Virtual World News
The Soapbox: This fantasy is far from fantastic
June 12, 2012
Filed under: Fantasy, MMO industry, Opinion, The Soapbox
"More innovation!" is the common rallying cry of the disgruntled MMO player. Push forward the genre, build awe-inspiring giant statues instead of sixth grade art projects, do that one magic thing that nobody can agree on to make this genre as fresh and great and interesting as it was. You know, as it was when you first got into these games, that is.
For all of the "more innovation!" speeches that I've seen, I never see the one that touches on the most irksome areas of stagnation in the industry, and that is how incredibly lame most MMO fantasy worlds are. Cut 'n' paste, mix and match elements between any two fantasy MMOs, and I guarantee you that nobody would really notice. The truth is that for all their desire to be seen as unique and special, most of these games feature a world carbon copied from each other with minor Mad Lib deviations.
Case in point: Have you ever realized just how many of these MMO worlds share almost the same name? Start with T, usually end with A, there you go. Telara. Telon. Tyria. Atreia. Taborea. It doesn't stop there, but it really should. MMO designers need to realize that fantasy is more than just D&D and Tolkien derivations and explore the unlimited scope of what the genre could be.
Continue reading The Soapbox: This fantasy is far from fantastic
The Soapbox: This fantasy is far from fantastic originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 12 Jun 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Steve Danuser weighs in on the 38 Studios debacle
June 12, 2012
Filed under: Fantasy, Culture, MMO industry, News items, Miscellaneous
It's been one hell of a month for the folks at the now-bankrupt 38 Studios, but so far we've heard precious little from anyone directly involved with the Project Copernicus developer. Today, 38 Studios' former Creative Director, Steve Danuser, has broken that silence with a post about the matter on his personal blog.
The post doesn't really do much to shed any light on the events that led to the studio's fall, but it does provide one thing that has been lacking: A look at the people affected by the debacle. Danuser takes the time to talk about the rollercoaster of emotions that he and other 38 Studios employees have been riding for the better part of the last month, stating that "the only people who really understand are the ones who make up this now fractured fraternity that was once a great team." It really is a very personal read, but it adds a fresh, human perspective to a story that has, until now, been addressed only from the angles of finance and industry. To read it all for yourself, head on over to Danuser's blog. Oh, and if you're the emotional sort, it may help to have some tissues handy.
The post doesn't really do much to shed any light on the events that led to the studio's fall, but it does provide one thing that has been lacking: A look at the people affected by the debacle. Danuser takes the time to talk about the rollercoaster of emotions that he and other 38 Studios employees have been riding for the better part of the last month, stating that "the only people who really understand are the ones who make up this now fractured fraternity that was once a great team." It really is a very personal read, but it adds a fresh, human perspective to a story that has, until now, been addressed only from the angles of finance and industry. To read it all for yourself, head on over to Danuser's blog. Oh, and if you're the emotional sort, it may help to have some tissues handy.
Steve Danuser weighs in on the 38 Studios debacle originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 12 Jun 2012 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- Source: Mobhunter.com -- Acceptance
Leveling to 80 through pure crafting possible in Guild Wars 2
June 12, 2012
Filed under: Fantasy, News items, Guild Wars 2, Crafting
Combat has long been the focal point of most MMOs' progression systems, and in most games it's borderline impossible to get to max level without spilling some blood. Pacifistic Guild Wars 2 fans seem to be in luck, however, as ArenaNet designer Linsey Murdock has revealed on the forums that, with some hard work and perseverance, players will be able to level all the way to level 80 by doing nothing but crafting.
According to Murdock's post (viewable only if you have access to GW2's beta forums), it works something like this: Leveling a single crafting profession to level 400 will grant enough XP to gain 10 character levels. As a result, by maxing out all eight crafting professions, a player can go all the way to the level cap without ever laying hand on a weapon. A few players on the forums have expressed concern that this will lead to a "pay-to-win" style of play, since players can pay money for gems, exchange those gems for gold, and then use that gold to buy crafting materials for a (relatively) quick level boost. Others point out that while this method may increase a character's leveling speed, it offers no statistical benefit and therefore is not pay-to-win in the truest sense of the word. So what do y'all think, kind readers? Is this treading dangerous pay-to-win territory or not? Give us your tuppence in the comments.
According to Murdock's post (viewable only if you have access to GW2's beta forums), it works something like this: Leveling a single crafting profession to level 400 will grant enough XP to gain 10 character levels. As a result, by maxing out all eight crafting professions, a player can go all the way to the level cap without ever laying hand on a weapon. A few players on the forums have expressed concern that this will lead to a "pay-to-win" style of play, since players can pay money for gems, exchange those gems for gold, and then use that gold to buy crafting materials for a (relatively) quick level boost. Others point out that while this method may increase a character's leveling speed, it offers no statistical benefit and therefore is not pay-to-win in the truest sense of the word. So what do y'all think, kind readers? Is this treading dangerous pay-to-win territory or not? Give us your tuppence in the comments.
Leveling to 80 through pure crafting possible in Guild Wars 2 originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 12 Jun 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- Source: Guild Wars 2 beta forums
- Via: Reddit -- /r/guildwars2
Habbo accused of harboring predators, CEO fights back
June 12, 2012
Filed under: MMO industry, Legal, Virtual worlds, Kids, Miscellaneous
Habbo (formerly Habbo Hotel) is shedding investors with the news; Habbo's parent company Sulake lost its second largest shareholder, Balderton Capital. The former shareholder released a statement saying, "We were given some information a week ago that profoundly shocked us. We had to ask ourselves whether we were comfortable being investors in a business where children were not being adequately protected."
