Virtual World News
Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Business models, Opinion, Free-to-play, Browser, Casual, Free for All, Miscellaneous
What it means is Wurm will contain the (improved) features that we consider make the game marketable. We will finally have character customization, visible armour, multi-story buildings and nicer looking creatures.This is the kind of statement that leaves players like yours truly a bit baffled. I think that posts and delayed "releases" like this are actually damaging to the game in a subtle way. In fact, this week I decided to look at games like Wurm that coast along under the "beta" banner for a long time, for good and bad.
Continue reading Free for All: The continued confusing misuse of the beta tag
Free for All: The continued confusing misuse of the beta tag originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 19 Dec 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Sci-fi, Video, Lore, Patches, News items, Free-to-play, MMOFPS
Obviously, the place is a mess by governmental standards, which makes sense when you consider that the team sent in is supposed to be the best of the best. But as the team trails the shadowy Order, it quickly becomes clear that this is more than just a fight against opponents with superior weaponry.
But you don't have to take our word for it. If you want to see things going from bad to worse, you can check out the next two issues just past the cut and tune in tomorrow for another step along the path.
Continue reading Massively Exclusive: Blacklight: Retribution shows off the end of the world, part 3
Massively Exclusive: Blacklight: Retribution shows off the end of the world, part 3 originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 19 Dec 2012 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Fantasy, MMO industry, Opinion, RIFT, Enter at Your Own Rift
So what does this mean for RIFT? Let's consider that question in this week's Enter at your own Rift.
Continue reading Enter at Your Own Rift: What the Trion layoffs mean for RIFT
Enter at Your Own Rift: What the Trion layoffs mean for RIFT originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 19 Dec 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Super-hero, Business models, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play, Consoles, MMOFPS, Free Realms, DC Universe Online, PlanetSide 2
When asked directly about the possibility of the new sci-fi MMOFPS showing up on a console, SOE president John Smedley offered an artful deflection. "What I'd say is -- SOE has proven that we can bring our games to the PS3, and it's fair to say that we've got some other stuff out there cooking. I can't tell you what platforms it's for, but we're really excited about it."
70% of SOE's revenue on PlayStation 3, Smedley mum on PlanetSide 2 console port originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 19 Dec 2012 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- Source: Official PS Mag
- Via: MCV
Filed under: Horror, Real life, Events, real-world, Interviews, Free-to-play, The Secret World, Humor, Massively Interviews
But that video is over a week old. How has Bylos been coping with the impending Armageddon since then? I took a break from my Issue #5 adventures and caught up with the self-proclaimed end-of-days prophet to see how he's been faring, find out what he has learned about the apocalypse, and maybe get a hint on when the next video log will release!
Continue reading Exclusive: The Secret World's Joel Bylos vs. Armageddon
Exclusive: The Secret World's Joel Bylos vs. Armageddon originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 19 Dec 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, Opinion, Guild Wars 2
Hard-hitting truths, I know. The game won our 2012 Game of the Year award for good reason. There's a lot to praise within that package, from the art direction to the game mechanics to the flexibility. Many parts of it push the design paradigm in interesting ways and could lead to a much better understanding of what can be done with online games.
And then there are places where the paradigm pushes back.
I come here not to praise Guild Wars 2 but to look at the game after the honeymoon has ended and we've all had a chance to settle down. It deserves its status as the best game released this year, but man there are some places where the game is an irritating piece of work. And there are lessons to be found here both for future development on the game and for anyone thinking that it's a gold standard.
Continue reading Where Guild Wars 2 goes wrong
Where Guild Wars 2 goes wrong originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 19 Dec 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Fantasy, Legal, Diablo III
Community Manager Lylirra issued the grim proclamation: "We've recently issued account bans to several thousand Diablo III players who were found to be using botting programs while playing. In addition to undermining the spirit of fair play, botting, hacking, and other forms of cheating can also cause technical problems with the game as well as contribute to performance issues with the Battle.net service."
Lylirra also said that the Diablo III team is working to add a feature that will allow players to directly report naughty bots through the game itself.
Blizzard bans thousands of bots from Diablo III originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 19 Dec 2012 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- Source: Diablo III forums
Filed under: Horror, MMO industry, News items, Post-Apocalyptic, Miscellaneous
The furor over The War Z's launch on Steam centered around its status as an early beta build and a list of misleading features on the Steam page that were either partially implemented or absent from the game altogether.
Hammerpoint also issued a short statement saying, "We're making sure that our Store page is 100% correct. Bottom line: Our end goal is to have satisfied and not angry customers, so this is more important for us than everything else."
Steam said that players who purchased it may choose to continue to play it or can get a refund.
The War Z yanked from Steam, Valve apologizes originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 19 Dec 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- Source: Kotaku
Filed under: Super-hero, Business models, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play, Consoles, MMOFPS, Free Realms, DC Universe Online, PlanetSide 2
When asked directly about the possibility of the new sci-fi MMOFPS showing up on a console, SOE president John Smedley offered an artful deflection. "What I'd say is -- SOE has proven that we can bring our games to the PS3, and it's fair to say that we've got some other stuff out there cooking. I can't tell you what platforms it's for, but we're really excited about it."
[Update]: SOE has contacted Massively to correct the 70% figure originally published. The percentage refers to DCUO's revenue and not SOE revenue as a whole.
70% of DCUO's revenue on PlayStation 3, Smedley mum on PlanetSide 2 console port [Updated] originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 19 Dec 2012 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- Source: Official PS Mag
- Via: MCV
Filed under: Sci-fi, Expansions, Free-to-play, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Community Q&A
Senior Community Coordinator Allison Berryman addressed some of the most common questions, such as the viability of current endgame gear (answer: very viable) and how big this new planet will be. "To give you all a better idea of Makeb's scope," she said, "it's a planet of equal size to our larger planets and it contains a variety of areas -- sprawling mesas, underground caverns, garden estates, and more."
Berryman also says that character development is a big part of the expansion agenda: "As part of the new content, every skill tree will be expanding and you can expect significant updates. Players will earn a new skill point with each level, and new skills will be available in each skill tree. Additionally, a new active ability will be introduced for each advanced class."
SWTOR dev talks expansion skills, planet, and gear originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 19 Dec 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- Source: Forum #1, Forum #2
- Via: Darth Hater