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Leaderboard: Mechanized vs. monster mounts
January 30, 2012

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Leaderboard
Unless you're stuck in the invisible wall, no jumping, running-with-your-hands-flopping-about hell of Guild Wars, chances are you've gotten the opportunity to pick up a mount or two in an MMO. It's one of the ways that MMOs are so superior to the real world: There are no driver tests, no insurance policies, no (usually) gas. You just plop down some money and the vendor looks the other way while you go off-roading in a major metropolitan area.

But it wouldn't be a Leaderboard if we didn't force you to choose between your '67 Mustang and your pet Tauntaun, and so it shall be. In the world of mounts, there are two categories: the mechanized and the monsters. Vehicle mounts may be more rare due to fantasy's dominance over the genre, but they're still there and quite popular for the set that doesn't appreciate staring at horse doody all the live-long day. Then again, the fantastic creatures that have served as animal mounts are unceasing in variety as they are in style.

So what shall it be? Will you plug Old Yeller and go with your motorcycle, or will you mothball your favorite dune buggy in favor of Seabiscuit? Vote after the jump!

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MassivelyLeaderboard: Mechanized vs. monster mounts originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 30 Jan 2012 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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    Wings Over Atreia: F2P and vet rewards and bears, oh my!
    January 30, 2012

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    Wings Over Atreia header image
    OK, so maybe there aren't really any bears. Wait, I take that back -- there are maybe sorta bears... at least alluded to! Polar bears, to be exact. No really, work with me here: What Winter Festival, Atreian or otherwise, doesn't conjure up images of polar bears? We just won't get into the whole dancing bears thing. What we will get into this week in Wings Over Atreia, however, are musings about a few topics of interest that are swirling around lately, most notably Aion's upcoming conversion to free-to-play in Europe, the changes to the veteran reward system, and the aforementioned Winter Festival (sans dancing bears).

    Quick quiz now: Other than involving Aion, what else do these three subjects have in common? Give up? Time. While this column usually delves into single topics at a time, the fact that two of these are time-sensitive necessitates that they share face-time, else the news most relevant to Daevas would become obsolete. The third is less time-sensitive but more time-relevant.

    Continue reading Wings Over Atreia: F2P and vet rewards and bears, oh my!

    MassivelyWings Over Atreia: F2P and vet rewards and bears, oh my! originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 30 Jan 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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      Warhammer Online releases patch 1.4.5 highlights
      January 30, 2012

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      The Inevitable City at peak hours.
      Despite Mythic Entertainment's recent winnowing of the Warhammer Online servers -- bringing them down from four servers to a measly pair -- the company is still hard at work developing patches for the RvR-based title. Patch 1.4.5 will be hitting the live servers tomorrow, January 31st, and it brings a number of interesting changes and also ushers in the return of fortresses, which should be good news for open RvR fans.

      With the recent Skaven invasion, a number of relics have been found in myriad underground tunnels dug below the game's fortresses. Players will be charged with guarding their faction's relics while attempting to purloin those of the enemy. The Grovod Cavern scenario is also making a return, allowing two teams of 12 players to duke it out in the crumbling cave. But this time, there's a twist: Players will be taking control of two teams of Skaven; hilarity will ensue. To top it all off, 1.4.5 is bringing fortresses back into play (after they were removed some time ago), which should hopefully encourage players to head back into the open RvR lakes for fun and profit. For the full details, just head on over to the Warhammer Online official site.

      MassivelyWarhammer Online releases patch 1.4.5 highlights originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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      ArenaNet reveals new PvP map with four new screenshots
      January 30, 2012

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      Screenshot -- Guild Wars 2
      Now that it finally has a (rumored) tentative launch window, fans can officially get hyped for Guild Wars 2, only to have their hopes dashed when the release is pushed back. OK, not really (hopefully), but we do have some fancy new screenshots for you folks today courtesy of Guild Wars Insider. ArenaNet has released four new screenshots of a to-be-announced PvP map. Though we have all of no idea what kind of map it is, how it plays, or even what it's called... doesn't matter, new screenshots! To get a look at the new map in all of its splendor, just click on through the link below to Guild Wars Insider.

      MassivelyArenaNet reveals new PvP map with four new screenshots originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 30 Jan 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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      Turbine: Subscription model isn't dead
      January 30, 2012

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      Dungeons and Dragons Online - dark elves
      Turbine doesn't think subscription MMOs are dying, which might come as something of a surprise to fans of the pay-as-you-go business model that's spreading like wildfire across the Western MMO landscape.

      "It's probably not right to say the subscription MMO is dying, it's probably more right to say the idea of forcing a player to only have one option for having to consume your content -- that's probably dying," says spokesman Adam Mersky in a piece at Eurogamer.

      Mersky goes on to say that brave new business models are the norm across the entertainment spectrum, and he also claims that Turbine "certainly pioneered" free-to-play in the online gaming space (though it's worth noting that Funcom introduced a F2P option for Anarchy Online in 2004, five years before Dungeons and Dragons Online took the plunge).

      Finally, the Eurogamer piece touches on the upcoming Menace of the Underdark expansion as well as the unnamed "future project" that the company first hinted about in 2009.

