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World of Warplanes video diary details classes, roles
May 15, 2012

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World of Warplanes - dev diary title screen
Looking for the latest World of Warplanes news? Wargaming.net has you covered with part two of its developer diary video series.

The clip introduces us to some of the dev personalities working on the game, as well as the three main aircraft classes (fighters, heavy fighters, and ground attack planes). "Fighters top the food chain," according to historical consultant Yuri Pasholok. "They are the most widespread, versatile, and -- pound for pound -- the deadliest class in the game."

In comparison, ground attack birds are "slow, clumsy, and very heavy. To imagine what flying a ground attack plane is like, think of flying a tank," Pasholok says. Why would you want to fly a tank? Well, for the ridiculous amounts of destructive firepower, of course. Finally, heavy fighters are something of a middle ground between the previous two classes. They can take a beating better than their light fighter counterparts, but their main objective is defense and interception. Click past the cut to view the full video, and be sure to check out The Firing Line this Friday for an exclusive World of Warplanes producer interview.

Continue reading World of Warplanes video diary details classes, roles

MassivelyWorld of Warplanes video diary details classes, roles originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 15 May 2012 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Xsyon welcomes back former players, gears up for totem decay
May 15, 2012

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Xsyon - Totem decay
Notorious Games is working overtime to increase awareness of its Xsyon sandbox. The company ran a 10-day welcome back promotion late last month, and it's doing so again starting this Friday. Previous subscribers will receive a free 10-day pass, while current players will get two additional weeks of game time on the house.

The dates for the 10-day passes vary, according to Notorious' latest press release. If you're a previous subscriber, check your email over the next few days to see where your game time falls within the larger five-week promotional window.

Also noteworthy for dedicated Xsyon players is the fact that the game's totem system will enter something called a decay phase once these trial periods are over. Totems represent land claimed by a particular guild, and those without any actively subscribed players will become abandoned in short order. Abandoned totems will then decay and free up the land for other players, while also leaving any buildings, resources, and containers free for the taking.

[Source: Notorious Games press release]

MassivelyXsyon welcomes back former players, gears up for totem decay originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 15 May 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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    The Soapbox: Translating Elder Scrolls Online dev speak
    May 15, 2012

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    The Elder Scrolls Online - Giant orchid monster thing
    Disclaimer: The Soapbox column is entirely the opinion of this week's writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Massively as a whole. If you're afraid of opinions other than your own, you might want to skip this column.

    Language is a pretty fascinating thing, and studying a second one is something I've long intended to do. Aside from entertaining thoughts of learning Korean to play ArcheAge, though (seriously, I looked into it), I haven't gotten around to much beyond college-level Deutsch.

    But as I watched last week's interview with The Elder Scrolls Online creative director Paul Sage, I realized that I already have some pretty good second-language skills. I'm fluent in both English and MMO dev-speak, so as a public service, I'm going to translate some of what Sage said into the former.

    Continue reading The Soapbox: Translating Elder Scrolls Online dev speak

    MassivelyThe Soapbox: Translating Elder Scrolls Online dev speak originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 15 May 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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      Flameseeker Chronicles: Dynomatic
      May 15, 2012

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      Guild Wars 2 concept art: Centaurs from hell
      After the first mostly-open beta weekend event, reaction to the dynamic event system of Guild Wars 2 is mixed. Some people see it as the revolution of gameplay that was promised, others think it's a refreshing and solid system, and others feel that it falls short. All of those are fair, although it mightn't be hard to guess that I don't share all of those opinions.

      Some people expecting the dynamic event system to be the trumpet that would herald the arrival of the salvation of the MMO world were rather let down. There've been a couple of bits of confusion about the nature and scope of dynamic events, so let's look into them.

      Continue reading Flameseeker Chronicles: Dynomatic

      MassivelyFlameseeker Chronicles: Dynomatic originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 15 May 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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        Star Trek Online dev not concerned with losing global playability for the sake of lock boxes [Updated]
        May 15, 2012

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        STO image
        Lock boxes in Star Trek Online -- love them or leave them, right? Well now it may be more of an issue of Cryptic leaving you if your country has an issue with them.

        When a discussion on the Jupiter Force forums noted that certain countries may have legal issues with lock boxes in the game, STO developer @borticus chimed in that the "most likely course of action here, if any is taken, is that STO becomes unplayable" in that country. When the conversation turned towards the loss of revenue from losing said countries, @borticus replied that probably less revenue would be lost from losing a country than abandoning lock boxes.

        Could lock boxes be making enough of a profit that losing an entire country's player base is a worthy trade off? It sounds like it. Anyone hoping that lock boxes were a temporary fad may want to stop holding their breath.

        [Update: Borticus has a response for our low-standard website reporting on something he said in public.]

        [Thanks to "Some Guy" for the tip!]

