Virtual World News
Funcom teases AoC's House of Crom
January 11, 2012
Filed under: Fantasy, Age of Conan, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Patches, News items, Free-to-play, Dungeons
Thankfully, that's where the similarities end, as the new dungeon is looking quite impressive -- if Funcom's marketing blurbs are anything to go on.
The latest such features a few paragraphs of textual description regarding the Threshold of Divinity and Vile Nativity dungeons (the House of Crom isn't just one dungeon, but rather a massive new area that supports multiple groups and amounts to the largest indoor dungeon that Funcom has created to date). Head to the official AoC website for more info, including screenshots of some of the new armor available throughout the instance.
Funcom teases AoC's House of Crom originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 11 Jan 2012 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- Source: House of Crom reveal
SWTOR Senior Community Manager responds to high-res texture concerns
January 11, 2012
Filed under: Sci-fi, Bugs, News items, Star Wars: The Old Republic
Many keen-eyed Star Wars: The Old Republic players noticed that, while there were "low," "medium," and "high" options for the game's texture quality settings, there seemed to be only two different sets of textures, and neither of them includes the high-resolution textures seen in the game's cutscenes and conversations. As it tends to go with the MMO community, the forums were soon filled with cries of "WTFM8?"
And thus did BioWare's own Senior Community Manager Stephen Reid appear on the scene to clarify what exactly was happening. The low-medium-high texture quality scale is, he says, a bug, and the medium choice was never supposed to exist. So yes, the game has only two sets of textures, low- and high-resolution, but even the high-resolution textures don't look as shiny as the ones featured in SWTOR's cutscenes. And so the chorus repeated, "WTFM8?"
Reid drops a ton of technical information to explain why players can't run around with conversation-quality textures 24/7, but the fact of the matter is that an MMO could potentially have anywhere from one to who-knows-how-many people on-screen at any given time, and BioWare "discovered that using [...] 'maximum resolution' textures on in-game characters during normal gameplay could cause severe performance issues, even on powerful PCs."
That's the short of it, but if you'd like the full, unadulterated technical breakdown, just head on over to the official forum post for more info and screaming.
And thus did BioWare's own Senior Community Manager Stephen Reid appear on the scene to clarify what exactly was happening. The low-medium-high texture quality scale is, he says, a bug, and the medium choice was never supposed to exist. So yes, the game has only two sets of textures, low- and high-resolution, but even the high-resolution textures don't look as shiny as the ones featured in SWTOR's cutscenes. And so the chorus repeated, "WTFM8?"
Reid drops a ton of technical information to explain why players can't run around with conversation-quality textures 24/7, but the fact of the matter is that an MMO could potentially have anywhere from one to who-knows-how-many people on-screen at any given time, and BioWare "discovered that using [...] 'maximum resolution' textures on in-game characters during normal gameplay could cause severe performance issues, even on powerful PCs."
That's the short of it, but if you'd like the full, unadulterated technical breakdown, just head on over to the official forum post for more info and screaming.
SWTOR Senior Community Manager responds to high-res texture concerns originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 11 Jan 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
BioWare: 'Gray Jedi' playstyle in SWTOR will reap rewards
January 11, 2012
Filed under: Sci-fi, Classes, Game mechanics, Star Wars: The Old Republic
Speaking with PC Gamer, Game Director James Ohlen spilled a few more details about what he calls the "Gray Jedi" playstyle, which will be supported in an unspecified upcoming patch. Gray Jedis (or Gray Smugglers, Gray Inquisitors, etc.) happen when a player creates a balanced mix of light and dark side choices over his or her career and ends up staying in the "neutral" zone on the alignment meter. Because the game currently incentivizes strong light or dark side playstyles with specific rewards, neutral players are left out in the cold.
Fortunately, the system that's coming will cater to these dirty, filthy neutrals. "We don't want to force people," Ohlen said. "Once we get to the next stage of our light side/dark side system, you'll see the rewards. Light side, dark side and the gray items will all get more powerful."
BioWare: 'Gray Jedi' playstyle in SWTOR will reap rewards originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 11 Jan 2012 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- Source: PC Gamer
EverQuest II adds player wings, yes really
January 11, 2012
Filed under: Fantasy, Video, EverQuest II, Game mechanics, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play
Today, though, Sony Online Entertainment is raising the bar via new sets of wings that are available to any character (of any race). These aren't just crappy looking social add-ons, either, but slickly animated functional wings on par with those in Aion or Perfect World. The catch is that they're only available in the Station Cash marketplace, and they'll set you back 1,950 points (about 20 bucks). Check out the video after the break for a brief demonstration. Also keep in mind that you'll need a character of level 85 or higher to use them.
[Source: SOE press release]
Continue reading EverQuest II adds player wings, yes really
EverQuest II adds player wings, yes really originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 11 Jan 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
MMO Community Spotlight: Gamebreaker's Gary Gannon
January 11, 2012
Filed under: Interviews, MMO industry, Massively Interviews, Community Q&A, Miscellaneous
If you don't know the name Gary Gannon, you will soon enough. Gary has created or helped create everything from a successful MMO podcast to a social media site for gamers, but he's now looking to boost his Gamebreaker media network into the "CNN or ESPN of gaming" in the near future.
Sound like a pipe dream from yet another in the sea of overly enthusiastic game-journalist wannabes? Not if that person has spent his entire adult career actually working for some of the largest news organizations in the U.S.
We caught up with Gary to talk about his gaming roots, his passion for the community, and the future of his Gamebreaker network.
