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RuneScape increasing subscription prices on February 1st
January 24, 2012

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Screenshot -- RuneScape
In a new post on the official RuneScape site, the game's vice president Daniel Clough has announced that, beginning in February, RuneScape membership prices will be rising from $5.95 US per month to $7.95 US per month. If you're already a member, don't worry! Anyone who is a registered member prior to February 1st will still be able to subscribe to the game at the current fee of $5.95 US per month, and the rate will not rise as long as the subscription isn't cancelled. So if you were thinking about shelling out for a RuneScape membership, act before the end of the month in order to lock in the current, lower pricing model. For the full details, click on through the link below to the RuneScape official site.

[Thanks to Sean for the tip!]

MassivelyRuneScape increasing subscription prices on February 1st originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 24 Jan 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Max Schaefer talks Torchlight II development, potential MMO plans
January 24, 2012

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It's up to you if you find Torchlight's somewhat exaggerated, cartoony style more or less grating than Diablo's insistence on layering black paint over further black paint.
There are a lot of people eagerly anticipating Diablo III, but there are also several people looking forward to Torchlight II, the followup to the hugely successful spiritual sequel to Diablo. A recent interview with Max Schaefer, co-founder and CEO of Runic Games, discusses the development of the sequel including some of the contrasting points between it and Diablo III -- including the lack of any sort of virtual item shop. As Schaefer puts it, the team wants to put together a good game that stands on its own, and if it's successful the developers will look in the direction of an expansion rather than a straightforward shop.

Schaefer also discusses a potential MMO coming out of the studio, something that's long been among the studio's plans -- one of the big reasons that Runic partnered with Perfect World Entertainment was due to its expertise with running an MMO. He claims that it's definitely still on the table, but it would be a big change for the studio, since the company has focused on staying small and launching an MMO is a very long-term commitment. Somewhat sad news for those hoping that Torchlight II's launch would spearhead MMO development directly, but the possibility certainly remains.

MassivelyMax Schaefer talks Torchlight II development, potential MMO plans originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 24 Jan 2012 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Star Trek Online handing out Odyssey starships for its second anniversary
January 24, 2012

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STO
It's been in the making for months now, but the wait is almost over. On February 2nd, Star Trek Online will release the latest in the line of Enterprises, the Odyssey-class (Enterprise-F) starship. Players are invited to do more than gawk at its power and majesty, as Cryptic is inviting all players level 5 or higher to take one for a test drive... and then take one home on the house.

Cryptic notes that the new Odyssey will be available for only a limited time at the start of the month, after which it will disappear from the game for an indeterminate amount of time. Players who cannot fly the top-tier starship can nevertheless earn it for use at a later date.

The Odyssey (and its corresponding Klingon Vengeance-class starship) giveaway is just the first part of STO's second anniversary events. From February 2nd through the 5th, the mischievous Q will challenge players to complete tasks in exchange for mystery prizes.

MassivelyStar Trek Online handing out Odyssey starships for its second anniversary originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 24 Jan 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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League of Legends update bringing sharper AI, new bots
January 24, 2012

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Screenshot -- League of Legends
League of Legends is well known for its challenging team-based gameplay and its rather steep learning curve, leading many users to play co-operatively against AI in order to hone their skills. In addition, co-op vs. AI is "the primary game mode for a surprisingly large percentage of users" according to senior producer Mark Norris. In light of this, Riot Games is bringing a huge new update to League of Legends' AI matches.

For starters, Riot will be introducing AI bots for a whopping 40 of the game's champions, allowing players to test their mettle against a wider variety of opponents. In addition, the AI itself is in for an update that will allow bots to behave more like their human counterparts by utilizing predictive targeting for skillshots (such as Ashe's ultimate) and employing a great deal more strategy than the current bots. Of course, there are still some things that bots can't do (such as intelligent jungling), but Norris suggests "that's actually a huge advanced area that we do want to look at and get into, that we're in the the real rudimentary stages of trying to figure out right now."

For the full details on what awaits players in the upcoming AI update, just click on through the link below and read the full story.

MassivelyLeague of Legends update bringing sharper AI, new bots originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 24 Jan 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hyperspace Beacon: Roleplayer's rant
January 24, 2012

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Hyperspace Beacon: Roleplayer's rant
I don't like to rant. Really! Usually, ranting is full of emotionally charged rhetoric, and oftentimes it's riddled with inaccurate statements. I especially don't like to rant about something that I like a lot. For instance, Star Wars: The Old Republic has, by far, exceeded my personal expectations for any MMO; however, some missteps in production have tainted its perfection. (No, I'm not going to talk about Ilum again.) Of course, we are all looking for our version of perfection in an MMO, right? Unfortunately, no MMO will live up to that expectation. In fact, if I did find my version of MMO perfection, I would probably be the only one playing it. But I do believe I have ideas that those in my community could latch on to. They are also relatively simple. Yes, yes, I know nothing is ever as simple as it seems, but indulge me for a few moments.