      MassivelyTurbine: Subscription model isn't dead originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 30 Jan 2012 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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      DC Universe Online's upcoming game update is all about easier grouping
      January 30, 2012

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      The proposal for Super Wimp Raids, where the enemies just stare at you menacingly, was summarily rejected.
      If you've been enjoying DC Universe Online ever since the game switched business models, odds are good you're looking toward the endgame by now. Game Update 9, which is coming soon, will make getting into that endgame even easier via the addition of Novice Raids. This new difficulty setting still allows players to experience all the storyline of Fortress of Solitude, Kahndaq, and the Batcave, but the difficulty will be notched down so that players can get a better feel for what they're doing.

      Of course, if you're not into the endgame rush, you've still got something to look forward to with the new role-optional alerts system. In essence, players will now be able to queue for Alerts without needing to put together a balanced group; in the event that a role is missing, a team buff will be applied to ensure that the area can still be cleared. That means that even with nothing but Damage characters, you can still explore all of DC Universe Online's group content, something that should allow for some novel player approaches once the update goes live.

      [Update: SOE has also issued a statement about plans for the game's PvP in 2012. The full quote is after the cut.]

      Continue reading DC Universe Online's upcoming game update is all about easier grouping

      MassivelyDC Universe Online's upcoming game update is all about easier grouping originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 30 Jan 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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      Newest Final Fantasy XIV producer's letter talks patch 1.21 release
      January 30, 2012

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      Of course, in real life, Yoshida is the one who can spit fire.
      It's been a little quiet on the Final Fantasy XIV front since the new year, but the team behind the game has been hard at work preparing the launch of patch 1.21. And it's going to be quite a massive patch, as outlined in Naoki Yoshida's most recent producer's letter for the fans. Not only does it contain the addition of the long-awaited Job system, but it also includes UI improvements, housing, two new instanced raids, a food and medicine overhaul, and a variety of smaller changes.

      While the team had originally aimed for a launch in the second week of February, Yoshida notes that the patch will likely be delayed two weeks due to the sheer amount of content going in. He also discusses what he calls temporary server merges prior to the launch of 2.0 in November; as he puts it, the main concern is allowing players, especially from European regions, to have an ample playerbase to adventure with. It's a bit of unpleasant news for Final Fantasy XIV players, but it's packed in amidst many things to look forward to.

      MassivelyNewest Final Fantasy XIV producer's letter talks patch 1.21 release originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 30 Jan 2012 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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      Not So Massively: Why are all these games still in beta?
      January 30, 2012

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      Not So Massively title image
      Dota 2 revealed its latest hero, Clinkz the Bone Fletcher, in this week's beta patch, while the Realm of the Titans beta was rudely interrupted by a security breach that saw thousands of passwords stolen. Blacklight: Retribution's fourth beta phase is now underway, and we have beta keys for those of you who haven't managed to get into it yet. Bloodline Champions celebrated the two-year anniversary of its first beta test this week, and developers revealed details of upcoming bloodline Headhunter.

      League of Legends spilled the beans on its brand-new psychotic yordle champion Ziggs, the Hexplosives Expert, this week with a full gameplay reveal, art spotlight and patch preview. Diablo III seems slightly nearer to release this week with the news that Blizzard has cancelled BlizzCon 2012 in order to focus on getting the game to release as soon as possible. Heroes of Newerth player Fatmilk set a new world record by playing the game for 76 hours straight and raised pver $3,700US for charity as a result. Finally, the Rise of Immortals developers discussed the latest immortal, Ukkonen, and other topics in the first part of a new developer podcast series.

      Continue reading Not So Massively: Why are all these games still in beta?

      MassivelyNot So Massively: Why are all these games still in beta? originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 30 Jan 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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        Global Agenda celebrates its second birthday with free booster codes for Massively readers
        January 30, 2012

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        Global Agenda
        We told you earlier today that Hi-Rez is handing out prizes in honor of Global Agenda's second anniversary, and while that's pretty awesome, we've got a little something extra for those players who have the good taste to also be Massively readers.

        We've got some booster codes to give away: three days of extra experience, credits, and tokens, free for the taking. Picking one up for yourself is a snap: Go to our giveaway page to pick up your code, then log into game and type "/claimpromotion Promocode". Enter your code and that's it -- you've got your three-day booster!

        Enjoy your booster code and join us in thanking Hi-Rez for the gift!

        MassivelyGlobal Agenda celebrates its second birthday with free booster codes for Massively readers originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 30 Jan 2012 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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          The Daily Grind: How often do you want new abilities?
          January 29, 2012

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          This level, I learned to bend my wrist ninety degrees in any direction without breaking it!
          We're all very familiar with the term "ding." We're also familiar with the immediate follow-up to a ding -- namely, figuring out what new stuff you get following a new level. Of course, that varies a lot depending on the game. Guild Wars will give players new abilities all the time, whether or not you hit a new level, but Star Trek Online only offers up a new set of abilities every 10 levels or so (equipment notwithstanding).

          Granted, if a game gives you abilities infrequently, each one tends to be more vital to your overall play experience. Having a wider spread of abilities means more choices, but it also means that each individual skill doesn't matter as much. So which do you prefer? Would you like to be swimming in new abilities and new tricks at every new level? Or would you prefer a slow roll, with new skills coming infrequently but being special when they do come?

          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: How often do you want new abilities? originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 29 Jan 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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