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Path of Exile explains its open beta transition
January 22, 2013

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You can't stop me! I summon fire!
If you're looking forward to Path of Exile's open beta (possibly in the wake of our own first impressions), you don't have much longer to wait. The testing will start shortly, giving everyone a chance to get in on all of the clicking and looting. For everyone looking forward to the next step, old hands and new players alike, the development team has provided a handy walkthrough of what will take place as the game's gates creak open.

All characters will be returned to level 1 and all items will be removed outside of special promotions, but this will be the last character reset the game will undergo. Players with existing closed beta clients will be able to download the open beta patch directly, but the game's servers will go down for about two hours before the changeover happens. The post also warns everyone to expect that there may be login queues or latency issues given the game's popularity, so consider yourself fairly warned.

MassivelyPath of Exile explains its open beta transition originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 22 Jan 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: Who's your favorite MMO voice actor?
January 21, 2013

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Christopher LeeA gaggle of great actors have brought their vocal stylings to video game projects over the years, and one of my favorites when it comes to MMOs is Christopher Lee as evil overlord Lucan D'Lere in EverQuest II.

The voice of Saruman (and Count Dooku, and countless Hammer Horror villains) didn't have much of an impact on EQII's gameplay, but it was kind of a cool deal to have an actor of Lee's stature lend his talents to what was, in 2004, still a very under-the-radar segment of the gaming industry.

What about you, Massively readers? Who's your favorite MMO voice actor?

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: Who's your favorite MMO voice actor? originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 21 Jan 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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    Blizzard's Rob Pardo asks players to direct Diablo III blame to him
    January 21, 2013

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    The truest sacrifice is taking a bullet when you don't need to.
    When Jay Wilson announced that he was leaving his position as director of Diablo III, the forums were filled with responses. To the surprise of absolutely no one who has visited any forum in the history of the Internet, many of those responses were some variety of blaming Wilson for every issue the game might have or claiming that the game is clearly being abandoned completely. That didn't sit well with executive producer Rob Pardo, who took to the forums to tell players that if they want someone to blame, blame him.

    Pardo explains that he's extremely proud of the game and that everyone remains dedicated to making it the best it can be. At the same time, he stresses that he was responsible for hiring and overseeing Wilson's work, and he takes full responsibility for the game as a whole. The odds of this actually defusing forum vitriol are still roughly nil, but it does ensure that at least in Pardo's eyes it will be directed in a more deserving direction, and it's a classy move no matter what you think of the game.

    MassivelyBlizzard's Rob Pardo asks players to direct Diablo III blame to him originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 21 Jan 2013 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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    The Stream Team: Change is good edition, January 21 - 27, 2013
    January 21, 2013

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    The Stream Team Change is good edition, January 21 27, 2013
    Change is good. Especially when it's lots of change... like in the $100 bill variety. Of course, I'm talking coinage there, not alterations in life. When life changes too much, it can really throw us for a loop. Though come to think of it, is that such a bad thing? Watching your favorite Stream Team members doing loopty loops would be pretty dang entertaining!

    A few things in my life have been on the path to change lately -- some abrupt, some gradual. Even here at Massively we've had recent changes (new streamer and cool behind-the-scenes programming goodies FTW!). And Massively TV is all about change, bringing you new shows to enjoy each week! In that light, I'm willing to accept that the whole change-is-good mantra isn't all bad.

    Want to experience a bit of change yourself? Then check out your favorite games played by your favorite streamers after the cut, and be sure to let us know who you'd like to see team up for more two-hour blocks of Massively mayhem.

    Continue reading The Stream Team: Change is good edition, January 21 - 27, 2013

    MassivelyThe Stream Team: Change is good edition, January 21 - 27, 2013 originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 21 Jan 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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      Trion reveals Defiance pre-orders, live-action teaser
      January 21, 2013

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      Defiance hellbug
      Defiance's April release isn't too far away, and today Trion has made the new MMO shooter available for pre-order. There are several bundles to choose from including both physical and digital collector's editions and a good assortment of early bird bonus items.

      Pre-order bonuses include beta invites, XP boosts, and exclusive titles and outfits. The physical CE boasts a Hellbug statue, a soundtrack CD from renowned composer Bear McCreary, an art box, and a slew of in-game items. Defiance is coming to the PC, PlayStation 3 and XBox 360. You can find the full listing of pre-order options at the game's official website.

      The company has also released a 30-second live-action teaser trailer, the full-length version of which will "be available soon." See it after the cut.

      [Source: Trion press release]

      Continue reading Trion reveals Defiance pre-orders, live-action teaser

      MassivelyTrion reveals Defiance pre-orders, live-action teaser originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 21 Jan 2013 11:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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        Two more League of Legends players banned for jerkiness
        January 21, 2013

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        League of Legends - Jayce with the banhammer
        Riot has banned two more League of Legends pros for excessively adolescent behavior. Last December the company sent Christian "IWillDominate" Rivera packing, and now Illyas "enVision" Hartsema and Damien "Linak" Lorthios are joining him in exile.

