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Allods posts a preview of the upcoming Pyramid dungeon
March 01, 2013

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That robot looks great now, but the first time it gets a scuff mark it's going to just be ruined.
Pyramids aren't just for ancient pharaohs or Mayans. In Allods Online, a pyramid is the site of one of the game's newest dungeons coming out with the upcoming Lords of Destiny expansion. Of course, this pyramid is also covered in magical runes and filled with the sort of enemies that require a strong level 55 raid to defeat, but isn't that always the way? Pyramids never wind up being summer bungalows for retirees.

All joking aside, the Pyramid is a construction of the ancient Tep, a necromancer who studied the essence of life itself and tried to capture it inside of his stronghold. His work led to the origin of the Arisen, but he still waits within his stronghold as a vengeful shade intent on harvesting more life. Allods Online players can find more information on the dungeon layout and bosses in the full rundown on the official site.

MassivelyAllods posts a preview of the upcoming Pyramid dungeon originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 01 Mar 2013 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Some Assembly Required: Bringing the 'craft' back to crafting
March 01, 2013

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Some Assembly Required Bringing the 'craft' back to crafting
A recent comment made in regard to crafting in an upcoming game gave me pause. It went something like this: If the gameplay fails, the crafting system won't matter. My first thought was that this person must have accidentally tripped over his tongue and mistakenly substituted words, meaning to insert pwnzer PvP or some such instead of gameplay. Why? Because we all understand that as a part of playing the game, crafting is inherently gameplay.

But then another explanation for this wildly inaccurate statement came to me; perhaps the speaker had actually never seen -- let alone experienced -- real, meaningful crafting in a game! After all, there has been a serious dearth of deep, involved crafting systems where skill and dedication are valued for quite some time in MMOs. Crafting, if it exists at all, is often relegated to some mechanic that can be slept through that results in uniform, standardized products. It's no wonder that some folks might not realize that crafting is gameplay.

But change is a-comin'! Some upcoming games are returning to the idea that robust crafting systems are a deep and engaging part of games. Heck, the whole premise behind one is crafting! Two titles, The Repopulation and Pathfinder Online, seem to have really hit the nail on the head when it comes to developing sophisticated crafting systems that have purpose and meaning. Today in Some Assembly Required, we'll take a closer look at how both are putting the "craft" back into crafting.

Continue reading Some Assembly Required: Bringing the 'craft' back to crafting

MassivelySome Assembly Required: Bringing the 'craft' back to crafting originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 01 Mar 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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    Mythic developers discuss the swan song of Wrath of Heroes
    March 01, 2013

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    Part of the problem is that these guys just were never all that angry.
    Warhammer Online: Wrath of Heroes is shutting down near the end of the month, but it turns out that the developers have a few last hurrahs for the game. A recent fansite interview sheds some light on the new heroes that are coming out during the game's final month of operation, with 17-18 heroes being fast-tracked for release. The game's main currency, Gold, will be able to purchase everything in the cash shop including Gold Boost items, intentionally creating plenty of money for players to enjoy the last bits of the game.

    What's not coming? Most anything else that was in development, including some heroes that the developers just didn't have enough time to finish. There were also Scenarios in development that aren't close enough to completed to be functional; while pushing out heroes quickly is a priority, a half-finished Scenario is fun for no one. Fans looking for fine details on exactly which traditional Warhammer factions will be represented in the last month can look at the full interview.

    MassivelyMythic developers discuss the swan song of Wrath of Heroes originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 01 Mar 2013 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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    Aspiring sandbox Trials of Ascension touts true permadeath
    March 01, 2013

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    Aspiring sandbox Trials of Ascension touts true permadeath
    Does Trials of Ascension sounds familiar? That could be because the aspiring sandbox poked its head out several years ago but didn't lasso enough investors to become a reality. Now, however, with the advent of Kickstarter and ability to circumvent the big corporate investors, the developers are revving up their engines to give it another go. But first, they are gauging community interest in what they have to offer.

    So what is Trials of Ascension offering? Here are some tidbits that might tantalize sandbox lovers: a skill system instead of classes, permadeath, multi-step crafting that promotes interdependence, and dynamic spawns. There will also be open PvP and magic. If that sounds good, head on over and sign up on the official forums (doing so will enter you to win a city in the game!). You can also follow the game on social media and share the news with friends. If enough interest is expressed on the forums, devs will post the project to Kickstarter.

    MassivelyAspiring sandbox Trials of Ascension touts true permadeath originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 01 Mar 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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    Storyboard: RP-Beta
    March 01, 2013

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    I've got a legacy to consider.
    So there's a beta going on right now that is really relevant to my interests. Yes, that does mean that there is an unofficial beta roleplaying server, also relevant to my interests. Long-time readers will know both what I'm talking about and why I don't have a whole lot of other things on my mind right now.

    This actually dovetails nicely with an obvious topic, however: roleplaying in the beta for any given game. If you plan to roleplay when the game goes live, beta is a great time to get started, possibly building up character relationships and dynamics before the game has even launched. That's all good stuff.

    The problem is that beta is not, in fact, a prequel to the live game. It's a test version of the real game. And even beside the obvious repercussions of rollbacks and the like, there are reasons why roleplaying in beta might not be a great idea.