Habbo CEO Paul LaFontaine fought back against the accusations by saying that Habbo is "one of the safest online communities" and has a large team of moderators that tracks the millions of messages sent between the network's users
"To keep users safe, we filter content and block inappropriate users," LaFontaine said. "We work with child safety organisations and local police forces to address inappropriate behaviour. Habbo's leading safety systems were recognised as making the service one of the safest social networks in a 2011 European Commission report."
Habbo accused of harboring predators, CEO fights back originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 12 Jun 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
City of Heroes unveils fan-created Retro Sci-fi costume set
June 12, 2012
Filed under: Super-hero, Interviews, News items, Free-to-play
City of Heroes players, we hope you're ready for a flashback because the game's new Retro Sci-fi costume pieces are full of old-school goodness right out of yesteryear's sci-fi classics. Ray-guns, jetpacks, and shiny suits with rings on them are all present in the new costume pieces that were initially conceived with fan input at last year's City of Heroes fan summit.
The folks at PC Gamer had the chance to sit down with Paragon Studios' Eric Johnsen to talk a bit about the new additions. Johnsen talks briefly about the creation of the costume set's conception at the fan summit and the process of taking those ideas and turning them into full, in-game costume pieces. If you want to know anything about the design process of the Retro Sci-fi set or about the most recent fan-designed costume set and its release, head on over to the full article and give it a read.
The folks at PC Gamer had the chance to sit down with Paragon Studios' Eric Johnsen to talk a bit about the new additions. Johnsen talks briefly about the creation of the costume set's conception at the fan summit and the process of taking those ideas and turning them into full, in-game costume pieces. If you want to know anything about the design process of the Retro Sci-fi set or about the most recent fan-designed costume set and its release, head on over to the full article and give it a read.
City of Heroes unveils fan-created Retro Sci-fi costume set originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 12 Jun 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- Source: PC Gamer
Flameseeker Chronicles: Professions are like onions
June 12, 2012
Filed under: Fantasy, Guild Wars, Classes, Game mechanics, Professions, Opinion, Flameseeker Chronicles
Professions have layers. The farther you progress with a given character, the more layers get added and the more you can do to specialize and fine-tune your style of play.
Continue reading Flameseeker Chronicles: Professions are like onions
Flameseeker Chronicles: Professions are like onions originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 12 Jun 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Lord of the Rings Online provides guide to legendary items
June 12, 2012
Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, News items, Free-to-play, Guides
Lord of the Rings Online's legendary item system is not a terribly simple one, and Turbine apparently knows it. The studio has released a new guide called Legendary Items 101. As the name would imply, the guide is more or less a crash course on legendary items, but for those who are just now delving into the depths of the legendary item system's nuances, it could certainly be useful.
The guide covers the entire process, beginning with the acquisition of a player's first legendary item in Volume II, Book 1 of the epic questline. It moves on to cover more advanced topics such as the identification, comparison, and slotting of legendary items. Legacies are detailed, as is the method of leveling up legendary items. If you're in the market for a quick-and-simple introduction to Middle-earth's legendary items, check out the full guide on the LotRO official site.
The guide covers the entire process, beginning with the acquisition of a player's first legendary item in Volume II, Book 1 of the epic questline. It moves on to cover more advanced topics such as the identification, comparison, and slotting of legendary items. Legacies are detailed, as is the method of leveling up legendary items. If you're in the market for a quick-and-simple introduction to Middle-earth's legendary items, check out the full guide on the LotRO official site.
Lord of the Rings Online provides guide to legendary items originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 12 Jun 2012 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
TERA patch opens up GvG on PvE servers and improves daily quests
June 12, 2012
Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, Patches, PvP, News items, Roleplaying, TERA
Not up for the PvP road? That's all right -- there are a lot of other little additions in this patch. Daily quests for Hands of Velika have undergone some revisions, with slightly higher numbers required to clear but a greater individual reward. High-end BAMs now also drop Tier 13 crafting materials, with named monsters having a higher chance at drops. The patch also adds the ability to type custom emotes and several bug fixes, both of which should improve the quality of play in TERA.
TERA patch opens up GvG on PvE servers and improves daily quests originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 12 Jun 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- Source: Patch notes
Hyperspace Beacon: Holocron Files -- Cathar
June 12, 2012
Filed under: Sci-fi, Culture, Lore, Opinion, Races, Roleplaying, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Hyperspace Beacon
Personally, I have yet to create a Jedi Knight character (yeah, I know, call me what you will), so I think the Cathar look to be a good species for that class. However, given the history and overall disposition of the Cathar species, I think it could easily fall into any class story. Maybe that is why it was chosen as the next species over the aforementioned Nautolans and Togrutas. As with any species I play, I like to learn as much about it as I can. Thankfully, the Cathar are a pretty easy species for gathering this information, not that Wookieepedia is a great source on the topic.
So what are Cathar all about? Where do they come from? We'll find out in this week's Holocron Files.
Continue reading Hyperspace Beacon: Holocron Files -- Cathar
Hyperspace Beacon: Holocron Files -- Cathar originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 12 Jun 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Diablo III pulls trigger on NA real-money auction house
June 12, 2012
Filed under: Fantasy, Business models, Economy, Diablo III
Unlike the traditional in-game auction house, the real-money variant deals in actual currency (such as USD). Players can sell their hard-won goods for cash, which can then be either spent on the auction house, sent to their own personal PayPal accounts, or converted to Battle.net Balance credit.
The real-money auction house requires additional setup if the players have not attached a PayPal or authenticator to the account. Blizzard does take its cut, and business must be good: There are reports of items going for over $200 already.
Diablo III pulls trigger on NA real-money auction house originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 12 Jun 2012 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- Source: DIII Twitter, Diablo III forums, Neoseeker
- Via: Joystiq
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