Virtual World News
Command & Conquer browser MMO enters open beta
March 15, 2012
Filed under: Betas, Sci-fi, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Free-to-play, Browser, Casual
Gamasutra reports that Command & Conquer Tiberium Alliances "is not a Facebook game" like previous Electronic Arts browser titles including Lord of Ultima and Tiger Woods PGA Tour Online. Command & Conquer is "hosted on a stand-alone site," and it marks the first time the storied franchise has tried its hand at the free-to-play model.
The game has been in closed beta since December, and is now available to a global audience via its public open beta.
Command & Conquer browser MMO enters open beta originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 15 Mar 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- Source: Gamasutra
Xsyon celebrates its first year of Prelude
March 15, 2012
Filed under: Real life, Opinion, Xsyon, Post-Apocalyptic, Sandbox
Semantics aside, Xsyon has come a long way from that official first day. Unlike many games where gameplay is neatly laid out, this indie title gives players only the canvas and a few tools before setting them loose to fashion their world. As the year continued, additional tools were provided and the world became more vibrant and dynamic. Initially barren without any critters (other than your surviving neighbors) to hunt, the world is now populated with large creatures that roam the land, threatening the lives of travelers and hunters alike. Even the lay of the land itself is different as players manipulate and alter the terrain, build settlements, and plant trees. Communities are forming; groups are supporting and even entertaining each other. Civilization is slowly rebuilding.
And that's only the beginning.
Continue reading Xsyon celebrates its first year of Prelude
Xsyon celebrates its first year of Prelude originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 15 Mar 2012 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Get your free TERA beta keys here!
March 15, 2012
Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Video, Contests, Lore, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Giveaways, TERA, Dungeons
All you have to do is click the link below, claim your key, and then copy/paste it into the appropriate section of your En Masse Entertainment account. What's that? You don't have an En Masse account? What are you waiting for, foo? Head to the firm's official site and make one right now! After you've gone through the email verification song and dance, click the "enter code" button on the right side of your account window and submit your key. Then download the TERA client via the button on the account overview tab.
En Masse has also brought word of a new video that shows off TERA's high-level Temple of Temerity instance. The dungeon tasks players with holding off hordes of enemies bent on destroying a relic, and the instance made its public debut at last week's GDC demo. Finally, En Masse is releasing an e-book called The Amaranthine Heart which expounds on TERA's lore and backstory. It's available for a palty $.99 on Amazon (and the instance video is free of charge after the cut).
Continue reading Get your free TERA beta keys here!
Get your free TERA beta keys here! originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 15 Mar 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Linden Lab's Second Life 'extremely profitable,' company looking to expand
March 15, 2012
Filed under: MMO industry, News items, Second Life, Virtual worlds, Miscellaneous
Former Linden Lab CEO Mark Kingdon vacated the throne in June 2010, and veteran developer Rod Humble took over at the beginning of 2011. Since then, the EverQuest and The Sims veteran has been working hard to bring a bit of structure to Second Life's virtual sprawl, and in the process, reinvigorate what was one of the first MMORPG media darlings.
"I was taken aback by just how big Second Life was," Humble says. "To be honest, it had fallen off my radar until I got the call offering me the position. And I looked at their numbers; this is a world that has got 1 million people logging in every month, generating well in excess of $75 million a year -- it's extremely profitable."
Humble spent much of 2011 refining the product, and everything from the sign-up process to the UI to world transportation received some attention. The result was a 40 percent uptick in new users, and now Humble is bent on expanding Linden Lab's offerings beyond Second Life. "Linden Lab has been very successful with one innovative product, but I want to stretch the company out again, to make it a really exciting place where people can't wait to find out about the next unusual title we're going to release," he said.
Linden Lab's Second Life 'extremely profitable,' company looking to expand originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 15 Mar 2012 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- Source: GamesIndustry.biz
RuneScape bonus XP weekend generates workshops, strategy videos
March 15, 2012
Filed under: Fantasy, Events, in-game, RuneScape, Free-to-play
Starting tomorrow at 8:00 a.m. EDT, RuneScape will be throwing open the gates to a truly insane bonus XP weekend. Unlike most MMOs that try such events, RuneScape won't just slather a steady percentage increase all over players' XP bars. Instead, players will log in to find that their first half-hour of play has a 2.7x multiplier for training activities, and then every 30 minutes after that the rate will decrease until it bottoms out at 1.1x for the remainder of the weekend.
The bonus XP will go away on Monday at 8:00 a.m. EDT, and if you want some tips on how best to maximize this opportunity, hit the jump to watch one of the aforementioned help videos. What, you thought we were joking?
[Source: Jagex press release]
Continue reading RuneScape bonus XP weekend generates workshops, strategy videos
RuneScape bonus XP weekend generates workshops, strategy videos originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 15 Mar 2012 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
ArenaNet focuses on community in latest dev blog
March 15, 2012
Filed under: Fantasy, Culture, News items, Guild Wars 2, Dev Diaries
If you're reading Massively, we assume you're a player or fan of MMORPGs, but everyone has different reasons for playing. Some play for hardcore raiding progression, some play for role-playing, and some play just to wind down and relax, but there's one thread that ties all of these things together: community. After all, what's an MMORPG without the MMO? ArenaNet is well aware of this, and the studio has just released a new blog outlining its approach toward community-building with Guild Wars 2.
