Virtual World News
Filed under: Massively Meta, Week in Review, Miscellaneous
This week, Trion Worlds' announcement that RIFT will transition to a free-to-play MMO in less than a month was tempered by news that the studio was forced to lay off a large portion of its staff, though the RIFT team itself was unaffected. Meanwhile, CCP's console shooter DUST 514 officially launched; Massively's Jef Reahard delivered tepid impressions of the game.
Read on for a look at the rest of this week's top MMO stories.
Continue reading MMO Week in Review: Trion's tribulations and DUST's launch
MMO Week in Review: Trion's tribulations and DUST's launch originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 19 May 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Fantasy, Culture, MMO Industry, News Items, Opinion, Free-to-Play, The Daily Grind, RIFT
On the one hand, RIFT is making humble promises about the item shop... but on the other hand, the development team also promised the game would never go free-to-play. Trion Worlds did just get hit by layoffs, but it's been said those layoffs don't affect RIFT's staff. It's long had consistent updates, but those updates have dropped off sharply this year.
Is trying the game out a good idea? A bad one? Today, we ask our readers to decide. Carefully weighing all the evidence, are you still excited to try RIFT's free-to-play option? Or do you think you'll be giving it a pass?
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!The Daily Grind: Are you still excited to try RIFT's free-to-play option? originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 18 May 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Massively Meta, Miscellaneous
We've been in shock here at the office. I've been hitting the rum pretty hard even by my standards, Jef is sitting in an empty bathtub sobbing, and Bree has been playing "Unbreak my Heart" on loop for about seven hours. We'd plead for that reader to come back, but he'll never see it. He no longer likes us. It's really the worst insult you could deliver.
Despite the fact that this traumatic event has left us as broken shells, we somehow managed to pull ourselves together long enough to put together an installment of WRUP. Click on past the break to see what we're up to for the next couple of days other than staring at the number of likes on Facebook, and let us know what you'll be up to in the comments.
Continue reading WRUP: Someone no longer likes us on Facebook edition
WRUP: Someone no longer likes us on Facebook edition originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 18 May 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- Source: Image source
Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Classes, Opinion, Free-to-Play, The Road to Mordor
I'll leave a discussion about Captains for another time, but today I felt like talking about the strangeness that is the Lore-master. It's such a unique class in feel and execution, and it's captivated me such that I'm actually leveling up my second Lore-master because I was dissatisfied with the way I handled my first one.
Maybe you've never tried one. Maybe you picked one up and just couldn't get a feel for what it was supposed to do. I'll admit that the LM is an acquired taste, partially because its skillset is all over the map and it doesn't settle into an expected template. However, it may just be the coolest class in the game. Here are six reasons why.
Continue reading The Road to Mordor: Six reasons LotRO's Lore-masters rock
The Road to Mordor: Six reasons LotRO's Lore-masters rock originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 18 May 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Fantasy, Aion, Events (In-Game), PvE, Opinion, Free-to-Play, Wings Over Atreia, Guides
Did you miss out on the event last time but are looking forward to it this go around? Or maybe you need a refresher because the trauma of not getting that one item caused you to block all knowledge of the zone from your mind? Either way, this edition of Wings Over Atreia will give you a heads up on what to expect. And as an added bonus, Associate Producer Sean Orlikowski shared his tips and tricks for making the most of your Shugo Kingdom Adventures.
Continue reading Wings Over Atreia: Shugo Kingdom returns to Aion
Wings Over Atreia: Shugo Kingdom returns to Aion originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 18 May 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Game Mechanics, Opinion, Consoles, Final Fantasy XIV, The Mog Log, Dungeons
To help alleviate this, I'm going to talk about the two pieces of the game from the first two beta phases that are in need of the most polish. While there are places to improve elsewhere, FATEs and dungeons have issues that might need a bit more hammering to fix. Or they might be fine and we just haven't yet seen enough of the game to know everything. Either way, let's get started with the big addition to the game, the system that had no predecessor in Final Fantasy XIV's first version: the FATE system.
Continue reading The Mog Log: Final Fantasy XIV beta phase 1 and 2 - FATEs and dungeons
The Mog Log: Final Fantasy XIV beta phase 1 and 2 - FATEs and dungeons originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 18 May 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Lore, Guild Wars 2, Buy-to-Play
McGough explains that the Consortium is angling to be a competitor to the Black Lion Trading Company, and that means selling people all sorts of feel-good products that they want and need. They also appeared to be the savior of the refugees from the previous living story, offering the dispossessed a place to live and work. Unfortunately for the settlers, the Consortium is not prepared to let them go any time soon, and Southsun Cove is a much more dangerous place to live than the Consortium realized.
Check out the backstory video for the Consortium after the jump!
Continue reading Guild Wars 2 gives voice to the Consortium
Guild Wars 2 gives voice to the Consortium originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 18 May 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- Source: Meet the Consortium
Filed under: Fantasy, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, News Items, Free-to-Play, Wizardry Online
Advanced forging and the game's socketing system take up most of the space in this particular blog entry, but there's also a mention of new skills for each class as well as a skill reset NPC.
Wizardry Online prepping for 'major code update' originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 18 May 2013 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- Source: Announcement
Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest II, Events (In-Game), Opinion, Free-to-Play, The Tattered Notebook, Guides, Housing
You see, initially this guide was just going to focus on speed to help you get through that short two-day event that comes but once a month on the 20th and 21st in EQII. Now, however, we get to delve into the changes and new things coming to the Enchanted Grottoes, from even more housing items (yes, that's on top of the new additions in March) to two new repeatable quests to earn the tokens to buy the items. And with this month's festival right around the corner, having a game plan ready to get the most out of those two days will benefit new and old players alike.
Continue reading Tattered Notebook: A guide to EQII's Moonlight Enchantments (with new stuff!)
Tattered Notebook: A guide to EQII's Moonlight Enchantments (with new stuff!) originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 18 May 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Sandbox, Crowdfunding
There's quite a lot of additional info packed into the clip's six-minute running time, all of which you can see for yourself after the break. You can also learn more about TUG via the project's Kickstarter site.
Continue reading TUG tech video shows off in-house engine
TUG tech video shows off in-house engine originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 18 May 2013 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- Source: Tech video