Virtual World News
Filed under: Fantasy, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Sandbox
If you've been keeping abreast of this story, you probably know that EoC is riding a wave of positive buzz following on from its successful Kickstarter campaign, which has already met its initial funding goal and then some with 19 days left to go.
Forsaken is now seeking to galvanize additional sandbox fans, a demographic that creative director Rob Steele says is ready for EoC and games like it. "It just shows that the audience is out there, hungry for the kind of game that we're making -- one where the players take control of the world and make it their own," he says.
[Thanks to flintwicktog for the tip!]
Embers of Caerus partners with Havok Engine, seeks more sandbox supporters originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 30 May 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- Source: MarketWatch
Filed under: Sci-fi, Culture, Game mechanics, Patches, Previews, News items, Star Wars: The Old Republic
That's the smallest part of the game's upcoming additions, however -- the improvements for players to play together include upcoming free server transfers as well as expanding the existing server caps substantially. Patch 1.3 is also bringing the long-awaited group finder to the game to help get players away on party tasks in a timely fashion.
1.3 won't just be about playing together, however, and the developers also spoke more on the addition of adaptive gear and new Legacy perks for characters. It's plenty to look forward to for players of the game, so if you haven't yet taken a peek at the upcoming changes, you may wish to do so.
[Thanks to The_grand_nagus for the tip!]
Star Wars: The Old Republic developers detail 1.3, free trials, and free transfers originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 30 May 2012 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Game mechanics, Previews, News items, The Elder Scrolls Online
In PvE, players will find that each given monster has a very unique set of behaviors that players can react to, as well as elements that play off one another in the environment. Rather than rewarding players simply for defeating monsters, players will be rewarded with a rating called "finesse" for how the monster is defeated, with greater rewards coming to players with high finesse scores. The goal is to make combat less a matter of winning or losing and more about defeating enemies skillfully. But that only scratches the surface of the full interview, so click on past the break for the full 17-minute discussion.
Continue reading The Elder Scrolls Online designers talk combat and PvP in a new video
The Elder Scrolls Online designers talk combat and PvP in a new video originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 30 May 2012 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- Via: PCGamer
Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, News items, Guild Wars 2, Dev Diaries
In addition to a date, a little light was shed on changes made to the beta for the upcoming weekend. To begin with, existing characters will not be deleted, despite fears and whispers to the contrary! This will give more players a chance to hit the level 35 mark to make it into the available dungeon. Additionally, in response to feedback from the first BWE, changes have been made to overflow server functionality, chat, key binding capabilities, server stability, and general performance. There wasn't a whole lot of explanation on what went into these changes, but the community will evidently be able to test things out for itself in a pretty short while. More changes will be examined in greater detail in the "near future."
Next Guild Wars 2 beta weekend coming June 8 originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 29 May 2012 06:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- Source: ArenaNet blog post
Filed under: Culture, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Opinion, The Daily Grind
Aside from clan recruitment, much of the board focuses on game design discussion, and every other day there's a wall of text about some proposed PlanetSide 2 feature. And when I say wall of text, I don't mean a couple of paragraphs, I mean long, highly detailed musings on features that SOE developers may or may not be considering. PS2 creative director Matt Higby is a forum regular, and the level of fan dedication plus the developer appearances remind me of the beta boards on SOE's Star Wars Galaxies circa 2002, albeit on a smaller scale.
I'm curious as to how much of the fan feedback is used by the devs, though, and since I'll probably never know for sure I'm throwing that question up for discussion this morning. Are you a part of an active MMO board, and do you think the devs act on your feedback?
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 devs act on your forum feedback? originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 29 May 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Sci-fi, MMO industry, Star Wars: The Old Republic
Despite the layoffs, Lusinchi said that the development team is still "one of the biggest" in the industry and has detailed plans for SWTOR's future. Still, that didn't make dealing with the realities of the job cuts any easier.
"On a personal level it's quite difficult to have people that you've been working with for a long time that you know personally, you go to their barbecue and you meet their families and it's never easy," he said. "I doubt it'd be easy in any industry for anyone, but it happens."
BioWare responds to SWTOR layoffs originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 29 May 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- Source: Games Industry
Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Free-to-play
The game features the usual deathmatch, team deathmatch, and capture-the-flag modes, along with over 100 unlockable achievements. Unlike your daddy's FPS, it also features crossbows, battlehammers, and other classical weaponry.
Closed beta starts May 31st, but we're handing out 1000 keys now to get you ready. Again, the keys won't be able to be redeemed until May 31st. Click past the cut for your beta key redemption instructions.
Continue reading Renaissance Heroes closed beta starts May 31st, and we've got keys
Renaissance Heroes closed beta starts May 31st, and we've got keys originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 29 May 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Culture, Economy, MMO industry, News items, Miscellaneous
Schilling also laid some blame at the feet of Rhode Island governor Lincoln Chafee, whom he says made public statements that were "devastating" and that "scared off private investors." Joystiq also reports on why some former 38 Studios employees remained silent as the drama unfolded over the last week.
"[Schilling] had invested so much into us financially and personally, we were not about to betray that trust. We were not going to take the chance of speaking to the press and accidentally ruining any chances with outside investors. Unfortunately, it didn't matter if the employees spoke and ruined things with the investors as the governor beat us to it," the source said.
Schilling speaks out on 38 Studios debacle, stands to lose $50 million originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 29 May 2012 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- Source: Providence Journal
- Via: Joystiq
Filed under: Fantasy, Culture, Economy, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Opinion, Free-to-play, The Soapbox, Miscellaneous, Diablo III
If you pay close attention to game industry marketing-speak, you've probably heard of something called games-as-a-service.
It's an initiative that's been gaining momentum in recent years, as publishers and development houses look to increase revenue, strangle used game sales, and clamp down on both PC and console piracy. It's also championed by a few of our more clueless game "journalists," more often than not due to their (desire for a) cozy relationship with the aforementioned industry players.
Put simply, games-as-a-service seeks to change both the definition and the public perception of the phrase "video game" from a product that you buy to a service that you rent, thereby granting developers and publishers complete control over the end-user's experience. If that sounds somewhat nefarious, that's because it is. It's also something that MMORPGs have been doing for two decades.
Continue reading The Soapbox: Games-as-a-service sucks for the consumer
The Soapbox: Games-as-a-service sucks for the consumer originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 29 May 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
We are pleased to announce the Online Community Management Summit taking place June 28, 2012 in San Francisco, CA at the Moscone Center. Attractively priced at $99, the event focuses on community in the age of social media and brings together online community management gurus for a detailed discussion and networking with [...]