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Chaos Theory: Oh, give me a home -- in TSW
February 11, 2013

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Chaos Theory Oh give me a home
Last week, I explored transportation as one avenue of making The Secret World even more of a living, breathing world. Today, my focus is on that one aspect that really can make an MMO a home: actual homes!

It's no secret that I love housing; I've written about it on multiple occasions and livestreamed tours in various games as well. But this isn't just about fulfilling a personal wish list. Adding housing goes beyond making my gaming experience more immersive (though it most certainly does that); it's a method for increasing the longevity of the game. Housing is one of those features that, when done well, binds players to a game, giving them a reason to not only stay in game longer during a play session but stick with the game long term. And I definitely want that for The Secret World.

Continue reading Chaos Theory: Oh, give me a home -- in TSW

MassivelyChaos Theory: Oh, give me a home -- in TSW originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 11 Feb 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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    SWTOR's Patch 1.7 gets a snazzy video
    February 11, 2013

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    SWTOR
    Star Wars: The Old Republic is getting hit with Patch 1.7 tomorrow. The patch is bringing with it the new Galactic Reputation system and a new event. The event, Relics of the Gree, will send players to unravel the mystery of the ancient Gree.

    After the patch goes live, players will be able to journey to the News Terminals located in Carrick Station or Vaiken Spacedock to kick off the new adventures. It's a limited-time event, so make sure to get in before February 26th to experience the event.

    Skip below the cut for a sneak peek at the Relics of the Gree.

    [Thanks to groovy netizen John for the tip!]

    Continue reading SWTOR's Patch 1.7 gets a snazzy video

    MassivelySWTOR's Patch 1.7 gets a snazzy video originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 11 Feb 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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    Captain's Log: Ruminating on Star Trek Online's future story
    February 11, 2013

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    STO Orion header
    As a self-confessed altaholic, I spent a lot of time in Star Trek Online over the past week. The third anniversary celebration is still in full swing (although it does end on Thursday, February 14th), and I needed to get all 13 of my characters through the special featured episode in order to obtain the special ships being given as rewards. Suffice it to say that I pretty much know the episode by heart now.

    I actually dusted off my two low-level Klingon Defense Force characters and took them out for a spin so I wouldn't miss out on the beautiful new Kamarag class vessel, but in doing so I found myself chewing on the story as presented so far in Star Trek Online and what the most recent missions could mean for the rumored introduction of a Romulan faction, as well as what they might mean for the mighty Klingon Empire.

    Continue reading Captain's Log: Ruminating on Star Trek Online's future story

    MassivelyCaptain's Log: Ruminating on Star Trek Online's future story originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 11 Feb 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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      Defiance teaches players how to deal with raiders
      February 11, 2013

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      Gorram raiders.
      Raiders. They're an ever-present threat, always asking you to fill out the last healing slot or asking if you'll pass on a needed gear upgrade so... wait, that's not what we're talking about here. Defiance raiders aren't all about getting epic loot and counting DKP, they're about bursting onto the scene in a spray of automatic weapon fire while tripping on a variety of drugs. And the newest video for the game shows the raiders off in all their glory.

      As the video explains, raiders are an ever-present threat due to their sheer inability to be wiped out -- they have no centralized structure, just a large number of members who enjoy violence and follow whoever wants to lead. Players are advised to either use explosives on groups or snipe individuals at a distance. For more details on this group of enemies, take a look at the full video just past the break, and possibly apply more DOTs.

      Continue reading Defiance teaches players how to deal with raiders

      MassivelyDefiance teaches players how to deal with raiders originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 11 Feb 2013 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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      Leaderboard: Community-driven development vs. company-driven development
      February 11, 2013

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      PlanetSide 2 roadmap
      SOE's Roadmap initiative for PlanetSide 2 is an interesting beast. If you're unfamiliar with it, it's basically a public polling system wherein proposed game features are upvoted or downvoted by the community.

      While there are no guarantees that the dev team will actually bend to the will of the people (it is SOE's game, after all), it's a fairly unprecedented setup in large-scale game development. It's also got plenty of naysayers, though, some of whom are concerned about the potential for the game to be affected by those who don't play it.

      What do you think of Roadmap and potential systems like it? Do you welcome community-influenced development decisions in your MMO of choice, or do you prefer to leave it to the pros? Vote after the break!

