Virtual World News
Guild Wars celebrates its 7th anniversary [Updated]
April 24, 2012
Filed under: Fantasy, Guild Wars, News items, Anniversary
From April 24th through May 8th, players will be able to enjoy the time-honored traditions of Guild Wars' birthday celebrations: Players can stroll down the Shing Jea Boardwalk for some festival games, race Rollerbeetles, unlock birthday hats, and collect some sweet, sweet treats. In addition, a new pet is being made available. The Hound of Balthazar can be unlocked for free by visiting Ceira, Sworn to Fire in Embark Beach and then traveling to the Zaishen Menagerie and tracking down the fiery beastie. After the anniversary has drawn to a close, the Hound will still be unlockable, but at the cost of 100,000 Balthazar Faction or 20 golden zaishen coins and 100 gold -- so maybe don't dawdle if you're interested in a shiny new pet. The updated page also promises "drops and activities never before seen in anniversary celebration," so join in the fun to find out what's new!
[Update: According to a Gamebreaker TV special, all of the normal weekend events observed in Guild Wars will be running simultaneously for the anniversary celebration!]
Guild Wars celebrates its 7th anniversary [Updated] originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 24 Apr 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- Source: 7th Anniversary page
Hyperspace Beacon: Advice from a master
April 24, 2012
Filed under: Sci-fi, Culture, MMO industry, Opinion, Star Wars Galaxies, Roleplaying, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Hyperspace Beacon
When he played SWG, he posted quite a bit as Mandash Grim on the Starsider Galaxy roleplay website; when a good chunk of those players decided to give Star Wars: The Old Republic a go, he moved with them to SWTOR-RP. On this forum, he talked about how SWTOR influenced RP, even though it was not exactly the way he envisioned it.
It's hard to summarize in a thousand words his gaming philosophies, which had such an influence on me, but I'd like to highlight a few key things he wrote that I believe summarize his feelings on something everyone reading this column probably loves: Star Wars MMO storytelling.
Continue reading Hyperspace Beacon: Advice from a master
Hyperspace Beacon: Advice from a master originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 24 Apr 2012 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
ArenaNet reveals world transfer details for Guild Wars 2
April 24, 2012
Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, News items, Guild Wars 2, Dev Diaries
To wrap up what's been a very exciting day for Guild Wars 2 beta weekend participants, ArenaNet has published a blog post detailing world choice and the mechanics of transferring worlds.
Upon first logging into the game, players will be able to pick any home world server available, including ones in with a different region than where they purchased the game. All characters thereafter are created on that home world. World transfers are possible, but have both a time and gem cost. A player can only change home worlds once every seven days and have to shell out 1,800 gems to do so. Once the game goes live, however, a "guesting" feature will be available to play with friends on any world, although players won't be able to participate in WvW for their temporary host server.
Guesting won't be in for the beta weekend event, but players will be able to test out transferring worlds: each account will be able to unlock 2,000 free gems for the BWE, which will cover the cost of a transfer and a little more.
A complete server list for the upcoming beta weekend event is available on ArenaNet's blog post.
Upon first logging into the game, players will be able to pick any home world server available, including ones in with a different region than where they purchased the game. All characters thereafter are created on that home world. World transfers are possible, but have both a time and gem cost. A player can only change home worlds once every seven days and have to shell out 1,800 gems to do so. Once the game goes live, however, a "guesting" feature will be available to play with friends on any world, although players won't be able to participate in WvW for their temporary host server.
Guesting won't be in for the beta weekend event, but players will be able to test out transferring worlds: each account will be able to unlock 2,000 free gems for the BWE, which will cover the cost of a transfer and a little more.
A complete server list for the upcoming beta weekend event is available on ArenaNet's blog post.
ArenaNet reveals world transfer details for Guild Wars 2 originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 24 Apr 2012 22:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- Source: ArenaNet blog post
MV Guide: April 23 - 29, 2012
April 23, 2012
Filed under: Previews, Opinion, 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 23 - 29, 2012
MV Guide: April 23 - 29, 2012 originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 23 Apr 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
The Daily Grind: Do you think gear level should gate content?
April 23, 2012
Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Endgame, PvE, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous, Dungeons
Because I'd taken breaks from the game, my max-level Shaman had fallen behind in power as the seasons wore on. And that official item level stamped on her gear was more than just a marker that I wasn't elite; it literally gated the dungeons unless I sacrificed rewards (counterproductive) or got a bunch of new gear fast. It didn't take but a weekend or two to catch up, but it was still an annoyance that slowed everyone down, especially since my guildies were overpowered enough that a few more points on my gear weren't going to make or break our success. And while I understand that item level is a useful shorthand for judging your readiness for content, it's a bit disheartening to realize that gamers are being encouraged by the game to see each other only as a numerical gearscore.
