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A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Super news, super review
May 01, 2013

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Incidentally, I want to visit a screen door factory.
It's been a fairly quiet month on the superhero front, which is the way of things. Some months it seems as if you can't go a day without a new launch; others you realize belatedly that it's the end of the month because another round of bills are due. Possibly including subscription fees. It all ties together.

Of course, the superhero arena has been quiet for a little while now, but we're seeing signs of life cropping up once again. There are titles in development, new content approaching, and a launch in about a month that should really be getting a bit more marketing support. That's a topic for another article.

So as we do once per month at A Mild-Mannered Reporter, it's time to look back over the past month or so and talk about the news stories that have cropped up relating to the genre of men and women in spandex punching robots.

Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Super news, super review

MassivelyA Mild-Mannered Reporter: Super news, super review originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 01 May 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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    Choose My Adventure: Pouring the foundation in Darkfall
    May 01, 2013

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    Choose My Adventure Pouring the foundation in Darkfall
    It's relocation time! Although there were plenty of tempting properties spread around various locales to choose from, once the bidding wars began, Darkfall Unholy Wars grabbed the lead and refused to let go. So we're packing up our tools and moving to Agon to get this Choose My Adventure project started. And considering the whole neighborhood just went through a recent renovation, I'm sure we'll fit right in building our new retreat. Now, we just need... hm, where did we put those blueprints? Do we even have blueprints? No? Well, no matter; you can just give me the instructions as we go. Rome wasn't built in a day, and we've got five more weeks to work together to create this new retreat.

    I've got to tell you, I'm quite excited for this venture. One of the greatest things about the CMA series is that it forces us to finally dive in and check out games we've been wanting to but never quite "found the time." Once it becomes a part of your daily job, you have no choice but to make the time! Darkfall was always one of those games for me, and my curiosity and interest was piqued even more with Unholy Wars. So let's get this started. First, we need a foundation.

    Continue reading Choose My Adventure: Pouring the foundation in Darkfall

    MassivelyChoose My Adventure: Pouring the foundation in Darkfall originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 01 May 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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      Camelot Unchained meets Kickstarter goal
      May 01, 2013

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      Camelot Unchained meets Kickstarter goal
      Oh ye of little faith. Of course Camelot Unchained got funded. Niche MMOs with die-hard fanbases never say die, even when they're up against an 11th hour Kickstarter goal that looked mighty challenging just yesterday.

      And that's pretty much all we have to tell you at the moment. Other than the fact that Massively's Kickstarter watchers can officially get back to work. We'll bring you more details about the newly greenlit project as soon as they become available.

      MassivelyCamelot Unchained meets Kickstarter goal originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 01 May 2013 16:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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      Dyeing your armor the SWTOR way
      May 01, 2013

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      Dyeing you armor the SWTOR way
      Let's make a quick list of items Update 2.1 for Star Wars: The Old Republic will bring us: a new species, an appearance designer kiosk, name changes, and armor dyes. It's understandable why this update is named Customization. Details about each about each of these systems are trickling out slowly, and the latest crop of information comes from MMO fansite Dulfy.net.

      Dulfy spoke with BioWare about the armor dye system and scrounged up some very specific details about how it works. After the release of 2.1, players will be able to find a total of 48 different dye modules: 25 from the Cartel Market, 3 from the security key and collector's edition vendors, and 20 made through Artificing. There are three types of dyes modules: one with a primary color, one with a secondary color, and one with both a primary and secondary color. Unfortunately, not all armor with be able to be dyed. BioWare explained that the Knights of the Old Republic-inspired outfits will not have dye slots, so that those costumes can remain true to Star Wars lore. Sorry, no bright pink Bastila Shan outfit for you, sir.

      MassivelyDyeing your armor the SWTOR way originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 01 May 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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      Star Trek Online goes behind the scenes with Denise Crosby
      May 01, 2013

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      Yes, the face of the Romulans is only half-Romulan.
      When Star Trek Online launches its first expansion, Legacy of Romulus, players will find themselves facing off against the formidable Empress Sela right from the start. The return of Sela also marks the return of veteran actress Denise Crosby to the game, and the community team behind STO had a chance to speak with Crosby about returning to the franchise and to the same characters she portrayed years ago on Star Trek: The Next Generation.

      Crosby mentions that while she enjoyed the chance to reprise the role of Tasha Yar (a character she jokingly says simply refuses to die), revisiting Sela is a chance to dive deeper into a character who was not fully realized during her first appearances. Sela's life is the Empire, and she feels that any means necessary to restore the power and prestige of her people is more than justified. Click past the break to see the full video and learn a little bit more about the face of the Romulan Empire in the expansion.

      Continue reading Star Trek Online goes behind the scenes with Denise Crosby

      MassivelyStar Trek Online goes behind the scenes with Denise Crosby originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 01 May 2013 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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        MMO sandbox TUG launches its Kickstarter
        May 01, 2013

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        MMO sandbox TUG launches on Kickstarter
        If you're the sort of sandbox aficionado who's more into crafting and exploration than griefing, then this post is for you. Brand-new to Kickstarter today is an MMO called, well, The Untitled Game, or TUG for short. Inspired by the likes of Minecraft, Zelda, and EVE Online, TUG promises an immersion-driven, "massive procedurally generated world to explore" along with such features as combat, crafting, building, an organic UI, modding tools, hidden civilizations, animal taming, "logic engineering," a day/season cycles, realistic weights, support for roleplayers, and no DRM. Like rival Shroud of the Avatar, TUG will be playable solo, on a private server, and on the official MMO server.

