Virtual World News
Filed under: Fantasy, MMO industry, Patches, Warhammer Online, News items
So what's new and exciting in this patch? For starters, Sigmartide. This two-week live event sees Order players basking in the glow of the faction's first emperor while they "seek out corruption, cleanse the wicked, and honor the age-old bonds with the Dwarfs." Destruction types, meanwhile, will actively oppose all the revelry by desecrating celebration altars and doing all the things that bad guys do.
Also falling under the 1.4.3 banner are new temporary RvR accessory sets and a shakeup of WAR's scenario lineup. Hit up the official website for more details.
Warhammer's 1.4.3 patch goes live today originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Sci-fi, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Free-to-play
The title is being developed by Biart Studio, a Russian outfit headquartered in the Moscow equivalent of Silicon Valley, and the game will feature "fully customizable [character] appearance, more than 30 types of sci-fi weapons, and three game modes at launch," according to a Biart press release. The game is a F2P instanced shooter featuring eight to 24 players, and it's coming to an Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, or PC near you in the near future.
You can check out our sister site's Deep Black reveal from last summer, and you'll also want to head to the game's official website to learn more.
Deep Black Online coming to consoles and PC this summer originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Historical, Real life, MMO industry, News items, War, Free-to-play, World of Tanks
"We're extremely proud to say that our headliner will finally appear in stores," Kislyi said via press release. "[We] hope that [IGS'] tremendous expertise in distributing retail production will help in bringing the popularity of World of Tanks to a completely new level."
World of Tanks is a free-to-play action MMO that launched last April. The game features squad-based tank combat, traditional MMO progression, and a strategic territorial meta-game based on a large-scale map of World War II-era Europe.
World of Tanks rolling toward retail originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Fantasy, Free-to-play, Battle of the Immortals, Dev Diaries
While we've looked at some of the lore behind the Titan update last week, now it's time to get into the nitty-gritty details of what this patch will bring. Perfect World has created two new maps for players to explore -- and exploit -- in their efforts to become big, rich and powerful: Black Dragon Lair and Giants Kingdom.
The update will also include the much-awaited Generation III pets, which can be bred with two Generation II pets of both genders. Generation IIIs feature faster attack speeds and higher damage output, so it's safe to say they'll be highly desired by players.
Battle of the Immortals' Titan update is scheduled for a July release, but in the meanwhile you can read up on the new dungeons in an exclusive dev blog after the jump!
Continue reading Massively Exclusive: Battle of the Immortals reveals two new instances
Massively Exclusive: Battle of the Immortals reveals two new instances originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Fantasy, Events, real-world, News items, Free-to-play
Square Enix, publisher of the upcoming turn-based tactical MMO Wakfu, is slated to host a panel at the massive California anime convention. Producer Franko Fonseca will be present at the panel to discuss the upcoming title and reveal new information on the game's development. To top it off, panel attendees will have a chance to win some adorable Wakfu plushies. So if you're looking to attend Anime Expo 2011, be sure to swing by the panel and let us know how it goes (and win us a plushie while you're at it!).
Square Enix to host Wakfu panel at Anime Expo 2011 originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Game mechanics, MMO industry, Opinion, Virtual worlds, The Soapbox, Miscellaneous
The war between sandbox and themepark MMOs is being fought now, not just in the hearts and minds of players but in the simple matter of which project is getting funding for development. It's a war in which adherents to one design philosophy loudly decry the other, where both sides sling insults at one another and mourn how the other side has damaged the promise of MMOs or has no idea how to make a compelling gameplay experience. It's a battle of words and of subscription fees.
It's also really, really stupid.
Setting up the MMO sphere as a battle between two opposing design philosophies probably feels like a great chance to explore a two-faction system in real life, but it's also shortchanging not just MMOs but games on both sides of the nonexistent fence. It sells a number of games short, and it adds nothing useful to the genre as a whole. It's time to stop seeing the onling gaming sphere as a match of opposing forces and start seeing it as a varied and frequently awe-inspiring spectrum.
Continue reading The Soapbox: Sandparks
The Soapbox: Sandparks originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Fantasy, Business models, Culture, MMO industry, New titles, News items
Despite some predictions of a lukewarm reception due to the glut of fantasy MMOs and a hefty box fee (as well as a subscription model), Heatwave's game sold well enough to outpace RIFT as well as Guild Wars, DC Universe, and EVE Online, all of which could be had at or lower than Gods & Heroes' $39.99 price point.
Is it a case of a better-than-expected game or another example of how MMO players will buy anything and everything if it's new and shiny? Let us know what you think in the comments.
Gods & Heroes outsells RIFT on Steam, claims weekend top spot originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Fantasy, Galleries, Screenshots, Lord of the Rings Online, Free-to-play, One Shots
The Beaver Mask in LotRO made me an unstoppable killing machine.Ready to show off your gear? Send a screenshot of your favorite items to oneshots@massively.com along with your name, the name of the game, and a paragraph or two telling us what your items are and how you got them!
One Shots: Why so serious? originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Lord of the Rings Online, Previews, Ryzom, Opinion, Vanguard, Free-to-play, Browser, Hands-on, Casual, Humor, Massively Hands-on, Miscellaneous, MMObility
I bring that same mentality to my gaming. This column was born out of the need for gaming-on-the-cheap and more mobility, and today I wanted to give you two examples of how this mentality works in my life. Remember, the ultimate goal here is to have fun, and I have had more fun since I started this column than I have had in a long, long time.
Click past the cut and let me show you some new ways to game!
Continue reading MMObility: Staying desktop-free with Splashtop Remote and Warspear Online
MMObility: Staying desktop-free with Splashtop Remote and Warspear Online originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Fantasy, Previews, News items, Guild Wars 2, Dev Diaries
It's a very interesting bit of insight into how one goes about building a dungeon for the game that claims to have done away with the fabled "holy trinity" of MMORPGs. Another interesting point is the focus that went into ensuring that GW2's dungeon mobs seem to work together in unison, rather than just being separate parts of a disorganized mob. There's far too much to cover in-depth in the span of a news post, so head on over to the official blog to get a delicious taste of dungeon-building goodness.
New Guild Wars 2 dev diary details dungeon-building originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.