Continue reading MMO Community Spotlight: Gamebreaker's Gary Gannon
MMO Community Spotlight: Gamebreaker's Gary Gannon originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 11 Jan 2012 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Keen Software House announces pre-order deals for Miner Wars MMO
January 11, 2012
Filed under: Sci-fi, MMO industry, New titles, News items
Czech studio Keen Software House has announced a pre-order sale for its in-development title, Miner Wars MMO. The game is described on its official site as taking place in "a post-apocalyptic inner Solar System, approximately 10 years after the destruction of Earth." Players must learn to deal with life in space with limited resources. All players control mining spaceships and can explore the galaxy, harvest valuable resources, upgrade their ships, engage in epic-scale battles, and more.
If this catches your fancy, the title is currently on pre-sale for $19.99 US. But wait, just like a good informercial, there's more. If you purchase the game as part of this early presale package, "you can play the game for at least two years (guaranteed) without any subscription fees." That's right, the studio is offering to nix subscription fees for two years for anyone who throws down cash on the game right here, right now. Why, though? Well, for one, it will allow the studio to gauge interest in the project (as compared to the MMO's single-player counterpart, Miner Wars 2081) while also providing the studio with funds to "hire a larger team [to] make the game earlier and better." For the full details on the pre-order deals, just head on over to the title's official site.
[Source: Keen Software House press release]
Keen Software House announces pre-order deals for Miner Wars MMO originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 11 Jan 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
MechWarrior Online interviews a trio of devs, hilarity ensues
January 11, 2012
Filed under: Sci-fi, Interviews, News items, Free-to-play, MechWarrior Online
Piranha Games, the studio behind the upcoming MechWarrior Online, has Hposted a new developer interview with not one, not two, but three members of the MWO team: David Bradley, Bryan Ekman, and Paul Inouye.The devs give a short history of their gaming industry experiences before being pelted with a barrage of questions detailing what they bring to the game, what makes MechWarrior Online different from their past projects, what playstyles they prefer, and more. There are a few nuggets of good information in the post, as well as some great humor as the devs banter with and antagonize one another. For the full Q&A, just head on over to the MechWarrior Online official forums.
MechWarrior Online interviews a trio of devs, hilarity ensues originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 11 Jan 2012 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Congressman gamer supports Riot Game's anti-SOPA stance
January 11, 2012
Filed under: Fantasy, MMO industry, Free-to-play, Legal, MOBA
Riot Games is one of these studios that have piped up to oppose the bill, as CEO Brandon Beck posted a lengthy reasoning as to why SOPA would harm League of Legends specifically, and he asked players to help stop it from being passed into law. "While we do support efforts to prevent online piracy, the current form of this legislation comes at far too high a cost for us, our players, and online communities across the internet," Beck writes, citing examples as to how the game could be taken offline and the community dismantled if the SOPA were wielded against LoL.
Interestingly enough, Colorado Rep. Jared Polis, who is himself a League of Legends player, replied to Beck in support of Riot Games' stance: "I'm particularly concerned that SOPA might stifle the kind of innovation that brings us games we love, such as LoL. The bill makes it far too easy for angry competitors to sue good law abiding companies out of existence." Polis says that he is drafting an alternate piece of legislation to combat internet piracy without SOPA's potential abuse.
[Update: If you'd like to encourage other companies to blockade SOPA, you might be interested in the online petition aimed squarely at Electronic Arts.]
Congressman gamer supports Riot Game's anti-SOPA stance originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 11 Jan 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- Source: League of Legends forums
Six small changes that will make a big difference to EVE players
January 11, 2012
Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Expansions, Game mechanics, News items, Dev Diaries, Sandbox
In a new devblog, CCP Punkturis reveals six small changes under development by Team BFF that will certainly make a big difference to EVE players. The skill queue will be getting a search feature, which is good news for older players with over a hundred skills to sort through. The watch list that keeps track of friendly targets in fleet operations will be able to hold 15 players, up from 10, and players will be able to re-order them any way they like.
If you've ever seen a player's face appear in the bottom right of the screen to tell you he's just logged in, chances are you've tried to click on it to talk to him at least once. When the next big patch goes live, you'll be able to do just that. The agent list in stations and module overload indicator will both receive graphical updates, and a new compact user list for the local channel with no portraits will be an absolute god-send to nullsec fleets.
Six small changes that will make a big difference to EVE players originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 11 Jan 2012 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- Source: EVE Devblog
Xsyon highlights upcoming player-run event, includes bear-fighting
January 11, 2012
Filed under: Fantasy, Events, in-game, News items, Xsyon, Post-Apocalyptic, Sandbox
![Ribcages will be available via microtransaction in the next DLC update [Citation Needed]](http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2012/01/xsyon.jpg)
It's been a while since we've heard anything from Notorious-Games' sandbox MMO Xsyon, but the silence has been broken with a new press release from the studio announcing a large player-run event. The Praetorian Guard tribe is hosting a Spring Clean-Up event, throughout the course of which attendees will be treated to activities ranging from treasure hunts, obstacle courses, and -- our personal favorite, if only for the wtf factor alone -- The Bear Arena of Doom. The event will be taking place at 3:00 p.m. EST on January 14th, which is this coming Saturday, so gather up your best ursine-proof equipment and go wrestle some bears for fun and profit.
[Source: Notorious-Games press release]
[Source: Notorious-Games press release]
Xsyon highlights upcoming player-run event, includes bear-fighting originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 11 Jan 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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