Virtual World News
Filed under: Betas, Video, Events, real-world, Events, in-game, Expansions, Game mechanics, Patches, PvP, Endgame, PvE, Dev Diaries, Not So Massively, MOBA, League of Legends, Diablo III
League of Legends unveiled its new champion duo, Quinn and Valor, a dynamic pair of characters that work together as a single champion to dominate teamfights. Heroes of Newerth revealed its own new hero with a video spotlight on Saloman, a melee support hero who gains power from movement and can heal and shield his allies.
Dota 2 added a new Hero Build feature to its beta this week, giving players access to community-produced skill and item builds for all heroes. Console MOBA Guardians of Middle-Earth showed off its new goblin DLC character Snaga, and online FPS Blacklight: Retribution detailed its upcoming Onslaught expansion, which comes with three new game modes.
Not So Massively: Path of Exile events, Diablo III coming to PS4, and huge MOBA updates originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 25 Feb 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Free-to-play, Mobile
The cooperative online RPG will be released for free with optional microtransactions. While it's not quite an MMO, Ultima Forever clearly has aspirations of making headway in the mobile market.
Give the trailer a look and let us know if you think you'll be hopping on board the latest Mythic fantasy train!
Continue reading Ultima Forever's trailer welcomes players back to Britannia
Ultima Forever's trailer welcomes players back to Britannia originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 25 Feb 2013 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- Source: Touch Arcade
Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous
Since alts theoretically extend one's interest and time in a game, I think it's in the studio's best interest to make rolling them an attractive proposition. There are many ways that alts could receive special bonuses, such as faster leveling speeds, unique gear, legacy skills, and so on.
The question is, should alts get these bonuses, and if so, what do you think they should be?
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: Should alts get special bonuses? originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 24 Feb 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Screenshots, Vanguard, Guild Wars 2, One Shots, Star Wars: The Old Republic, TERA, Miscellaneous
Reader Rebecca sent us in her Bard doing an impromptu woodland concert: "Here my Bard Rozily is strumming a tune in Northern Highlands as the snow begins to drift down. Sometimes in Vanguard you have to stop and enjoy the scenery."
Absolutely! Also, you may want to look into the fact that the lute seems to have severed your forearm. Check out the full picture and so much more after the jump!
Continue reading One Shots: Standing room only
One Shots: Standing room only originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 24 Feb 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Culture, Game mechanics, Previews, Opinion, Free-to-play, Browser, Casual, Humor, Rise and Shiny, Livestream
I've talked about the Chinese market before and how it is absolutely filled with browser-based MMOs, some of them lasting for only a few months until they are shut down. The crowd plays as hard as it can, hopes to get ranked highly, and then moves on to the next game. It's so odd.
Dragon's Call has to come from this sort of design mindset, if not from China directly. The good news is that many games from the East are phenomenal, and just like the market in the West, the Eastern market offers a smaller percentage of good games versus bad -- but the good titles are really good. Unfortunately, Dragon's Call is not one of the good ones.
Continue reading Rise and Shiny: Dragon's Call
Rise and Shiny: Dragon's Call originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 24 Feb 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Expansions, Game mechanics, Patches, PvP, Opinion, EVE Evolved, Sandbox
Now that the patch is out and I've finally got my hands on the Ancillary Armor Repairers, I'm not sure they're any good. They're limited to one per ship even though most active armour tanking ships use dual or triple repairer setups, and they can run for only eight repair cycles before running out of paste. They're also only 68.75% more effective than tech 2 repairers and still require the same amount of capacitor. Ancillary Shield Boosters may provide a slightly smaller 63.33% repair boost over tech 2 boosters, but they can cycle at double the rate of Ancillary Armor Repairers and don't require any capacitor.
In this week's EVE Evolved, I look at what makes Ancillary Shield Boosters a strong contender in PvP and show that the new Ancillary Armor Repairers just aren't up to the task.
Continue reading EVE Evolved: New Ancillary Armor Repairers aren't up to the task
EVE Evolved: New Ancillary Armor Repairers aren't up to the task originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 24 Feb 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Sci-fi, Expansions, Game mechanics, Interviews, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play, Roleplaying, Star Wars: The Old Republic
The interview should prove particularly welcome for players itching to customize their existing characters with some sort of barber shop functionality. "A feature which scratches this itch is in active development right now, but will not be part of Rise of the Hutt Cartel," Schubert says. "But this should get to you sooner than you think!"
BioWare hints at barber shop functionality for SWTOR originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 24 Feb 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- Source: SWTOR-RP
Filed under: Massively Meta, Week in Review, Miscellaneous
This week, Massively's Final Fantasy XIV expert Eliot Lefebvre reported back on his experience at a recent Square-Enix press event. The game suffered a rocky launch in 2010 and is offline entirely right now while the developers revamp the game from the ground up. Eliot explored the updated crafting system, retooled zones, and character creation and combat, then he interviewed Yoshi-P in detail. He even snagged an exclusive look at Final Fantasy XI's upcoming expansion.
Want to investigate the refurbished FFXIV for yourself? The beta starts Monday.
Read on for a peek at the rest of this week's top MMO stories.
Continue reading MMO Week in Review: Final Fantasy XIV's final chance
MMO Week in Review: Final Fantasy XIV's final chance originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 24 Feb 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Sci-fi, Video, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, PvP, News items, Sandbox, Crowdfunding
Several years ago we posted about an up-and-coming sci-fi sandbox MMO called Divergence. The game featured a hybrid interface that allowed players to toggle between an action mode with crosshairs and a more traditional MMO targeting and auto-attack setup.The game subsequently dropped off the grid, but now developer Stainglass Llama and Divergence universe creator Ethan Casner are back with an IndieGogo crowdfunding project and a $50,000 goal.
Divergence promises a seamless, non-linear, and modifiable world with skill-based progression and plenty of non-combat advancement opportunities. It also styles itself as a hardcore enterprise with open PvP, lootable corpses, "limited permanent death," and unique races and breeds.
You can view Casner's intro video after the cut.
Continue reading Hardcore sci-fi sandbox Divergence Online returns, seeks crowdfunding
Hardcore sci-fi sandbox Divergence Online returns, seeks crowdfunding originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 24 Feb 2013 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- Source: Divergence IndieGoGo
- Via: TTH
Filed under: Culture, MMO industry, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous
Of course, video games in general have shown many times that a name doesn't make for a game. And a big-name MMO designer doesn't necessarily have the same luck with the second game as with the first (see Ultima Online vs. Tabula Rasa). But there are a lot of names out there that are associated with big projects, for better or worse. So would that influence you? Would you buy a game based on the people in charge?
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: Would you buy a game based on the people in charge? originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 23 Feb 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.