Virtual World News
Filed under: World of Warcraft, Betas, Fantasy, Expansions, MMO industry, News items
If you have a Battle.net account with at least one attached Blizz title, you can opt in to the test via the beta profile page. After you do that, sit tight and wait for an acceptance email. If you have an annual World of Warcraft pass, you're automatically in, but Blizzard says that you might have a bit of a wait anyway due to its staggered invite waves.
Finally, there's no NDA for WoW's newest expansion, so you'll be seeing plenty more screenshots, video, and commentary flooding the web in short order. Check out our sister site for the latest and greatest MoP coverage.
Blizzard beta FAQ explains how to test Mists of Pandaria originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 21 Mar 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- Source: The FAQ
Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, MMO industry, New titles, News items, ArcheAge, Sandbox
Additional Chinese-themed content is coming in the "near future," according to MMO Culture, and it will include costumes, dungeons, maps, and events. ArcheAge recently closed the book on its fourth Korean closed beta test, and XL's upcoming CBT5 phase will coincide with the first Chinese beta.
ArcheAge to feature Chinese-themed city, additional content originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 21 Mar 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- Source: MMO Culture
Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Business models, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Free-to-play
SURA boasts three races and six classes, and TIG compares its fighting mechanics to the Tekken series (you can see an official gameplay trailer after the cut, below).
Tencent is a major player in the global MMO market, and much of its revenue stems from the sale of virtual goods via its Q Coin currency. Interestingly enough, the company also acquired the ZAM Network in February.
Continue reading Tencent grows its empire with SURA Online
Tencent grows its empire with SURA Online originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 21 Mar 2012 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- Source: TIG
Filed under: Fantasy, Culture, Economy, Game mechanics, Opinion, Free-to-play, Browser, Casual, Humor, Free for All, Crafting
OK, so I have time, but not if I wanted to do what I do here. That is to say, I am not dedicated to one game because it is my job to tell you readers about several games. About every game. About as many games as possible. I can't do that while maintaining a high DPS score. It's a give and take, but I love to explore, fortunately.
Let me tell you about how I love to trade or craft in some of my favorite titles and why it's important to me.
Continue reading Free for All: Becoming a mediocre trader in several free titles
Free for All: Becoming a mediocre trader in several free titles originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 21 Mar 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Classes, News items, Free-to-play
Meanwhile, members of the Ecaflip's Coin class take a page out of Harvey Dent's book and live life by the flip of a coin. Luck is the name of the game for these devoted gamblers, and they're more than willing to let their lives ride on the roll of the dice as long as a chance at victory is still in the cards, and when you make your own luck, it always is.
To see these two classes in the heat of action, just grab a drink, take a seat at the table, and let the dice roll. Or, you know, just click past the cut.
[Source: Ankama Games press release]
Continue reading Drink, dice, and debauch with new Wakfu gameplay videos
Drink, dice, and debauch with new Wakfu gameplay videos originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 21 Mar 2012 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Fantasy, Events, real-world, News items, TERA
Attendees will be able to get a look at a never-before-seen area of the game, so fans of the title would do well to stop by En Masse's booth to have a go-'round in the world of Arborea. To top it all off, the studio ends the announcement with the cryptic remark that it "will also have some new details to share that are sure to excite fans of modern sci-fi." We're not sure if this means that TERA is going to be getting some sci-fi flavor or if En Masse has a new project to announce or what, but we can't wait to find out.
Of course, Massively will have its own presence at the show (including yours truly!) so even if you can't make it to Boston for the con, you can bet that we'll be bringing you all of the delicious, juicy TERA news that you could possibly ask for. In the meantime, though, just hang tight for a couple of weeks. We're sure it'll be worth the wait.
[Source: En Masse Entertainment press release]
En Masse bringing TERA and sci-fi surprise to PAX East originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 21 Mar 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Historical, Patches, News items, Free-to-play
On top of that, the update is also introducing a brand-new banking system that will allow players to keep their loot safe from plundering (for a minor fee, of course). And finally, players will be granted access to three new vessels in which to make the journey to Vinland. The first is the Immigrant Bark, which is modeled after the historical Mayflower that carried some of the first English settlers to North America. The other two ships are the six-sailed long schooner and commercial long schooner. So choose your vessel, get all hands on deck, and set your course for Vinland by heading over to the game's official site.
[Source: Netmarble press release]
Explore Vinland and Rome with Uncharted Waters Online's latest update originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 21 Mar 2012 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Sci-fi, Culture, Game mechanics, Opinion, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Why I Play
I don't need to extoll the virtues of that game, as people have been doing so pretty much since its release. BioWare had certainly released games in a similar vein before, but KOTOR was the one that finally compelled me to try something. My gaming world would be a far darker place without the Mass Effect and Dragon Age series.
So what does this have to do with Star Wars: The Old Republic? I never would have tried any of that and never would have become a fan of BioWare were it not for KOTOR. And both Star Wars: The Old Republic and its antecedent had to overcome a very big impediment: my profound antipathy toward the Star Wars franchise.
Continue reading Why I Play: Star Wars: The Old Republic
Why I Play: Star Wars: The Old Republic originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 21 Mar 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Fantasy, Business models, Vanguard, Free-to-play
While specifics about the F2P conversion are hazy at the moment, SOE says that players should look to its work with previous MMO F2P adaptations (such as the recently relaunched EverQuest) for an idea how things will go down in Vanguard town.
It's not just going to be a token change for this mostly forgotten title; SOE says that it has assembled a new team of Vanguard-loving devs to generate more frequent updates, including "general improvements and new content." The game's previous update was this past December. Coming on board to shape the future of the game are Director of Development Andy Sites, Creative Director Salim Grant, and Technical Director Todd Schmidt.
The announcement concludes with a promise for team spotlights, more information on F2P, and development discussion to come in the near future.
Vanguard going free-to-play this summer, beefs up dev team originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 21 Mar 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- Source: March producer's letter
Filed under: Fantasy, Business models, Economy, Game mechanics, Opinion, Guild Wars 2, Free-to-play, Runes of Magic, The Soapbox
The ArenaNet post about microtransactions in Guild Wars 2 reveals that the "gems" currency will be bought with real money and be available for purchase with in-game gold in GW2. But people seem to have forgetten that Runes of Magic's cash shop operated this way three years ago. I've been playing RoM since closed beta, and the cash shop is one of the reasons RoM is so different from other F2P MMOs of its era.
Frogster eventually removed the ability to buy diamonds with gold because of fraud, so I'm curious to see how ArenaNet handles that issue. My time in RoM has shown me that there are other issues involved here, issues of security, players gaming the system, botting, and pay-to-win debates. In other words, there's more at stake here than whether cash shops sell gear or items toward gaining power.
Continue reading The Soapbox: The hidden perils of Guild Wars 2's microtransactions
The Soapbox: The hidden perils of Guild Wars 2's microtransactions originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 21 Mar 2012 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.