Virtual World News
The Repopulation populates pre-alpha
March 09, 2012
Filed under: Sci-fi, Patches, News items, Sandbox
Beyond Technologies, the studio behind upcoming sci-fi sandbox title The Repopulation, has been spending the last couple of months preparing new features for the game to show off at GDC 2012. Well, the wait is over as a new changelog post on the game's official site gives players a look at all the hard work that's been put into the game over the last two months.
Oh, we're sorry, did we say changelog? We meant novel. The team has clearly been slaving away nonstop if the sheer number of changes and additions is any indication. If you're waiting to see these new features in action, though, don't worry. The studio says that some new video footage has been prepared that will be publicly released after GDC 2012. And to top it off, the post announces that the studio "will be opening Alpha testing in June." More information on that will be coming next week, so hang tight and read up, and be sure to stay tuned for our own MJ Guthrie's look at the game straight from GDC 2012.
The Repopulation populates pre-alpha originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 09 Mar 2012 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- Source: The Repopulation: GDC Changelog
DUST 514 driver's ed includes stealthing, siege mode, and power draining
March 09, 2012
Filed under: Betas, Sci-fi, Game mechanics, Free-to-play, Consoles, DUST 514
In a new dev post, CCP opens up the manual of vehicle operation in its upcoming title and tells it like it is. For starters, players will need to train up specific skills in order to even be allowed behind the wheel of any of these beasts, and even then, a clueless operator could find him or herself a sitting duck if attention isn't paid to power consumption (in DUST 514's terminology, capacitors). Equipped modules all draw power from capacitors during combat, and while capacitors do regenerate over time, they can be drained, both from a player's actions or an enemy's attack. As such, it's important to keep power demands in mind when modding a vehicle.
Two DUST 514 war machines are used as examples in the article. There's the Marauder HAV, a tank-busting tank that comes with an alternate siege mode, and there's the Force Recon dropship, which can clock, jam enemy sensors, and drain enemy vehicles' power. The post ends with a hypothetical battle scenario involving both of these, showing how they could be used out in the field.
DUST 514 driver's ed includes stealthing, siege mode, and power draining originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 09 Mar 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- Source: PlayStation Blog
LotRO cleans up the Warden's act
March 09, 2012
Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Classes, Patches, Previews, Free-to-play, Dev Diaries
The latest dev diary by Turbine walks us through these changes as the team works to clearly define the three styles of play. One of the big changes is the addition of a brand-new gambit builder, which comes from javelin throws when players are fighting in the new ranged (Assailment) stance. This gambit builder will replace the spear thrusts in the stance, as it's somewhat difficult to jab someone from 40 meters away with a stick.
Another significant change is the addition to what Turbine calls "flavoring" for gambits. These are bonus effects that change depending on the Warden's stance to strengthen tanking, melee DPS, or ranged DPS. Other fun tweaks to the class include allowing Wardens to prep a gambit ahead of a battle and a huge overhaul to the three trait lines.
LotRO cleans up the Warden's act originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 09 Mar 2012 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- Source: Update 6 Warden changes
GDC 2012: Wargaming.net on World of Warplanes, clan wars, and taking over the world
March 09, 2012
Filed under: Betas, Historical, Events, real-world, Game mechanics, Interviews, MMO industry, New titles, PvP, News items, War, Free-to-play, World of Warplanes
CEO Victor Kislyi told me that over the past year the firm has expanded to include 700+ employees and a global presence that features development centers in Kiev, Ukraine, and Russia. The firm's flagship World of Tanks title currently boasts 18 million players worldwide, and it is paving the way for the second and third entries in a World War II trilogy.
Its clan wars mode is also the starting point for a grand vision of military combat at the squad level.
Continue reading GDC 2012: Wargaming.net on World of Warplanes, clan wars, and taking over the world
GDC 2012: Wargaming.net on World of Warplanes, clan wars, and taking over the world originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 09 Mar 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
DC Universe Online explains how the Earth powerset rocks out
March 09, 2012
Filed under: Super-hero, Game mechanics, Previews, News items, Free-to-play, Consoles, DC Universe Online
Mastery of Geokinesis allows players to summon earth golems to fight alongside them, solidifying a defensive strategy with transferred damage and special stone totems. On the other hand, mastery of the Seismic tree lets you summon localized epicenters and yank pillars of stone from the ground, flinging enemies around and knocking them off their feet. While it doesn't seem like the new set will be kind to property values, players will probably have more than a few new ticks to use like a stone-cold killer.
