MMO Week in Review: Flaming and frost

Posted: 03 Feb 2013 05:00 PM PST

Filed under: Massively Meta, Week in Review, Miscellaneous

At the end of every week, we round up the best and most popular news stories, exclusive features, and insightful columns published on Massively and then present them all in one convenient place. If you missed a big MMO or WoW Insider story last week, you've come to the right post.

Having just kicked off the prelude to Guild Wars 2's Flame and Frost "multi-stage narrative" (code for "slow-trickle patch"), ArenaNet has been busy this week. Doing what? Oh, annoying you with password changes, tinkering with the dynamic leveling system, implementing a new achievement ladder system, testing a new PvP tourney mode, and adding bits and bobs to the living story for you to ignore in your quest to kill things. Ahh, MMOs.

Read on for a roundup of the rest of this week's top Massively articles.

Continue reading MMO Week in Review: Flaming and frost

MMO Week in Review: Flaming and frost originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 03 Feb 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Evolved: Is EVE becoming a spectator sport?

Posted: 03 Feb 2013 03:00 PM PST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Video, EVE Online, Culture, Events, in-game, Game mechanics, Guilds, Lore, MMO industry, PvP, Endgame, News items, Opinion, EVE Evolved, Sandbox

This week saw another landmark event in EVE Online grab the gaming community's attention as over 3,000 players from dozens of alliances battled it out in the lowsec system of Asakai on the Caldari border. The battle reached 2,800 concurrent players at peak, falling just short of 2011's record-breaking siege of LXQ2-T which hit 3,110 simultaneous combatants at its peak. There were livestreams, tons of after-action reports, and the story of this immense battle started by one man clicking the wrong button really captured our imaginations.

EVE is one of those rare cases in which a lot of people find the media that surrounds the game more fun than the game itself. News of big in-game events like scams, heists, and huge battles spreads across the internet like wildfire, even among people who hate the game or have never tried it. When news of the Asakai battle emerged, someone on Reddit suggested that people should play EVE for only a few months to get some background and then quit and just read the stories. I've seen a lot of similar comments over the years saying that EVE is more fun to watch and read about than play, and it makes me wonder if the game is becoming a bit of a spectator sport.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I look at why stories like the Battle of Asakai are so pervasive and explain why I think EVE should embrace its role as a spectator sport.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Is EVE becoming a spectator sport?

EVE Evolved: Is EVE becoming a spectator sport? originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 03 Feb 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Red 5 removing Firefall PvP tiers, adding 'regulation' battleframes

Posted: 03 Feb 2013 11:00 AM PST

Filed under: Betas, Sci-fi, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, PvP, News items, PvE, Free-to-play, Firefall

Big changes are coming to Firefall's battleframes (the bulky suits of super-armor that serve as the game's class analogue, if you're wondering).

A new dev blog by Red 5 Studios outlines the reasons behind the changes, which, from a high-level view, boil down to the fact that it is "not possible to provide a balanced and entertaining experience in both PvE and PvP for both types of players if both realms use the same gear."

Red 5's current solution is to disallow crafted equipment in PvP and instead mandate that every PvPer use "regulation" gear. PvP tiers are also being removed, mainly because they "make it much harder for our matchmaker to do its job, which means it's much harder for us to provide balanced and fun games to our players," Red 5 explains.

Red 5 removing Firefall PvP tiers, adding 'regulation' battleframes originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 03 Feb 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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