Some may be surprised to hear that ArenaNet will be offering official forums for GW2. Some may be even more surprised to hear that the studio will not be offering "traditional fansite support." But don't panic! This isn't the death of community, it's the evolution thereof. ArenaNet realizes that "gaming and community management have evolved over the last six years," so the studio plans to change right along with it. When you consider the fact that the GW2 community spans multiple separate communities, such as fansites, forums, social networking sites, and outlandishly fabulous sites such as Massively itself, it should come as no surprise that the studio is aiming to bring these players together. The final goal, according to the blog, "is to create an environment that is respectful, welcoming, inclusive, and friendly."
We're sure more details on the studio's community plan will be unearthed as the game approaches launch, but until then, ArenaNet is asking the community to be proactive by bringing community projects to its attention so that the studio can "[highlight] them for the broader community." So get to work, Guild Wars fans, and help to build a community that makes ANet proud.
Some may be surprised to hear that ArenaNet will be offering official forums for GW2. Some may be even more surprised to hear that the studio will not be offering "traditional fansite support." But don't panic! This isn't the death of community, it's the evolution thereof. ArenaNet realizes that "gaming and community management have evolved over the last six years," so the studio plans to change right along with it. When you consider the fact that the GW2 community spans multiple separate communities, such as fansites, forums, social networking sites, and outlandishly fabulous sites such as Massively itself, it should come as no surprise that the studio is aiming to bring these players together. The final goal, according to the blog, "is to create an environment that is respectful, welcoming, inclusive, and friendly."
We're sure more details on the studio's community plan will be unearthed as the game approaches launch, but until then, ArenaNet is asking the community to be proactive by bringing community projects to its attention so that the studio can "[highlight] them for the broader community." So get to work, Guild Wars fans, and help to build a community that makes ANet proud.
ArenaNet focuses on community in latest dev blog originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 15 Mar 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Spirit Tales threatens cuteness overload as closed beta begins
March 15, 2012
Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, News items, Free-to-play
Free-to-play MMO developer/publisher KoramGame Ltd. has announced that its nauseatingly adorable title Spirit Tales is making the jump into closed beta. The chibi-anime-style game boasts extensive character customization with "over 40 million unique fashion combinations for your character," while further customization is possible with the game's pet system. Almost any creature in the game can be captured and tamed as a pet, after which point players can either summon their pets as battle companions or merge with them in order to enhance their characters' abilities.
Yann Wang, General Manager of KoramGame, is enthusiastic about the game's beta test, stating that the game's "unique character customization and pet system" and "explosive PvP battles and intense instanced dungeons are sure to win [players] over." Of course, there's only way to test the veracity of his statement, and that's to head on over to the game's official site and get in on the test yourself. But be sure to act quickly; testing slots for this phase are limited.
[Source: KoramGame Ltd. press release]
Yann Wang, General Manager of KoramGame, is enthusiastic about the game's beta test, stating that the game's "unique character customization and pet system" and "explosive PvP battles and intense instanced dungeons are sure to win [players] over." Of course, there's only way to test the veracity of his statement, and that's to head on over to the game's official site and get in on the test yourself. But be sure to act quickly; testing slots for this phase are limited.
[Source: KoramGame Ltd. press release]
Spirit Tales threatens cuteness overload as closed beta begins originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 15 Mar 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Ask Massively: A world without boats edition
March 15, 2012
Filed under: Culture, MMO industry, Opinion, Ask Massively, Miscellaneous
In less boat-related news, it's time for this week's installment of Ask Massively. Written while not on a boat, it's fielding questions about the ubiquity of social networking and Collector's Editions that cost nearly as much as a boat. If you've got a question you'd like to see answered in a future installment of the column, mail it to ask@massively.com or leave it in the comments below. Questions may be edited slightly for clarity and/or brevity.
Continue reading Ask Massively: A world without boats edition
Ask Massively: A world without boats edition originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 15 Mar 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
The Guild Counsel: Raiding and dealing with the dreaded 'bench'
March 15, 2012
Filed under: Guilds, MMO industry, PvE, Opinion, The Guild Counsel, Miscellaneous, Dungeons
In this week's Guild Counsel, we'll look the time-honored tradition of benchwarming and cover some tips on how to avoid the drama that comes with it. You may not be able to completely avoid having to sit members out, but there are some ways to cut down on how often you do have to say no.
Continue reading The Guild Counsel: Raiding and dealing with the dreaded 'bench'
The Guild Counsel: Raiding and dealing with the dreaded 'bench' originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 15 Mar 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Darkfall believes in magic
March 15, 2012
Filed under: Fantasy, Darkfall, Game mechanics, News items
Beyond the earliest steps, the developers have taken pains to try to make magic more balanced and interesting. The biggest element in spell potency is the governing attribute of the spell (Intelligence or Wisdom), but the level of the spell, the staff being used by the caster, and the overall level of the magic school in question all come into play. Take a look at the full diary to get a better sense of where the game's mystical arts are heading in the future.
[Thanks to Dengar for the tip!]
Darkfall believes in magic originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 15 Mar 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- Source: Developer Diary 3/15
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