    Continue reading Storyboard: RP-Beta

    MassivelyStoryboard: RP-Beta originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 01 Mar 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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      Betawatch: February 23 - March 1, 2013
      March 01, 2013

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      I'm sure somebody thinks that's neat.
      If you're one of those people who absolutely cannot wait to get their hands on The Elder Scrolls Online, you won't have to wait too much longer, as the game's first beta testing will apparently start toward the end of this month. The testing will consist of small and focused test weekends, but it's better than the current test schedule of "nothing."

      Need something a bit more immediate? Kartuga has gone into closed beta, and Dragon Nest is in closed testing in Europe, but that closed portion means you can't necessarily jump right in. So you might just have to wait to try some games until PAX East, such as the anticipated Neverwinter. It'll be there with bells and large weapons on.

      More beta information is in the list just past the cut. If you noticed something we missed, let us know in the comments.

      Continue reading Betawatch: February 23 - March 1, 2013

      MassivelyBetawatch: February 23 - March 1, 2013 originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 01 Mar 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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        EVE Online hits 500,000 subscribers, heads into second decade
        February 28, 2013

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        EVE Online title image
        Most modern MMOs launch to an initial flurry of sales followed by a steady decline in player activity, but sci-fi MMO EVE Online has lived life in reverse. The game initially failed to secure a large number of launch sales but has since grown organically into one of the most successful subscription MMOs on the planet. EVE developer CCP Games told Massively today that the game has now officially broken the 500,000 subscription barrier.

        Subscription numbers hit the 450,000 mark following the relaunch of EVE's Chinese server Serenity in December of last year, and they have continued to climb ever since. This new subscription milestone is attributed to the success of EVE's recent Retribution expansion and the anticipation building over upcoming console MMOFPS DUST 514, which is set on actual planets in the EVE universe. EVE is due to hit its 10th anniversary this year on May 6th, and developers have been taking the opportunity to look forward at what the coming decade will bring to the game.

        We caught up with CCP for a quick peek at the studio's plans for the future and to find out what kind of announcements we can expect from EVE Fanfest in April of this year.

        Continue reading EVE Online hits 500,000 subscribers, heads into second decade

        MassivelyEVE Online hits 500,000 subscribers, heads into second decade originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 28 Feb 2013 06:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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          The Daily Grind: Is 'maintenance mode' really a negative?
          February 28, 2013

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          The Secret World - Gunners
          This week's news of Funcom naming Joel Bylos the creative director on all three of its MMORPGs was met with some predictable "maintenance mode!" and "yay, Funcom's failing" rhetoric in our comment section. While neither of these suppositions are based in reality, the former got me to thinking, and what I thought was that "maintenance mode" isn't an automatic negative to me like it appears to be to some folk.

          For one thing, I play a ton of MMOs, and for another, I'm not exactly a content locust since it usually takes me several months to max out an avatar (and several more after that to gear him up). I can see why the hurry-up-and-beat-the-endgame crowd would be cross with a title that doesn't add new content every other week, but for me that's not only OK, it's preferable since it means that I might actually see all of the content, finish all of the story arcs, and get some use out of my gear.

          Time between content updates also means time that I get to explore, socialize, roleplay, and do all the stuff that MMOs facilitate beyond the basic treadmill. What about you, Massively readers? Is "maintenance mode" a turnoff or does it give you time to catch your breath?

          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!?

          MassivelyThe Daily Grind: Is 'maintenance mode' really a negative? originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 28 Feb 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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            The Perfect Ten: Creative MMO minigames
            February 28, 2013

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            The Perfect Ten Creative MMO minigames
            Few people are without opinions on minigames in MMOs. Some love 'em, some hate 'em, and some just ignore 'em. Some even despise that I won't type "th." Takes all types, really. Personally, I'm all for including new types of enjoyable systems that can be repeated, particularly if it benefits my character in some way.

            There's also this perception that minigames are just for kids. It's true that more kid-centric titles like Free Realms and Clone Wars Adventures thrive on minigames like you thrive on deep-fried butter balls, but these little diversions exist all over the place in "grownup" titles too. Holidays are a favorite time to trot them out, although there are plenty that exist year-round.

            Today we're going to look at 10 creative minigames that have tickled my fancy over the year. Yes, I used the word "fancy." Whatcha gonna do about it?

            Continue reading The Perfect Ten: Creative MMO minigames

            MassivelyThe Perfect Ten: Creative MMO minigames originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 28 Feb 2013 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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              Eberron and beyond: Seven years of Dungeons and Dragons Online
              February 28, 2013

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              Eberron and beyond 7 years of DDO
              Dungeons and Dragons Online has always been a strange creature in the realm of MMOs. Ever since its launch, it decided to veer off in its own direction instead of following the rest of the pack. It brought back complicated character creation, somehow worked the arcane rules of D&D into an MMO format, and put a huge emphasis on group instanced content instead of world exploration.

              Then when Turbine turned DDO into an experimental platform for a successful free-to-play model, suddenly the rest of the industry was following DDO instead. Virtually overnight, a small-teetering-on-extinction MMO became a modest hit well into its lifespan.

              As DDO celebrates its seventh anniversary and looks back on the past year, let's look at how this odd duck of a game continues to surprise and delight gamers. Join us as we consider the journey that bridged the gap from last February to this one -- and see if, just maybe, DDO is calling you to roll its dice once more.

              Continue reading Eberron and beyond: Seven years of Dungeons and Dragons Online

              MassivelyEberron and beyond: Seven years of Dungeons and Dragons Online originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 28 Feb 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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