Virtual World News
Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-fi, New titles, Previews, PvP, PvE, Opinion, Guild Wars 2, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Hyperspace Beacon
Before I begin this breakdown, I should state that this is not a comprehensive list of everything that I liked and disliked from either game. At the same time, I want to also state that, besides the 20 or so minutes at trade shows I had with the game, this weekend marked the first time I've spent any serious time in Guild Wars 2. My opinion here is far from complete, and my experience is really based on the first 10 levels of GW2.
Lastly, I'd like to say that Wookiees will always be cooler than Charr!
Continue reading Hyperspace Beacon: Six things SWTOR and GW2 can learn from each other
Hyperspace Beacon: Six things SWTOR and GW2 can learn from each other originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 01 May 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-fi, The Matrix Online, Star Wars Galaxies, Hellgate: London, Tabula Rasa, Shadowbane, Mythos, Free-to-play, All Points Bulletin, LEGO Universe, The Game Archaeologist, Faxion Online
But how can this not give you hope? Many of us have lost an MMO we loved or at least had a decked-out character populating the character select screen, and the thought of that game coming back against all odds is a goosebump-rising one. It may also smack of justice served, as some MMOs fail not because of faulty gameplay but because of mismanagement by the studio, complex legal wrangling, or bad marketing.
Today let's look at a few examples of dead MMOs that were brought back to life and what this may mean for the future of the industry. Zombie MMOs! Not, you know, MMOs with zombies.
Continue reading The Game Archaeologist: When dead MMOs come back to life
The Game Archaeologist: When dead MMOs come back to life originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 01 May 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, MMO industry, News items, Miscellaneous, Sandbox
"We intend to bring our experience in animation and character design to help provide appealing, believable, thinking characters to Storybricks' founding partners' vision for gaming," Goldman said. The two join a dream team of advisors for the project that includes Richard Bartle, Liz Danforth, and Chris Avellone.
Storybricks is also tapping the Kickstarter well to help fund the project. The team hopes to raise $250,000 in pledges by June 1st. "Though we have found the right people who share our mad (or perhaps inspired) vision of role-playing and storytelling in computer RPGs, we haven't been able to find enough people willing to write us a check," the team explains on the page. Sponsors can get copies of the game, beta keys, and even digital versions of themselves inserted into the final version.
[Source: Storybricks press release]
Storybricks starts Kickstarter campaign, welcomes aboard animators Don Bluth and Gary Goldman originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 01 May 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- Source: Storybricks Kickstarter campaign
Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, Previews, News items, Diablo III
You hadn't forgotten the real-money auction house, had you? Just in case you had, a new official guide is available detailing how the service will work, what regions can use what money, and of course the actual mechanics of buying and selling. Players using the global play feature will not have access to the real money house of other regions, but will have access to the regular auction house, so even if you're planning on a global jaunt, it's worth examining the particulars.
Diablo III offers global play, provides a guide to the auction house originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 01 May 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- Source: Global Play feature, Auction House guide
Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Launches, News items, TERA
In addition to the launch trailer, the studio has posted the two final race videos; we've included all three after the cut.
But of course, MMO launch days are always fraught with at least a few issues, and TERA's launch is no different. Many players are experiencing errors that are keeping them from getting into and enjoying the game, but En Masse tells those players to rest assured that the team is "actively working to resolve them." Players experiencing those issues should keep an eye on the official TERA site as well as the game's Twitter and Facebook pages, as any updates to the situation will be posted as they happen.
Continue reading TERA reveals launch trailers, provides update on account errors
TERA reveals launch trailers, provides update on account errors originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 01 May 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Events, real-world, News items, Free-to-play, MOBA, League of Legends
The folks over at PC Gamer got the opportunity to sit down with Riot Games' Vice President of e-sports, Dustin Beck, to have a chat about the upcoming League of Legends World Championships and the competitive gaming scene as a whole. The interview includes some insight into the game's success in the e-sports circuit as well as some discussion on the various teams and strategies we can expect to see on the tournament level at this year's championships. For all of the sweet, juicy information, just head on over and check out the full article.
League of Legends' World Championship is worth a cool three million bucks originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 01 May 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- Source: PC Gamer
Filed under: Livestream, Miscellaneous, MV Guide
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: April 30 - May 6, 2012
MV Guide: April 30 - May 6, 2012 originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 30 Apr 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: New titles, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous
While it's pretty apparent that most (but not all!) of us on the Massively team are in love with Guild Wars 2, that's inevitably not always the case when opinions come into play.
So we want to know what you liked or didn't like about the game. If it was your first time playing, was it everything you expected? For those playing again, did your opinion change at all? Were you even able to get past the log-in screen? Let us know!
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: Did you participate in the Guild Wars 2 beta weekend? originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 30 Apr 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Patches, News items, Free-to-play, League of Legends
The second video is all about spectator mode. There are a number of ways to spectate on both your friends' matches and those of high-skill featured players. There's also a three-minute delay on the proceedings, so would-be cheaters are out of luck.
Jump past the break to see all of spectator mode's features as well as more on the Varus patch changes.
[Source: Riot Games press release]
Continue reading League of Legends adds spectator mode, tweaks champions
League of Legends adds spectator mode, tweaks champions originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 30 Apr 2012 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Sci-fi, Game mechanics, Previews, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Community Q&A
According to Senior Producer Dallas Dickinson, the service will be made available in waves. The studio will begin by offering free transfers to and from specific servers, but later on there will be a more widespread system that will allow anyone to transfer to the server of their choice. The service should help alleviate issues with low population servers by offering transfers to high-pop ones.
It's important to note that while some of these transfers will be free, others will require a real-world fee.
SWTOR recently released in new territories including the Middle East, and has plans for additional playable races for later this year.
SWTOR preps character transfer service for this summer originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 30 Apr 2012 10:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- Source: Community Q&A
- Via: Videogamer.com