As many of you know, I enjoy roleplaying in my MMOs -- character creation, really. I'm not one of those roleplayers who hang out in a pub all day never experiencing any gameplay. Although there's nothing wrong with that, I find it a be a waste of $15 a month.

I have complied what I believe will make the experience of SWTOR more enjoyable for those who enjoy playing the game like I do, and I think that those of you who don't necessarily like to roleplay per se but do like to create unique characters in the MMO space will agree that these are a must. I did set some personal criteria when compiling the list. For instance, I didn't want to break BioWare's general vision for the game. I also wanted to use existing items in the game so that my expectations were realistic -- no guild capital ships or image design system. And all of these items have been mentioned in print someplace before, so I'm not the only one who believes these should be implemented.

Continue reading Hyperspace Beacon: Roleplayer's rant

MassivelyHyperspace Beacon: Roleplayer's rant originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 24 Jan 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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    First 25 Digital Kids Conference Speakers Announced
    January 24, 2012

    We are pleased to announce our first 25 speakers for the Digital Kids Conference (formerly Engage) taking place April 25-26, 2012 in Los Angeles. As you can see from the list below they hail from both the near and far corners of the media, entertainment and technology world. Each brings an expert voice [...]

    Guild Wars 2 confirmed for 2012, public beta coming
    January 23, 2012

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    OMGOMGOMG
    ArenaNet founder and president Mike O'Brien rocked the Guild Wars 2 community very early this morning with a blog post celebrating 2012 as the year of the dragon and the official launch year for Guild Wars 2.

    Guild Wars 2 recently finished up a very small closed beta test, and now ArenaNet is planning to start opening the testing doors wider very quickly: "In February we'll invite select press to participate in beta testing, and in March and April we'll aggressively ramp up the size of our beta test events so that many of you will have a chance to participate."

    This all leads up to the event fans have been eagerly awaiting on the edge of their seats: a 2012 launch for Guild Wars 2, according to O'Brien. He wrapped up the blog post with words guaranteed to put a big smile on the face of every fan: "So welcome to the Year of the Dragon - the year of Guild Wars 2."

    MassivelyGuild Wars 2 confirmed for 2012, public beta coming originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 23 Jan 2012 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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    Blizzard job listing mentions 'product placement' within their next MMO
    January 23, 2012

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    Activision Blizzard
    When details of Blizzard's upcoming casual MMO, code-named Titan, are incredibly scarce due to the developer's ironclad secrecy, it falls to enterprising fans to ferret out any scraps of information that may exist. One such player on the NeoGAF forums was combing through a Blizzard job posting for a Franchise Development Producer and noted an interesting line that indicated the studio could be mulling over the idea of in-game ads for its next MMO.

    The line in question specifies that one of the duties of the position is to "work with major consumer brands to facilitate product placement and licensing within the world of Blizzard Entertainment's next-gen MMO that enhances the gameplay experience." Whether this is a sign that we'll be seeing billboards for Skittles while we raid or if players will be able to get endorsements and decorate their outfits a la NASCAR cars is anyone's guess.

    It's important to note that the rest of this position entails a number of efforts to promote Blizzard's "next-gen MMO" outside of the tight-knit gaming sphere, including comics, action figures, and short movies.

    MassivelyBlizzard job listing mentions 'product placement' within their next MMO originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 23 Jan 2012 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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    The Daily Grind: Would you buy an advanced character?
    January 23, 2012

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    UO advanced character
    For many years, Ultima Online has offered an advanced character microtransaction. Well, the term "microtransaction" may be stretching it -- originally priced at $30 a pop, it's more like a macrotransaction. The advanced character token allows you to boost the skills and stats of a single character according to a preset template. It won't give you a capped Bard, Treasure Hunter, or Animal Tamer overnight, but it will get you a big chunk of the way there. And for skills that are notoriously hard to train .1 by .1 all the way to 100 or 120, advanced character tokens can be a huge boon to players who've been there and done that and just want to skip the early grind.

    UO's not alone in this; other games, such as Dark Age of Camelot, allow players to jump past some of the early game on their alts once they've capped a toon and proven they know the ropes of the game. Of course, those games aren't charging for the pleasure. So what do you think: Would you buy an advanced character from a game company? Or do you think you're cheating yourself and those around you by not grinding up the old-fashioned way?

    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: Would you buy an advanced character? originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 23 Jan 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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      MV Guide: January 23-29, 2012
      January 23, 2012

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      MV Guide is a weekly rundown of the MMO gaming events planned on Massively TV.

      Every week, the Massively staff logs in to play various MMOs live and in person, and we'd love for you to drop by the channel and visit. We have a combination of regular weekly games and new surprises, so you'll find a variety of titles to take a look at. During our streamed events, you can participate in the live chat, ask questions to learn about the game, and simply spend some time with Massively staff and readers. (Of course, streaming is subject to the whims of outside forces like server-side gremlins once in a while.)

      Follow along after the jump to see what's on this week's schedule!

      Continue reading MV Guide: January 23-29, 2012

      MassivelyMV Guide: January 23-29, 2012 originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 23 Jan 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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