      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: Community-driven development vs. company-driven development

      MassivelyLeaderboard: Community-driven development vs. company-driven development originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 11 Feb 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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        World of Warcraft game and expansions on 50% sale
        February 11, 2013

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        World of Warcraft game and expansions on 50% sale
        It's almost time for the Thunder King! As the embodiment of World of Warcraft's patch 5.2, the Thunder King is hopefully maybe probably going to be released late this month. In preparation, Blizzard has put a 50% discount on all World of Warcraft games -- that's the Battle Chest, Cataclysm, and Mists of Pandaria. Naturally, this makes now an excellent time to pick it up and take a look-see if you've been wondering what 10 million subscribers could have gotten all worked up about.

        MassivelyWorld of Warcraft game and expansions on 50% sale originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 11 Feb 2013 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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        Gas Powered Games cancels Wildman Kickstarter
        February 11, 2013

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        So is it Kickstopped or...?
        With four days and about half a million dollars still to go, Wildman's Kickstarter has been brought to a screeching halt. The latest and last update to the project's Kickstarter page says that the team is focusing on "other ways to keep Gas Powered Games running."

        Wildman has had something of a bumpy ride. When the game was first announced, studio head Chris Taylor said that he was "betting the company on it." A few weeks later, GPG laid off 80% of its workforce. Now Taylor says that, "If all goes well -- which I think it will -- I'll be able to give you all some great news in the weeks ahead."

        MassivelyGas Powered Games cancels Wildman Kickstarter originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 11 Feb 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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        Not So Massively: Path of Exile server upgrades, Dota 2 broadcasters turn to crowdfunding
        February 11, 2013

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        Not So Massively title image
        Path of Exile continued upgrading its servers to cope with the increasing load of new players following its open beta release, closing the servers for three hours this week to add several new database servers. Massively exclusively revealed Blacklight: Retribution's new Safehold and metro maps, and Firefall developer Red 5 Studios explained its development plans for the next quarter.

        Rise of Immortals released a spotlight video on its new long-range mage immortal Undine, while Guardians of Middle-Earth showed off its latest two DLC characters Radagast the Brown Wizard and Glóin, father of Gimli.

        League of Legends made some balance changes to its Honor system, which rewards players for being nice to each other. Riot also talked to some of Season 3's newest competitive players about what being a professional gamer means to them. Dota 2 finally got its long-awaited team matchmaking system this week, and community broadcaster Beyond The Summit launched a crowdfunding campaign to pay for full-time tournament broadcasting.

        Continue reading Not So Massively: Path of Exile server upgrades, Dota 2 broadcasters turn to crowdfunding

        MassivelyNot So Massively: Path of Exile server upgrades, Dota 2 broadcasters turn to crowdfunding originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 11 Feb 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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          The Daily Grind: Should PvP have death taunts?
          February 10, 2013

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          The Daily Grind Should PvP have taunts
          Recently, the devs over at PlanetSide 2 floated an idea for the future of the game: "We'd like to add the ability to display a taunt on your target's killscreen and play a taunt animation on demand with your avatar. Ideally we might want the ability to customize a killscreen that allows you to display even more stuff, like a short message and a custom background to go along with the taunt animation."

          This strikes me as a terrible idea for more than one reason. It degrades whatever positive feeling of sportsmanship that could be cultivated and caters to the trash-talking jerks who live not just for the thrill of the win but the thrill of humiliation. Plus, there's got to be so many ways that such a system could be abused.

          But that's just me and I'm not much of a PvPer. So I'll put the question to y'all: Should PvP have taunts, especially ones that display on kills? If so, where would you draw the line?

          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: Should PvP have death taunts? originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 10 Feb 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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            One Shots: Bring out your dead
            February 10, 2013

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            One Shots Bring out your dead
            Ah, nothing like a pile of rotting stiffs to start your day off right, I always say! So nice of considerate readers to send me such pictures in my email. Maybe it's a somber commentary on the fragility of life and the tragedies that go unnoticed around us daily. Maybe it's somebody trying to gross me out. I'm good either way.

            Reader Volska clues us in: "Talk about morbid. Here's a screenshot of some piles of corpses from the Guardian starter area in RIFT. No happy welcoming party here."

            With a start like that, what other pictures will we have to share? It's a wild and wooly One Shots, and it all starts after the jump!

            Continue reading One Shots: Bring out your dead

            MassivelyOne Shots: Bring out your dead originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 10 Feb 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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