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The Tattered Notebook: Seven highlights from SOE Fan Faire history
October 06, 2012

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The Tattered Notebook 7 highlights from Fan Faire history
There's just a couple of weeks left until this year's SOE Live, and players are all preparing for what should be a very busy convention with lots of game news. But for some of us, it's hard to get used to not calling it Fan Faire. The gathering has had a long past spanning more than a decade and more than a few memorable moments (some of them not fit to print!).

What happens in Vegas doesn't always stay in Vegas, and as fans get ready to once again descend upon Bally's, it's worth looking back at highlights from past Fan Faires. In this week's Tattered Notebook, we'll revisit a few of those memorable moments.

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MassivelyThe Tattered Notebook: Seven highlights from SOE Fan Faire history originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 06 Oct 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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    EB Games Expo 2012: Hello from Sydney!
    October 06, 2012

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    Massively at the EB Games Expo 2012
    This weekend, Massively's resident Aussie and livestreamer extraordinaire David Desi -- aka Psykopig -- was on the ground at the EB Games Expo in Sydney, Australia, marking the first time we've ever sent anyone to an Australian gaming con. It was jam-packed with goodness -- so much goodness that he had to make a video highlighting the weekend's adventures! You'll see some dancing, some silly faces, a whole bunch of cosplay... and maybe even a few surprises! Ever seen Deadpool and Darth Vader battle through dance? What about a flock (I think it's a flock?) of Pikachu jumping out from behind a host? If you are quick enough, you might even glimpse a wild Psykopig appearing and having a dance himself.

    Check out our convention overview video behind the break, and stay tuned for more videos and even a Guild Wars 2 interview later this weekend!

    Continue reading EB Games Expo 2012: Hello from Sydney!

    MassivelyEB Games Expo 2012: Hello from Sydney! originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 06 Oct 2012 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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      ArenaNet's plans for supporting Guild Wars 2
      October 05, 2012

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      GW2
      Guild Wars 2 has been live for more than a month. Now that ArenaNet has more or less dealt with initial problems like server stability, absurd imbalance, and exploits, the company can start looking forward. ArenaNet devs have long talked about providing new content and huge support for the game, and a blog post this morning details some of their plans for that. ArenaNet has "formed multiple live teams focused on expanding Guild Wars 2 in the long term."

      So what are those teams, and what do they do? The Live Security team is all about cracking down on bots, spammers, and scammers. The Live Response team is made up of the fine folks addressing balance issues and bugs. The Living World focuses on adding new content and rewards for PvE and WvW. There's a PvP and Esports team focused on making Guild Wars 2 the best PvP game it can be. Holidays and Events have their own special team, dedicated to keeping up the Guild Wars legacy of amazing holiday content. In addition, the Holidays and Events team will be creating one-off events that occur in the world. The Mac and Performance team is working on getting Guild Wars 2 to run on the widest possible range of hardware. Bonus teams will take care of any projects that don't fall in the direct domain of other teams. Last but not least, the Commerce team will be keeping an eye on the Guild Wars 2 economy and thinking up new goodies for the Black Lion Trading Company.

      Hit up the full post for all the gory details.

      MassivelyArenaNet's plans for supporting Guild Wars 2 originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 04 Oct 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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      The Daily Grind: Are dynamic events another MMO fad?
      October 05, 2012

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      Are dynamic events another MMO fad?
      Move over, MMO story: dynamic events are this season's buzz word. Popularized by earlier MMOs like Warhammer Online and RIFT, dynamic events have become such an integral part of modern MMO design that brand-new Guild Wars 2 employs them as its central content conceit. Skip dynamic events in GW2 and you're going to have a rough time leveling (or surviving the ridicule of the commentariat, who consider dynamic events to be far superior to mundane, quest-like renown hearts). Even MMOFPS titles like Firefall are adopting the mechanic for their PvE fans.

      But is this actually the type of content we want to see from our MMOs, whatever their flavor? Never mind whether they're actually dynamic -- do you actually think they make for fun, desirable content? Or are we just so sick of themepark-style questing and leveling that we're willing to accept anything in its stead, even if that "anything" might be a fad akin to MMO story?

      What do you think -- are dynamic events all that and a bag of chips?

      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!

      MassivelyThe Daily Grind: Are dynamic events another MMO fad? originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 05 Oct 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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        Ten things to do in City of Heroes before it's gone
        October 05, 2012

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        Ten things to do in City of Heroes before it's gone
        A year ago to the day, I grudgingly, sorrowfully published Ten things to do in Star Wars Galaxies before it's gone. SWG was my favorite MMO of all time, and I was devastated to see it canned for licensing reasons, but I wanted to do it justice, and hey, at least I had my second-favorite MMO to fall back on, right? City of Heroes -- now that was a game that had staying power!

        Welp, so much for that. As we've been covering for the last month and change, NCsoft is pulling the plug on City of Heroes come the end of November, and the genre is faced with the loss of yet another pioneering and ostensibly profitable MMO long before its time. While there are still soldiers fighting for that slim chance NCsoft might sell the game to a willing investor, the likelihood is that it's game over for Paragon City, at least in its current incarnation. Fight on, I say; don't give up. But make sure you enjoy the game that exists right now, too. Log in. Play. You may never get the chance again.