        MassivelyStar Trek Online dev not concerned with losing global playability for the sake of lock boxes [Updated] originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 15 May 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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        Hyperspace Beacon: SWTOR's James Ohlen shares the formula behind PvP nerfs
        May 15, 2012

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        Hyperspace Beacon: SWTOR's James Ohlen shares the formula behind PvP nerfs
        When Update 1.2 launched for Star Wars: The Old Republic, most players witnessed some major changes to their classes. In my opinion, these changes weren't game-breaking, but they did require that some players re-evaluate how they played. Some classes were changed so drastically in this patch players claimed they felt as if they were truly playing a completely different class.

        Major changes like this do not happen without reason, and from my time spent with SWTOR developers, I know that they are passionately interested in making their game the best it can be. So I asked Game Director James Ohlen some questions about these mechanical changes. In true James Ohlen fashion, he was more than happy to answer in intricate detail, and I'm excited to bring you those answers here in the Hyperspace Beacon.

        Continue reading Hyperspace Beacon: SWTOR's James Ohlen shares the formula behind PvP nerfs

        MassivelyHyperspace Beacon: SWTOR's James Ohlen shares the formula behind PvP nerfs originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 15 May 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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          Star Trek Online dev unconcerned with losing global playability for the sake of lock boxes [Updated]
          May 15, 2012

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          STO image
          Lock boxes in Star Trek Online -- love them or leave them, right? Well, now it may be more of an issue of Cryptic's leaving you if your country has an issue with them.

          When a discussion on the Jupiter Force forums noted that certain countries may have legal issues with lock boxes in the game, STO developer @borticus chimed in that the "most likely course of action here, if any is taken, is that STO becomes unplayable" in that country. When the conversation turned toward the loss of revenue from losing said countries, @borticus replied that probably less revenue would be lost from losing a country than abandoning lock boxes.

          Could lock boxes be making enough of a profit that losing an entire country's playerbase is a worthy trade off? It sounds like it. Anyone hoping that lock boxes were a temporary fad may want to stop holding his breath.

          [Update: Borticus has a response for our low-standard website's reporting of something he said in public.]

          [Thanks to "Some Guy" for the tip!]

          MassivelyStar Trek Online dev unconcerned with losing global playability for the sake of lock boxes [Updated] originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 15 May 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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          If 38 Studios goes under, Rhode Island taxpayers will be footing the bill
          May 15, 2012

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          Who doesn't love a good bar graph?
          Project Copernicus and Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning developer 38 Studios is in some hot water, but it looks like that may be the least of your worries if you're a Rhode Island resident. Rhode Island's WPRI reports that if the studio founders and can't pay back the bonds given to it by the state, then the onus of doing so will fall upon Rhode Island taxpayers.

          How much moolah are we talking about? Something to the tune of $112.6 million US. According to Joystiq, "If 38 Studios can't pay, the governor is required to ask the General Assembly to repay bondholders," which means that Rhode Island taxpayers will be responsible for footing the bill by 2020. For now, though, both the studio and the Rhode Island government are tight-lipped on the studio's future, and by association, the future of Project Copernicus, so we'll just have to wait and see how this plays out.

          MassivelyIf 38 Studios goes under, Rhode Island taxpayers will be footing the bill originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 15 May 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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          Massively Speaking Episode 201: No more secrets
          May 15, 2012

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          The Secret World
          Massively Speaking Episode 201 gets into all of your dirty little secrets -- not to mention Funcom's, as well! We're joined by Jef, who gives us the full scoop on The Secret World now that the NDA's come tumbling down. Will this be another Failcom or possibly a Fabulouscom? Only Jef knows, and he's highly resistant to torture and bribery.

          Have a comment for the podcasters? Shoot an email to podcast@massively.com. We may just read your email on the air!

          Get the podcast:
          [iTunes] Subscribe to Massively Speaking directly in iTunes.
          [RSS] Add Massively Speaking to your RSS aggregator.
          [MP3] Download the MP3 directly.
          Listen here on the page:



          Read below the cut for the full show notes.

          Continue reading Massively Speaking Episode 201: No more secrets

          MassivelyMassively Speaking Episode 201: No more secrets originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 15 May 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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            Star Trek Online adds a new flavor of cat people
            May 15, 2012

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            Yo dawg, I heard you like cats, so I put some cats next to your cats so you can fight cats with your cats.
            Do you like cats? Hopefully you do, as Star Trek Online has just seen the felinoid Ferasan added to the C-Store. But wait, didn't the game already add Caitians? Yes, but the Caitians are a Federation race, while the Ferasan are exclusive to the KDF, thereby allowing you to play as a kitty on whichever faction you choose. The Ferasan are related to the Caitians but apparently are not quite the same species (presumably akin to the Romulans and Vulcans).

            The Ferasan possess only one specific trait, Predatory Instincts, which increases jump height, melee damage, exploit damage, stealth, and perception. Unlocking the race costs 480 Cryptic Points and also unlocks new customization options for Caitian characters on the Federation side. On the other hand, if you just want to have one on the bridge, you can place a requisition for a Ferasan bridge officer for 400 Cryptic Points. So if you've felt that there's a distinct lack of feline members in the KDF, you've now got an option to rectify that situation.

            MassivelyStar Trek Online adds a new flavor of cat people originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 15 May 2012 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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