        Both players will be banned from both this weekend's LCS Season 3 Qualifier and LCS play next year according to the ruling on Riot's forums. enVision has been reported in a whopping 29% of his matches, which PC Gamer says is six times more than the average EU LoL player. He has also been punished 18 times, including two account bans, throughout his LoL history.

        Linak boasts a 20% report rate and, like enVision, has a peak harassment score in the worst .06% of all EU accounts.

        MassivelyTwo more League of Legends players banned for jerkiness originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 21 Jan 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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        The Nexus Telegraph: Sci-fi commonalities to expect in WildStar
        January 21, 2013

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        You can't take the sky from me. Unless you can.
        There are certain bits that sort of obscure this fact, but when you get down to it, WildStar is a science fiction game -- a science fiction game taking lots of cues from more fantastical offerings and Westerns, but still science fiction at its heart. And that means that it has certain expectations from potential players, just like fantasy games are expected to have elves and superhero games are expected to have someone who is only distinguishable from Superman by the lack of a logo.

        Here's the thing, though: Science fiction covers a pretty wide range of setting, so some of those expectations may or may not come to pass with the game. Today I want to talk about some of those reasonable guesses, the sort of thing that you just think has to be in a science fiction game. Is WildStar going to feature these elements? I'm not sure, but I can make some guesses (which might be proved wrong before the week is out, but guessing is fun like that).

        Continue reading The Nexus Telegraph: Sci-fi commonalities to expect in WildStar

        MassivelyThe Nexus Telegraph: Sci-fi commonalities to expect in WildStar originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 21 Jan 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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          Digital Kids Conference Emcee Spotlight: Joi Podgorny and Richard Gottlieb
          January 21, 2013

          We are pleased to announce that Digital Kids Conference this year (Feb. 12-13 in New York), will have two emcees. Both emcees are very involved in  bringing kids’ entertainment products to market and will be sharing their experiences as they guide the days’ sessions and panels.

          For day one, Joi Podgorny of Smart Bomb Interactive will take the emcee slot. Joi often speaks at conferences focusing on children, technology and children’s entertainment including KidScreen, Digital Hollywood, Engage Expo and YPulse Mashup.

          Currently she holds the position of Director of Community Engagement for Smart Bomb Interactive where she [...]

          A newbie in Heroes of Newerth: How patch 3.0 improves the MOBA experience
          January 21, 2013

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          Heroes of Newerth characters
          My first experiences in the MOBA genre went something like this: "What do you mean last-hitting and how come these towers keep shooting me? I'm a hero for, freak's sake!" to which my teammate would respond, "Quit feeding and die in a fire." It was a confusing and tumultuous time. Thankfully, the genre has taken a turn for the better, adding more in-depth tutorials, bot matches, and various other aids to help new players transition into the game and beef up the competitive numbers.

          Heroes of Newerth is no exception. S2 Games is preparing to globally launch (yes, everywhere at the same time) patch 3.0 on January 31st, 2012, and it will include a lane full of visual enhancements, bots with customizable AI, and a stronger emphasis on teaching new players the ropes.

          Could HoN establish itself as the MOBA for new players of the genre? We trekked to a demo in San Francisco last week to find out.

          Continue reading A newbie in Heroes of Newerth: How patch 3.0 improves the MOBA experience

          MassivelyA newbie in Heroes of Newerth: How patch 3.0 improves the MOBA experience originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 21 Jan 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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            Chaos Theory: ARG expands The Secret World
            January 21, 2013

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            Chaos Theory The Secret World ARG
            If there is one thing that many MMOs have in common, it's in-game events. Just about every title has a least one event, often centered around holidays, where players do special tasks in-game and receive special gifts. The Secret World is no different, most recently running an apocalyptic event with Mayan zombies for players to trip over. But who says all events have to actually be in-game? Certainly not Funcom.

            Among the other hooplah over the supposed end of the world last month, The Secret World fans were participating in the game's latest Alternate Reality Game (ARG). Set out in the real world, the ARG let anyone -- player or not -- experience the ambiance of TSW investigation missions by solving a set of conspiracy-laden tasks and receiving in-game rewards. While the first ARG was via Facebook, this one utilized email, a special website, and even text messages and tweets. Some missions were solo events, while others required the world-wide community to band together to complete. And there's nothing like a common goal to bring folks together (even in some unexpected ways!).

            Didn't have a chance to play all the way through? It's not too late; the situation room is still open. Go ahead and put your thinking cap on and prepare to be drawn into a world of conspiracies, whether you play TSW or not.

            Continue reading Chaos Theory: ARG expands The Secret World

            MassivelyChaos Theory: ARG expands The Secret World originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 21 Jan 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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