        Developer Nerd Kingdom styles itself as "a collective of scientists, researchers, technologists, economists, content creators, artists, modders, and gamers from a variety of disciplines and backgrounds" with a "deep passion for the nerdery of academic sciences, art, and technology," but in spite of its academic background, the studio promises a survival sandbox/multiplayer RPG hybrid without all the associated spreadsheets and number-crunching.

        The game is targeting 2015 for launch with an alpha this coming July; the digital download edition of the game can be secured for as little as 10 bucks on Kickstarter now. See whether the videos behind the break don't convince you.

        Continue reading MMO sandbox TUG launches its Kickstarter

        MassivelyMMO sandbox TUG launches its Kickstarter originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 01 May 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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        Defiance bugs invade RIFT
        May 01, 2013

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        And this has somehow happened before Zerg invade Azeroth. I'm speechless.
        Adventurers of Telara, you've kind of got a good news/bad news situation taking place here. The bad news is that RIFT is getting invaded, which was already the case. The worse news is that it's now being invaded by the Hellbugs from Defiance, which usually require a great deal of automatic weapons fire to be put down. The good news is that if you can somehow manage to overcome the distinct lack of any firearms and put down the invasion, you can keep a Hellbug around to ride! Wait, that might still be bad news.

        Yes, Trion Worlds is kicking off a cross-promotional event with new fire rifts that give players a chance at Defiance-related rewards, most notably the chance to pick up a Hellbug mount. The event is open to all players, even if you're just trying out the game's Lite version. No word on how long the event will last, but it's probably best to assume that it won't be forever -- which is also sort of a good news/bad news situation, unless you wanted to see the game overrun by Hellbugs.

        MassivelyDefiance bugs invade RIFT originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 01 May 2013 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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        Dragon's Prophet shows off screenshots of Wynnadia
        May 01, 2013

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        Dark secrets, sure, but mostly it looks like a lovely countryside vacation.
        Despite the name of the game, Dragon's Prophet does not exclusively feature dragons and prophets thereof. It also has lands for all of that to occupy. The Wynnadia zone even has houses and people living there, providing a rich background for all prophet- and dragon-related antics. It's a pleasant zone filled with rolling hills, farming communities, undead monstrosities clawing their way up from the depths, and charming beaches.

        Wait, do we need to go back to that middle one?

        Once in game, players will be tasked with exploring the Accursed Tower and the Nameless Keep, full of dark secrets and alluring treasure. But it's not all monster-stomping day, as the zone is also home to the cities of Zarland and Lilia, with the former composed mainly of outcasts and refugees and the latter serving as an impressive naval stronghold. While we're assured that there's danger in the zone, all of the pictures in the gallery below look more inviting than deadly.

        [Source: Sony Online Entertainment press release]

        MassivelyDragon's Prophet shows off screenshots of Wynnadia originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 01 May 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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          SMITE unchains the might of Fenrir
          May 01, 2013

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          Who's a good boy? Who? Is it you? Who wants a treat?
          After many years, we finally have the answer to a rhetorical question: SMITE let the dogs out. Well, one dog -- Fenrir. But he's enough dog to count for all the others. If you hadn't guess, Fenrir is the newest deity added to the game, coming into the game with a full suite of melee abilities suitable for a wolf feared by the Norse pantheon.

          Fenrir's core mechanic is a stacking set of runes, with each of his abilities gaining a major buff when at a full stack of five. Normally, Fenrir can leap to do damage to an area, leap to do damage to a single target, or buff himself with increased damage and lifestealing. With a full stack of runes, his area leap stuns, his single-target leap becomes an AoE, and his buff becomes more efficient. He can also grow to a massive size, increase movement speed, and carry an enemy god around like a chew toy. Take a look at all of Fenrir's trick in the reveal video past the break, and read up on the full list of changes in the official patch notes.

          Continue reading SMITE unchains the might of Fenrir

          MassivelySMITE unchains the might of Fenrir originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 01 May 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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          Free for All: Introduction to MUD May
          May 01, 2013

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          Gemstone IV character description screenshot
          For the month of May, I will be using this column to cover the world of MUDs aka multi-user-domains or dungeons. MUDs are text-based MMORPGs, and playing one is sort of like playing through a choose-your-own-adventure book with potentially thousands of other players. I'm not so arrogant to think that I could cover the decades of MUD development within the span of five articles, but I've had a go at it in the past and want to examine the topic more. Why?

          There are many reasons, and to kick off this series, I'd like to talk about them. After today, my columns will concentrate on interviews with developers and players to explain how and why MUDs still work, and I hope that all of this will encourage many of you who have never tried a MUD to pick one out now. The recent buzz surrounding Twine-based games and interactive storytelling is perfect fuel for MUDs to come back into the spotlight. Unless, of course, many of the issues with the insulated community of MUDers sabotage the perfect timing.

          Let's get started.

          Continue reading Free for All: Introduction to MUD May

          MassivelyFree for All: Introduction to MUD May originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 01 May 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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