Virtual World News
Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Horror, Sci-fi, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, PvP, News items, Free-to-play, MMOFPS, Post-Apocalyptic, Sandbox, The Firing Line
And there was much rejoicing.
OK, now that that's out of the way, the other items concern games that are decidedly smaller in scale but no less interesting. Join me after the break for a look at the latest from the devs behind World War II Online (or Battleground Europe, if you prefer), and a new title called Forge. Oh yeah, and 500,000 of you are playing something called DayZ.
Continue reading The Firing Line: DayZ, Forge, and Rapid Assault
The Firing Line: DayZ, Forge, and Rapid Assault originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 13 Jul 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Fantasy, Horror, Video, MMO industry, New titles, News items, The Secret World
Sound designer and "audio generalist" Alexandre Saba takes us through the creation of The Secret World's ur draug sound suite. What the heck is an ur draug? It's a "creature from the deepest, darkest oceans, a Lovecraftian, god-like creature," according to TSW creative director Ragnar Tornquist.
Since Funcom couldn't just go out and mic the nearest ur draug, it turned to Saba, who performs a number of foley tricks to bring the creature's bellow, skin, and wing sounds to life. Look, listen, and learn after the cut.
Continue reading Sound guru brings The Secret World's ur draug monster to life
Sound guru brings The Secret World's ur draug monster to life originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 13 Jul 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- Source: Creating Sound
Filed under: Polls, Culture, Opinion, Roleplaying, Storyboard, Miscellaneous
But what if you didn't have to make that compromise?
This isn't a story about RIFT, and it isn't a story about PAX East, but both of those elements come into play because that's how the idea came to me. What would it look like if you had a month during which there were no restrictions on roleplaying? How would things play out if you could feel confident about a month of play that's completely self-contained, with no need to preserve characters any longer than the story required? Would it make roleplaying more interesting, or would nothing change?
Continue reading Storyboard: The RIFT project
Storyboard: The RIFT project originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 13 Jul 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Fantasy, Business models, Culture, Previews, Opinion, War, Free-to-play, Browser, Mobile, Casual, MMORTS, MMObility, Sandbox
The technology to make constantly accessible MMOs is there, namely in the form of HTML5. Adobe recently announced that not only is it moving away from Flash for mobile devices, but it is also specifically targeting Android Jelly Bean. There is a new wave of web technologies coming that will hopefully, once and for all, put an end to the need for special lists like this one. Not all of my choices are HTML5-based, but I tried to keep all of them open for all devices. If you notice any oddities while playing them on a certain device, let me know in the comments section so I can note it. I get a lot of requests for lists like this, so I want to keep things tight.
In the meanwhile, enjoy the list. There are others out there, but I wanted to pick out some that give pretty much the same result across whichever device you use.
Continue reading MMObility: Fourteen MMOs that you can play anywhere
MMObility: Fourteen MMOs that you can play anywhere originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 13 Jul 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Betas, Sci-fi, PlanetSide, Events, in-game, MMO industry, New titles, PvP, News items, Free-to-play, MMOFPS, PlanetSide 2, Sandbox
He also reiterated Sony Online Entertainment's invite priority system. The firm is staggering its closed beta invite phases. First up are a few PlanetSide veterans and those with priority keys from devs, E3 giveaways, and PC Gamer. Higby also encouraged vets to be sure and update the email addresses associated with their station accounts, as that's how they'll know exactly when they can log in and test.
Test is the operative word, too, as this is definitely not a marketing beta. "We are doing true beta testing, not just a game demo, and we implore those of you who are invited to understand and respect that," Higby said. "Things will break, the server will be unavailable sometimes, and we will cancel scheduled tests when we find something that breaks before the test starts. All of this will help us make a better final game."
[Thanks to Scott for the tip!]
Matt Higby says PlanetSide 2 beta is 'not just a game demo' originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 13 Jul 2012 13:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- Source: PlanetSide Universe
Filed under: Betas, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Browser
By visiting the site, players are given the actual chance to try their hand at the game with the embedded pre-alpha tech demo. Players are placed on either the red or the blue team. Those wishing to participate in the open pre-alpha testing can register on the site, which allows progress to be saved automatically.
The entire enterprise is being undertaken by a single developer, Paul Firth. To further the game's development, he is offering players the ability to purchase a choice of special, limited-edition in-game avatars that will not be available when the game launches. More information is available on the official site.
Asteroids is joining the ranks of MMOs originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 13 Jul 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- Source: Rock, Paper, Shotgun
Filed under: Fantasy, Horror, Puzzle, New titles, Patches, News items, The Secret World, Sandbox
Back in the day, avid mystery fans relied on getting monthly doses of case-solving goodness from magazines such as Ellery Queen. Today, the same can be found in The Secret World. Delivering on its recent promise of monthly updates, Funcom has released the details for July's free content update in true mystery magazine style with Issue #1: Unleashed.On July 31st, TSW players will find a number of new missions featuring a best-selling author, a daredevil, and even a crazy cat lady. Another mission will explore a character who may be more than she pretends to be. Two current dungeons are also getting a new nightmare mode; if you thought Ankh and Hell Fallen were challenging before, just wait until you test yourself in this mode.
Another upcoming feature is a cross-dimensional marketplace. Not only can players group and play together cross-dimensionally, but soon they will be able to buy, sell, and ship items across dimensions as well.
Unleashed is just the first of many updates. Issue #2 for August's update is already in the works and will be revealed soon, so stay tuned! And keep an eye on the ongoing construction in London, Seoul, and New York as new tenants prepare to move in.
[Source: Funcom press release]
The Secret World's first content update is coming July 31st originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 13 Jul 2012 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Video, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Guild Wars 2, Free-to-play
We sincerely hope this nugget tides you over until next weekend's beta. Failing that, we hope that ArenaNet sees fit to give us something exciting to write about in the interim. As always, videos may be watched after the proverbial cut. But we bet you already knew that.
Continue reading ArenaNet posts studio tour video
ArenaNet posts studio tour video originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 13 Jul 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- Source: YouTube
Filed under: World of Warcraft, Real life, Culture, Crime, Miscellaneous
Two days ago WoW player Justin Williams decided it was a reasonable (or at least viable) course of action to stab his neighbor in the chest to convey how important the game is to him. According to Canoe, Williams was having a loud exchange of ideas about the game both in-person and via headset when his neighbor showed up and told him that there was no need to be "freaking out about World of Warcraft," that it was "just a game." Williams took that remark rather poorly and responded with, "It's not a game, it's my life," before grabbing the neighbor by the throat, punching him in the face, and then stabbing him in the chest.
The neighbor was hospitalized but appears to have since been sent home, hopefully to an abundance of flowers and extremely sincere "I'm sorry I put you in the hospital" notes from Williams.
Stabbing someone isn't OK, even if World of Warcraft is your life originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 13 Jul 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- Source: Man stabbed over video game
- Via: GamePolitics
Filed under: Sci-fi, Classes, News items, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Community Q&A
Deception spec, by contrast, received a more in-depth response explaining that the developers consider the spec to very much be a hit-and-run playstyle rather than a melee class meant for long engagements. Its performance winds up varying a great deal depending on the player: Those who understand the design intent usually have more success than those expecting higher endurance. But even if neither of these answers appeals to you, there are still other questions answered in the latest round, and you can always post a question for next week.
Star Wars: The Old Republic posts another weekly question-and-answer session originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 13 Jul 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.