What do you think -- should items and item levels gate dungeons and other content?
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: Do you think gear level should gate content? originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 23 Apr 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- Source: Image source
Leaderboard: Age of Conan's score vs. Guild Wars' score
April 23, 2012
Filed under: Polls, Age of Conan, Guild Wars, Opinion, Miscellaneous, Leaderboard
Today we're going to pit two of the greatest MMO soundtracks against each other as they vie for your approval. In the first corner is Age of Conan's score, which was composed by Knut Avenstroup Haugen. It's not only award-winning and famous outside of MMO circles, but hauntingly beautiful to listen to as well. In the other corner is Mr. Jeremy Soule's epic Guild Wars soundtrack (we'll lump all four of them together for this poll), which many claim to be just as memorable as the game's visuals.
It's the cream of the audio crop presented for your judgment: Age of Conan's score vs. Guild Wars' score. Give each one a listen and then let us know which you'll vote for after the jump!
Continue reading Leaderboard: Age of Conan's score vs. Guild Wars' score
Leaderboard: Age of Conan's score vs. Guild Wars' score originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 23 Apr 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
RuneScape's mad, mad, mad, Mad May approaches
April 23, 2012
Filed under: Fantasy, Events, in-game, RuneScape, Free-to-play, Browser
Taking place during the titular month, Mad May will dowse subscribers with bonuses and freebies. First up is an extra daily spin on the new Squeal of Fortune game, which offers players a chance to win a variety of prizes every day. Following that is a hefty 5,000 Loyalty Point boost for members. These points may be redeemed for a whole bunch of new items including emotes and auras. Finally, Jagex will cap off the month by rewarding all subscribers with 250,000 XP on June 1st.
In addition to the Mad May bonuses, RuneScape will see the return of Wild Weekends during the month. Details about what the Wild Weekends will entail are forthcoming, as is a special behind-the-scenes look into the game's upcoming projects.
RuneScape's mad, mad, mad, Mad May approaches originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 23 Apr 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- Source: Mad May, Jagex press release
EU TERA fans petition to bring the blood back
April 23, 2012
Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Culture, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, TERA
A few disgruntled players have even started an online petition to save TERA's European ultra-violence. There's also an open letter to Frogster on the official EU boards.
[Thanks to everyone who tipped us!]
EU TERA fans petition to bring the blood back originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 23 Apr 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- Source: Blood threadnaught
Spirit Tales open beta delayed until May 10th
April 23, 2012
Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, News items, Free-to-play
At the beginning of the month, KoramGame announced that its upcoming saccharine-sweet free-to-play title, Spirit Tales, would be entering open beta this Wednesday, April 25th. Alas, that is no longer the case. Fans of the mind-numbingly adorable title will have to wait another couple of weeks to get their hands-on time, as KoramGame announced today that the open beta has been delayed until May 10th.
So what's the deal with the delay? According to General Manager Yann Wang, "problems have occurred that have made it difficult to incorporate certain features that are vital to the release of the game. Unfortunately, because of this, the game will not be ready on the date we had originally promised." He goes on to add, however, that "the Spirit Tales team... [is] optimistic that this short-but-necessary delay will ensure that we produce a much more complete and polished game." Here's to hoping that's the case, but we'll just have to wait until May 10th to find out for sure.
[Source: KoramGame press release]
So what's the deal with the delay? According to General Manager Yann Wang, "problems have occurred that have made it difficult to incorporate certain features that are vital to the release of the game. Unfortunately, because of this, the game will not be ready on the date we had originally promised." He goes on to add, however, that "the Spirit Tales team... [is] optimistic that this short-but-necessary delay will ensure that we produce a much more complete and polished game." Here's to hoping that's the case, but we'll just have to wait until May 10th to find out for sure.
[Source: KoramGame press release]
Spirit Tales open beta delayed until May 10th originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 23 Apr 2012 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Sony eyeing ways to get MMO players out of the house
April 23, 2012
Filed under: Business models, Culture, MMO industry, News items, Miscellaneous
The firm has even filed a patent for some sort of meet-up software. Speculation has it that it will incentivize real-life get-togethers, though how (or why) is anyone's guess at this point. Is this another personal information-harvesting ploy like Blizzard's RealID failboat, or is it something new? Time will tell, and we'll keep an eye on it for you.
Sony eyeing ways to get MMO players out of the house originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 23 Apr 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- Source: Engadget
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