Virtual World News
Flameseeker Chronicles: The news doors haven't shut... yet
November 14, 2011
Filed under: Fantasy, Guild Wars 2, Flameseeker Chronicles
I was so excited to see the updated cutscenes, although I couldn't stop giggling at the male character shifting from foot to foot -- I kept waiting for him to ask the Priestess of Dwayna where the bathroom was. That's not a reflection on ArenaNet's design team so much as a testament to my years as the mother of a boy. It's all about the bathroom humor around here.
The new skill acquisition system was great in my book, and the news from the earnings call... well, why don't you follow along after the cut and we'll delve into all of that more deeply.
Continue reading Flameseeker Chronicles: The news doors haven't shut... yet
Flameseeker Chronicles: The news doors haven't shut... yet originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 14 Nov 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Wings Over Atreia: TORn away
November 14, 2011
Filed under: Fantasy, Polls, Aion, Opinion, Wings Over Atreia
The topic for this week's Wings Over Atreia presented itself when I logged into Aion at prime-time on Thursday night and found the very odd occurrence of both an empty legion list and an empty friends list. Considering how full the latter is (plug for larger lists here), I've never seen both be completely empty simultaneously, even when I pop in during my odd super-late hours. While I saw some life over the rest of the weekend, overall numbers stayed pretty low, even during the hours of the new arena instances. To what do I attribute this? In some cases it was the usual attack of the Real Life (tm) that got ahold of people, but two extra factors contributed to the population insta-decline: the release of Skyrim and more weekend beta invites from Star Wars: The Old Republic.
Now in the case of Skyrim, it can't be helped (but maybe we can have a little spacing between the release of so many games?!). We know that once the game is played through, people will wander back to their MMOs. TOR, however, is another matter: Besides the shininess of of a new game and the fact that it is both Star Wars-based and made by BioWare, does Aion have a future of vast, empty lands to look forward to at the release of the latest OMG-it's-the-second-coming-of-games title? Some are certainly screaming doom-and-gloom, but we hear that from dissenters about nearly every little thing. Is it possible that there is room enough for both games to survive after the initial hype has passed?
*checks and readjusts all gear again* Come on and join me past the cut for some thoughts on the matter.
Continue reading Wings Over Atreia: TORn away
Wings Over Atreia: TORn away originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 14 Nov 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Unveiled: The Supernatural trailer shows off gameplay, customization
November 14, 2011
Filed under: Fantasy, Horror, Trailers, Video, MMO industry, New titles, News items
Toward the end of the video we also get to see both solo- and group-based PvE, as well as the requisite neck biting and heart-stabbing that are part and parcel of every vampire title. Check out the full clip after the cut.
Continue reading Unveiled: The Supernatural trailer shows off gameplay, customization
Unveiled: The Supernatural trailer shows off gameplay, customization originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 14 Nov 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- Source: ThisIsGame YouTube
Neverwinter was 'almost ready to ship' before F2P MMO retooling
November 14, 2011
Filed under: Fantasy, Business models, Game mechanics, Interviews, MMO industry, Free-to-play
The change from CORPG to a full action RPG F2P MMO is a change that just made sense for us. Perfect World wanted to go big. Expand everything. Do more. Do better. Take your time. Really blow it out. Pushing into 2012 allows us to make these changes. Transitioning into a full-featured action RPG, free-to-play MMO allows us to reach a whole new audience of people. Never underestimate barriers to entry. With a free client, anyone can play. Try it. Where's the harm? It's better for the game, better for us, better for D&D and infinitely better for fans and gamers. With Neverwinter, we're going to prove that F2P does not describe a type of gameplay -- it only describes the fundamentals of a business model.Velasquez also discusses user-generated content and the challenges of working with a famous IP. "A ton of effort is also being made to make sure that we produce an authentic D&D experience," he says. Head over to MMORPG.com for the full interview.
Neverwinter was 'almost ready to ship' before F2P MMO retooling originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 14 Nov 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- Source: MMORPG.com
Lineage II Goddess of Destruction and Truly Free transition coming November 30th
November 14, 2011
Filed under: Fantasy, Lineage 2, Business models, Economy, Expansions, News items, Free-to-play
Last month, NCsoft announced that Lineage II would be making the transition to free-to-play (or, as the company likes to call it, Truly Free), but the studio has remained tight-lipped on when the transition will take place. Until now, that is. On November 30th, Lineage II's newest and largest content update, Goddess of Destruction, will be hitting the live servers. As soon as the update is live, players will be able to play for free, with "no zone, level, or player interaction restrictions."