        Today, I'll tell you 10 things you should do in City of Heroes... before it's too late.

        Continue reading Ten things to do in City of Heroes before it's gone

        MassivelyTen things to do in City of Heroes before it's gone originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 05 Oct 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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          Guild Wars 2 video and dev blog explain legendary weapons
          October 05, 2012

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          Guild Wars 2 video and dev blog explain legendary weapons
          Want to get your hands on a legendary weapon in Guild Wars 2? Although the recipe itself is going to stay a mystery, a recent dev blog by ArenaNet lead designer Isaiah Cartwright goes through some of the steps in the process to give players an idea of what's involved. Hopeful wielders will need to obtain a rare exotic base weapon as well as scour the countryside and complete dungeons to get the materials needed to forge their weapons. Players also need to find gifts to present to the powerful djinn, Zommoros.

          Once created, players will have an impressive new weapon that blends art and effects to make a unique style. Check out some of the weapons and their effects in the video after the cut.

          Continue reading Guild Wars 2 video and dev blog explain legendary weapons

          MassivelyGuild Wars 2 video and dev blog explain legendary weapons originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 05 Oct 2012 10:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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          Yoshida: FFXIV Realm Reborn alpha test coming in October
          October 05, 2012

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          Yoshida - FFXIV Realm Reborn alpha test coming in October
          How soon can you start playing the reboot that is Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn? Probably by the end of the month if you're in the game's alpha test.

          "There will not only be stress tests for the new servers' coding and hardware configurations, but also tests for what will be the backbone of the game's new system, which is why we're being very cautious with development. Bear with us for just a while longer," says Naoki Yoshida in the latest producer's letter.

          Yoshida also says that the dev team will likely keep the current version of FFXIV available for a time, even though no character data accumulated after November 11th will be ported to A Realm Reborn. The decision is based partly on player poll voting. Yoshida says he was "planning to keep the servers open so long as 30% of the players voted for it."

          MassivelyYoshida: FFXIV Realm Reborn alpha test coming in October originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 05 Oct 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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          Aventurine confirms character wipes for Darkfall reboot
          October 05, 2012

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          Aventurine confirms character wipes for Darkfall reboot
          Aventurine has finally answered a couple of long-standing questions regarding its Darkfall: Unholy Wars reboot. First off, yes there will be a character wipe and no, you won't be seeing your original Darkfall avatars in the new game.

          "These are different games and the DFUW character system is incompatible with the old characters. These are two completely different worlds, there is a different skill acquisition system, different skills, different stats, all the way down to the story-line; everything makes them incompatible," explains producer Tasos Flambouras.

          Interestingly, he mentions that the old characters will be preserved in some fashion, possibly for "Darkfall-related side-projects we are considering."

          Finally, the Unholy Wars client will be free of charge to everyone who has ever purchased the original game. Read more at the official Darkfall blog.

          MassivelyAventurine confirms character wipes for Darkfall reboot originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 05 Oct 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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          RaiderZ video and screenshots show off goblin village of Rengot
          October 05, 2012

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          RaiderZ video and screenshot show off goblin village of Rengot
          The countdown is on -- RaiderZ' open beta starts in just a few weeks on October 24th. To give players another taste of what they can look forward to, Perfect World Entertainment released a video and some screenshots highlighting Rengot Village.

          Home to the infamous Rengot goblin tribe since the goblins' loss in the war against the humans and their subsequent banishment, this village hides the mind-controlled golem abominations. Check out images of the village in the screenshots below, and watch a tour in the video after the break. To learn more about RaiderZ, you can catch Massively's video impressions.

          [Source: Perfect World Entertainment press release]

          Continue reading RaiderZ video and screenshots show off goblin village of Rengot

          MassivelyRaiderZ video and screenshots show off goblin village of Rengot originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 05 Oct 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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            MMObility: Finding the fun within the browser
            October 05, 2012

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            RuneScape screenshot
            Fun is an odd thing to define. I have to be honest and say that I don't often have fun when playing MMOs. I don't. I enjoy myself, sometimes to an amazing degree, but I don't have what I would call "fun." When I play a game like Wurm Online or Parallel Kingdom, I am not having fun but am having something closer to the feeling you get when you read a good book. You know the feeling: You're breathing deep, lying on the bed, possibly, very relaxed. OK, I understand how dirty that sounds, but you know what I mean. Playing a good MMO is often like playing chess. It's not really fun, but it is still a very good thing.

            Browser-based titles can often be enjoyable, but the normally limited graphics and sometimes click-and-wait gameplay means that I get more of a scratch-my-chin sort of feeling when I leap into Illyriad or other games. Of course, in-browser graphics are changing and becoming more and more like standard client-based MMOs. Thanks to Unity and other engines, we can play in immersive, three-dimensional worlds in our browser. Smartphones are becoming more tablet-like, and mobile games are quickly becoming more like standard gaming as well.

            So what do we play when we want to have simple fun?

            Continue reading MMObility: Finding the fun within the browser

            MassivelyMMObility: Finding the fun within the browser originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 05 Oct 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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