DC Universe Online explains how the Earth powerset rocks out originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 09 Mar 2012 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- Source: DCUO Earth Powers first look
Fallen Earth's March state of the game gets territorial
March 09, 2012
Filed under: Fallen Earth, Patches, PvP, News items, Free-to-play, Post-Apocalyptic, Sandbox
Another month is upon us, and Fallen Earth is bringing some changes to its Global Territory Control system. While players wait with bated breath for the new features to hit the PTS at the end of the month, GamersFirst has put out a new blog post outlining what players can expect from the next round of updates. We've covered the basics of Global Territory Control previously, so if you want to get up to speed, go on and have a read. Don't worry; we'll wait.
Caught up? Good. So what's new this month? The buffs granted by controlling territories have been changed. Now, each town and keep is worth a given number of points. The faction that has the most points will receive a buff that "improves crafting and harvesting speed as well as Random AP, Death Toll, Faction, and Experience gains." Meanwhile, the faction system is getting a revamp that "will see the elimination of shoulder factions." Completing tasks for your faction of choice "will only affect the specific faction you completed it for and its opposite on the faction wheel." This really only scratches the surface of the myriad changes coming to Fallen Earth, so to get the full details just head on over to the game's official site.
Caught up? Good. So what's new this month? The buffs granted by controlling territories have been changed. Now, each town and keep is worth a given number of points. The faction that has the most points will receive a buff that "improves crafting and harvesting speed as well as Random AP, Death Toll, Faction, and Experience gains." Meanwhile, the faction system is getting a revamp that "will see the elimination of shoulder factions." Completing tasks for your faction of choice "will only affect the specific faction you completed it for and its opposite on the faction wheel." This really only scratches the surface of the myriad changes coming to Fallen Earth, so to get the full details just head on over to the game's official site.
Fallen Earth's March state of the game gets territorial originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 09 Mar 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
MMObility: Utilizing Windows 8 to help with MMO chores
March 09, 2012
Filed under: Fantasy, Culture, Opinion, Free-to-play, Browser, Hands-on, Casual, MMORTS, Kids, Miscellaneous, MMObility
Recently Microsoft released the Windows 8 public preview, so I downloaded it after reading that it was really geared for tablet or touchcreen devices. Sure enough, the same 10-inch netbook that was not getting a lot of use around here suddenly became faster and much more friendly to the eyes.
It's perfect timing, as well, especially since I will be starting my "chores" experiment in which I see whether scheduling my gameplay each day will help me with an issue I have been having.
Continue reading MMObility: Utilizing Windows 8 to help with MMO chores
MMObility: Utilizing Windows 8 to help with MMO chores originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 09 Mar 2012 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Storyboard: Out of the rut
March 09, 2012
Filed under: Opinion, Roleplaying, Storyboard, Miscellaneous
Granted, depending on your roleplaying, that boring routine might involve several betrayals, affairs, and potential murders, but a routine is a routine.
The point is that your character can get stuck in a rut. No matter how much you might like a character, it's no fun to keep running through the same basic stories again and again. You need to kick your character out of that rut, preferrably without destroying the elements you like about the character in the first place. So how do you get out of stagnant waters and start churning things up again?
Continue reading Storyboard: Out of the rut
Storyboard: Out of the rut originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 09 Mar 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Betawatch: March 3 - 9, 2012
March 09, 2012
Filed under: Betas, MMO industry, New titles, Massively Meta, Betawatch, Miscellaneous
Meanwhile, the TERA team has kicked off a series of contests to accompany its third closed beta weekend. Line of Defense and Remanum have begun accepting beta signups; Dragon Born aims for a closed beta later this month; and City of Steam is offering a sneak-peek for long-time followers.
Finally, we say farewell to Rise of Dragonian Era, which launched today, and Crystal Saga, which launches on March 12th.
Enjoy the full Betawatch roundup!
Continue reading Betawatch: March 3 - 9, 2012
Betawatch: March 3 - 9, 2012 originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 09 Mar 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Diablo III shelves PvP to make launch
March 09, 2012
Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Launches, PvP, Diablo III
Blizzard announced today that Diablo III's PvP is not living up to the studio's standards and that it will be removing it for now in order to keep the game on track for launch. So why not just hold back the game until it's completely ready? In the words of the studio, "We ultimately felt that delaying the whole game purely for PvP would just be punishing to everyone who's waiting to enjoy the campaign and core solo/co-op content, all of which is just about complete."
Diablo III's PvP functionality will be restored at an unspecified later date with multiple Arena maps, achievements, personal progression, and a matchmaking system.
[Thanks to Marc for the tip!]
Diablo III shelves PvP to make launch originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 09 Mar 2012 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- Source: PvP Update
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