The update also introduces a new feature known as Path to Awakening. Path to Awakening is "an exclusive leveling guide designed specifically for Lineage II," and it will provide leveling players with "buffs, time limited gear enabling accelerated progression through the game," and interactive maps to point players to the optimal leveling locations. For the full details, head on over to the new Truly Free Lineage II site.
[Source: NCsoft press release]
The update also introduces a new feature known as Path to Awakening. Path to Awakening is "an exclusive leveling guide designed specifically for Lineage II," and it will provide leveling players with "buffs, time limited gear enabling accelerated progression through the game," and interactive maps to point players to the optimal leveling locations. For the full details, head on over to the new Truly Free Lineage II site.
[Source: NCsoft press release]
Lineage II Goddess of Destruction and Truly Free transition coming November 30th originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 14 Nov 2011 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Not So Massively: It's major game update week
November 14, 2011
Filed under: Betas, Video, Culture, Game mechanics, New titles, Patches, PvP, News items, Free-to-play, Not So Massively, MOBA
Blizzard Entertainment recently revealed that all class abilities in Diablo III will deal damage based on weapon damage, with cast speed also coupled to weapon speed. The inspired move will make balancing weapons across all classes much easier. We also found out that the collector's edition will come with free in-game vanity perks like wings and armour dyes. Diablo-esque online action RPG Path of Exile releases its huge 0.9.3 beta patch today, providing new game areas and major gameplay system revamps. Finally, it's a massive news week for Rise of Immortals as it releases new European servers, a new immortal spotlight, and a developer video podcast about upcoming development.
Read on for this week's top news stories from popular MOBAs and other online games that aren't quite MMOs.
Continue reading Not So Massively: It's major game update week
Not So Massively: It's major game update week originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 14 Nov 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Pocket Legends launches the Mount Fang expansion
November 14, 2011
Filed under: Fantasy, Expansions, Patches, News items, Free-to-play, Mobile
There's more to the update than just leveling, however; players will be given access to a new free campaign, Mount Fang, that starts at level 59 and provides new monsters, quests, and rewards. And of course, there are new vanity items in the cash shop as well as a special set of cosmetic armor for players who hit 66 before the next cap adjustment. If you've been enjoying the game on your mobile device of choice, download the expansion and get into the mix.
Pocket Legends launches the Mount Fang expansion originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 14 Nov 2011 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- Source: Mount Fang expansion released
- Via: DroidGamers
The Daily Grind: Are beta weekends a good timeframe for testing?
November 13, 2011
Filed under: Betas, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous
Prior to launch, RIFT used a series of beta weekends to give players a chance to test, and Star Wars: The Old Republic has been following the same footsteps. On the one hand, this is enough time to get a feel for the game and test it out without letting you get too invested in your accomplishments. On the other hand, it also means that it's hard for players to really level past a certain point, thus leaving the higher levels more difficult to test -- if not impossible. So what do you think? Are beta weekends a good trend, or is it too little time?
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 beta weekends a good timeframe for testing? originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 13 Nov 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Global Chat: November 6-12, 2011
November 13, 2011
Filed under: Massively Meta, Global Chat, Miscellaneous
This week's Global Chat is all about choices -- be they social or in our gameplay, we like to have as many as we can. Follow along after the break to see what some of our readers had to say about choice in MMOs last week!
Continue reading Global Chat: November 6-12, 2011
Global Chat: November 6-12, 2011 originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 13 Nov 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
The Anvil of Crom: Celebrating the selfless gamer
November 13, 2011
Filed under: Fantasy, Age of Conan, Culture, Opinion, Free-to-play, The Anvil of Crom
Those "sometimes" are usually during the pre-Christmas release window when game publishers all get together and decide to make our entertainment lives miserable by releasing 35 badass titles at once. Hello geniuses, how's about we stagger the badassery throughout the year; you'll still be rolling in money and your customers won't be rushing through one title to get to the next.
Anyway, I'm continually on the lookout for interesting tidbits from Funcom's Hyboria, and over the past couple of weeks I've been struck by a noticeable uptick in what I'm going to call the quality community. Since AoC's 2008 launch, the game's community has been alternately awful and tolerable, and whether that's because of the game's mature rating (and the immature people it attracts) or some other factor, it's been a rare occasion when I've had cause to highlight the nice folk.
Continue reading The Anvil of Crom: Celebrating the selfless gamer
The Anvil of Crom: Celebrating the selfless gamer originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 13 Nov 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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