Virtual World News
WRUP: The strange purgatory of Final Fantasy XIV edition
February 02, 2013
Filed under: Massively Meta, Miscellaneous
Needless to say, I'm happy that it's February and I'll be getting a chance to jump into the beta soon. You know I'll be rocking a Highlander lady.
I realize that some of you may have no idea what in the world half of those terms referred to, so to assuage you, here's a new installment of WRUP, complete with the usual Massively weekend plans. And you can even leave your weekend plans in the comments, too! It's a miracle of science.
Continue reading WRUP: The strange purgatory of Final Fantasy XIV edition
WRUP: The strange purgatory of Final Fantasy XIV edition originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 02 Feb 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
The Road to Mordor: Digesting the dev chats
February 02, 2013
Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Opinion, Free-to-play, Community Q&A, The Road to Mordor, Housing
Personally, I am pretty excited about 2013 for the game. It feels as if the team isn't slacking at all, and while there are always my wish list items that go unfulfilled, often the devs add cool changes (like the Bree update) that are equally welcome.
So let's sift the wheat from the chaff and see what we come up with from these dev chats as well as the recent producer's letter!
Continue reading The Road to Mordor: Digesting the dev chats
The Road to Mordor: Digesting the dev chats originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 02 Feb 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Guild Wars 2 adjusts dynamic leveling system
February 02, 2013
Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, Patches, News items, Guild Wars 2, Dev Diaries
Cartwright claims that the goal of these changes is to "more accurately reflect the attributes [players] should have at that level for a similarly geared character" and adds that even though the changes will increase the difficulty of some lower-level zones, the team wants to ensure that "all areas of Guild Wars 2 [are] exciting and fun for players of any level." And last but certainly not least, Cartwright notes that "in 2013, one of [ArenaNet's] main goals is to add more content to map of all levels, as well as stronger reward structures for playing across all locations in the world."
Guild Wars 2 adjusts dynamic leveling system originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 02 Feb 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Bullet Run shutting down on March 8th
February 02, 2013
Filed under: News items, Free-to-play, MMOFPS, Miscellaneous
Sony Online Entertainment has announced the imminent closing of its short-lived multiplayer FPS, Bullet Run. In a post on the game's official forums, the studio announced that "after much review and consideration, Acony Games and Sony Online Entertainment have mutually made the decision to discontinue development on the free-to-play FPS game, Bullet Run."
SOE will be officially sunsetting the game on March 8th, 2013. Until that time, however, the servers will remain up-and-running for any players who want to have one last hoorah before the game takes its final bow. Membership billing, however, ended yesterday, February 1st. Any players who still had time on their Platinum Memberships as of that time will receive a "pro rata refund for any time remaining on [their] Bullet Run subscription[s]" from SOE. The full details can be found on the game's official forums, and we wish the best of luck to the game's dev team in its members' future endeavors.
[Thanks to Jack Pipsam for the tip!]
SOE will be officially sunsetting the game on March 8th, 2013. Until that time, however, the servers will remain up-and-running for any players who want to have one last hoorah before the game takes its final bow. Membership billing, however, ended yesterday, February 1st. Any players who still had time on their Platinum Memberships as of that time will receive a "pro rata refund for any time remaining on [their] Bullet Run subscription[s]" from SOE. The full details can be found on the game's official forums, and we wish the best of luck to the game's dev team in its members' future endeavors.
[Thanks to Jack Pipsam for the tip!]
Bullet Run shutting down on March 8th originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 02 Feb 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
The Mog Log: Final Fantasy and sexism
February 02, 2013
Filed under: Fantasy, Final Fantasy XI, Culture, Opinion, Consoles, Final Fantasy XIV, The Mog Log
Some games are better or worse about this than others. The Secret World allows you to dress up either gender to be as sexy or as casual as you like, and Guild Wars made a point of keeping skimpy armor as skimpy armor for both genders in most cases. (Although not hardly all.) But the question that's actually relevant to this column is how Final Fantasy XI and Final Fantasy XIV stack up, and the answer is that they acquit themselves remarkably well. So much so that they're among the most even-handed games I've seen, if not at the top of the list.
Continue reading The Mog Log: Final Fantasy and sexism
The Mog Log: Final Fantasy and sexism originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 02 Feb 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
The Road to Mordor: Digesting the LotRO dev chats
February 02, 2013
Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Opinion, Free-to-play, Community Q&A, The Road to Mordor, Housing
Personally, I am pretty excited about 2013 for the game. It feels as if the team isn't slacking at all, and while there are always my wish list items that go unfulfilled, often the devs add cool changes (like the Bree update) that are equally welcome.
