Virtual World News
Filed under: Podcasts, MMO Industry, Massively Meta, Massively Speaking, Miscellaneous
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:
[RSS] Add Massively Speaking to your RSS aggregator.
[MP3] Download the MP3 directly.
[iTunes] Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.
[Stitcher] Follow the podcast on Stitcher Radio.
Listen here on the page:
Read below the cut for the full show notes.
Continue reading Massively Speaking Episode 246 -- The princess and the frog in her throat
Massively Speaking Episode 246 -- The princess and the frog in her throat originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 23 Apr 2013 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Fantasy, Classes, Game Mechanics, Interviews, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Sandbox, Crowdfunding, Pathfinder Online
Dancey says that Goblinworks would like for players to create their own PvE content modules and sell them to others, likely via some sort of app store format. He also mentions Pathfinder's archetype system and its numerous advantages over traditional class mechanics. Head to DM Fiat to listen to the podcast.
[Thanks Mark!]
Pathfinder producer talks player-generated content, archetypes, and more originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 23 Apr 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- Source: DM Fiat
Filed under: MMO Industry, News Items
Microsoft's official announcement states that Needham's "deep understanding of all aspects of the gaming industry, from subscription-based massively multiplayer to client-based console and free-to-play online PC and mobile experiences will be a huge benefit to Lionhead."
Former SOE, Cryptic exec to lead Lionhead Studios originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 23 Apr 2013 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- Source: Announcement
- Via: Games Radar
Filed under: Fantasy, MMO Industry, New Titles, PvP, News Items, Sandbox, Crafting, Crowdfunding, Camelot Unchained
Blueprints, which can be traded, are a way to speed up the building process -- or rebuilding, if enemies have destroyed your structure in RvR. Players with the appropriate skills can create blueprints of an already finished structure or through the architect's interface as a plan for a future structure. Through RvR, players can claim buildings built by others, either by deconstructing the entire thing or just capturing it; those structures can then be repaired or rebuilt by the new owners.
Want even more information on building a fortress in Camelot Unchained? Then check out Massively's interview with Mark Jacobs.
More details revealed for Camelot Unchained's world-building systems originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 23 Apr 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Sci-Fi, Business Models, Interviews, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Consoles, Sandbox, Crowdfunding, Star Citizen, Buy-to-Play
He confirms a few things we already knew about SC's playable hangar demo scheduled for August, as well as the dogfighting alpha in December. He also shares how his team's shortened development schedule and modular process is adding up to a tighter, better game than could be made at a AAA studio.
And if Star Citizen's ever-increasing crowdfunding totals are any indication, Roberts' audience is more than OK with the process. "We generated $800,000 in February alone, which is crazy," he said. "We don't even have a campaign going, we're not even selling new ships or anything, and we don't have a game." He goes on to guesstimate that his 150,000-odd early adopters are only five to 10 percent of Star Citizen's post-launch audience. "Ultimately that means I can make the same game for a fifth of the revenue, a fifth of the sales, and I can be more profitable, and I can exist on lower unit sales. I think that's good for gamers, because crowdfunding and digital distribution are enabling more nichey stuff to be viable."
Roberts also hints at the future of SC's business model, likening it to that of World of Tanks. Finally, he has a few kind words for Sony's forthcoming PlayStation 4, and even says he'd consider putting SC on a console under the right circumstances. "The good news is that [the PS4] is essentially a PC, so that means PC owners will get much better ports of console games. I'm not a PC elitist by any means," Roberts explains. "If I could be on the PS4, and they were open, and I could do the updating and all the sort of stuff we're trying to do on Star Citizen, then I would definitely consider putting it on PS4 because it's essentially a PC with a friendlier operating system."
Star Citizen's Roberts on business models, the PS4, and more originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 23 Apr 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- Source: GamesIndustry.biz
Filed under: Fantasy, Horror, Sci-Fi, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, News Items, The Secret World, Roleplaying, Buy-to-Play
It's all about avatar customization, and it details how TSW's stats are kept separate from clothing items in order to satisfy your inner mix-maxer and fashion maven simultaneously. Since the game is set in the modern world, you'll find many authentic styles available to earn in-game or purchase through the cash shop. If you're a fan of the otherworldly, don't fret. There are plenty of sci-fi, steampunk, horror, fantasy, and medieval get-ups as well.
The Secret World has a lot of clothing options originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 23 Apr 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- Source: Dev blog
Filed under: Sci-Fi, Game Mechanics, Opinion, Free-to-Play, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Hyperspace Beacon
For this project, I created a new Smuggler on The Ebon Hawk server. However, I made this character on a brand-new account with none of the perks of my real account. I plan to take this character all the way to level 50 without subscribing. Then, to top it off, I plan to play endgame as well, all without playing a dime. I believe it will be difficult, but I don't think it's impossible. My hypothesis: A player can get what he wants to play SWTOR effectively without paying any real money but by using the GTN and other in-game means to get items from the Cartel Market.
Continue reading Hyperspace Beacon: The SWTOR free-to-play experiment, week one
Hyperspace Beacon: The SWTOR free-to-play experiment, week one originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 23 Apr 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Business Models, Classes, Culture, Events (In-Game), Game Mechanics, New Titles, Previews, PvP, Opinion, Hands-On, First Impressions, MOBA
For those who haven't heard of Prime World, let me giver you a primer: It's set in a fantasy world where a new material called "prime" has revolutionized both the scientific and natural world. Players are tasked with building their own little base to gather resources, make friends, hire heroes, and fight for more prime against the other faction (unless your side currently heavily outnumbers the other faction, in which case the game allows you the option to fight other people of your faction in order to speed up the queues). Really, it's like StarCraft and League of Legends had a baby and asked Facebook to raise the kid, except that you needn't make use of the Facebook integration to play the game and can opt to use an email address instead. However, you'll still find a need for a social network when it comes to the non-MOBA part of the game.
Continue reading Finding the 'world' in Prime World
Finding the 'world' in Prime World originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 23 Apr 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Video, Culture, News Items, League of Legends
But somehow, he pulled it off, becoming an integral part of pro-gaming team Counter Logic Gaming in the process. Peng's story is so remarkable that the folks over at Machinima.com have put together a short documentary video that highlights Doublelift's rise to power in the League of Legends pro scene. It's something of a rags-to-riches story for the gaming generation, and whether you're a fan of e-sports or just a fan of uplifting success stories, it's certainly worth a watch. And as it happens, you can find the video past the cut, so why don't you check it out for yourself?
Continue reading League of Legends player goes pro to pay rent
League of Legends player goes pro to pay rent originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 23 Apr 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- Source: MachinimaVS YouTube channel
- Via: Kotaku
Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Free-to-Play, Origins of Malu
Burning Dog apologized for the delay and said that it will be careful the next time it promises a set date that it can make the mark. "The pressure to not let the community down is high and we take this very seriously," the team said.
In the meantime, beta players with keys can go ahead and download the client in preparation of the test.
Origins of Malu moves beta start to May 4th originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 23 Apr 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- Source: Announcement