So let's sift the wheat from the chaff and see what we come up with from these dev chats as well as the recent producer's letter!
Continue reading The Road to Mordor: Digesting the LotRO dev chats
The Road to Mordor: Digesting the LotRO dev chats originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 02 Feb 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
En Masse Entertainment unveils TERA: Rising patch notes
February 02, 2013
Filed under: Fantasy, Business models, Patches, News items, Free-to-play, TERA
On February 5th, En Masse Entertainment will be bringing TERA to the masses with TERA: Rising, which will see the game transition to a free-to-play business model. To help give players a leg-up on the competition, En Masse has released the patch notes for the upcoming update, and the list of changes is rather extensive. Some highlights include the introduction of the three-on-three Champions' Skyring battleground, the new competitive dungeon Crucible of Flame, a number of tweaks to many of the game's classes, and of course the much-needed crafting overhaul. The notes state that the game's crafting system "has been overhauled to streamline the process and simplify the amount of additional materials needed."
But because of the game's change to F2P, one of the biggest chunks of the upcoming patch is the addition of various account tiers. Accounts are divided into Elite Status, Standard, and Founder. The Founder account type will be granted to players who purchased TERA prior to the F2P conversion, Standard accounts will be given to new F2P players, and Elite Status is available via a $14.99 US per month subscription. For the full patch notes and all the juicy details on the switch to F2P, head on to TERA's official site to sate your curiosity.
But because of the game's change to F2P, one of the biggest chunks of the upcoming patch is the addition of various account tiers. Accounts are divided into Elite Status, Standard, and Founder. The Founder account type will be granted to players who purchased TERA prior to the F2P conversion, Standard accounts will be given to new F2P players, and Elite Status is available via a $14.99 US per month subscription. For the full patch notes and all the juicy details on the switch to F2P, head on to TERA's official site to sate your curiosity.
En Masse Entertainment unveils TERA: Rising patch notes originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 02 Feb 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- Source: TERA: Rising patch notes
Final Fantasy XI: Seekers of Adoulin site details Geomancer abilities, Naakual bosses
February 02, 2013
Filed under: Fantasy, Final Fantasy XI, Classes, Expansions, Lore, News items
And from the looks of things, players will need all the help they can get in order to take down the dreaded Naakuals, described as "the seven most bloodthirsty hellions that reign over the wilds surrounding Adoulin." Three of these Naakuals have been revealed on the expansion's site. The first is Tchakka, the Riptide Naakual, which takes the form of a nasty shark-like rockfin. There's also Achuka, the Firebrand Naakual, representing the dinosaur-esque gabbrath family, and Colkhab, the Matriarch Naakual, the most dangerous of the bee-like bztavian family. To have a look at these ferocious foes for yourself, head on over to the FFXI: Seekers of Adoulin official site.
[Thanks to zengarzombolt for the tip!]
Final Fantasy XI: Seekers of Adoulin site details Geomancer abilities, Naakual bosses originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 02 Feb 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
The Tattered Notebook: Experimentation in EverQuest II
February 02, 2013
Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest II, Game mechanics, Opinion, Free-to-play, The Tattered Notebook, Crafting
But let's face it -- I don't always choose things on the basis of logic; a Vulcan, I am not. What actually drew me to the experimentation prestige line, even before I had any clue what it would do, was a remark from the devs during the panel and my interview at SOE Live: that failure was an option! Experimentation became the choice because it would bring back some of the feel of EQII's original crafting. You vets out there will know what I am talking about -- when there was some real risk involved in crafting and your skill meant something. I may still not have the chance to die at the forge anymore (booo!), but failure with experimentation comes with much more of a bite.
Sound intriguing? Take a walk on the wild side and let's explore experimentation.
Continue reading The Tattered Notebook: Experimentation in EverQuest II
The Tattered Notebook: Experimentation in EverQuest II originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 02 Feb 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Embers of Caerus newsletter updates beta development
February 02, 2013
Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Lore, News items, Sandbox
Embers of Caerus' second monthly newsletter is out, and the various department teams are eager to share their progress in it.
The landscaping is coming along, especially in regard to the quality of the trees. Populating the world is a different matter, however. The creatures have moved on to the modeling stage, and the concept team is also working hard at building up the city of Thaal. Lore, audio, and even ocean wave simulations are all in the works as well.
The newsletter also contains a link to the recent game livestreams as well as a note about Gamer Safety Week.
[Thanks to Flint for the tip!]
Embers of Caerus newsletter updates beta development originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 02 Feb 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- Source: January newsletter
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