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The Daily Grind: Do you want the option to have a pet?
October 06, 2012

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On the one hand, you can use bone minions to retrieve sodas for you. On the other hand, you'd have to use bone minions. Real Sophie's Choice scenario.
There are some people who really love the heck out of pet classes in MMOs. I am not one of those people. That's why I'm always happy about classes like the Guild Wars 2 Necromancer or all of the RIFT classes, which allow you to have a pet but just as easily allow you to never use one. Usually pet classes will have builds that focus less on your pet, but a Warlock in World of Warcraft always uses one even if he doesn't focus on it.

Skill-based games usually don't restrict you from having a pet if you want one, but most class-based games have certain classes with pets and others without. Given the option, even if your class or build wouldn't make heavy use of it, would you like to be able to have an in-combat pet along with you? Or would you prefer to have some pet classes/builds in a sea of petlessness?

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: Do you want the option to have a pet? originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 06 Oct 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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    WRUP: This prom date is going nowhere edition
    October 06, 2012

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    Apparently the word 'prom' means other things in other languages. I actually find this advantageous.
    After half an hour, I am disappointed at the progress that has been made on this prom date, and I've identified several key issues. The first issue is that I am nearly 30 and neither of us is attending high school. Second, you are apparently high on mescaline. Third and most importantly, this is not a high school prom but a boating enthusiast convention in the middle of Nevada. I probably should have noticed that when the tickets mentioned as much.

    For now, we can shuffle back and forth awkwardly to slow music in the center of the boating convention while everyone else looks at WRUP. That contains a full list of the Massively staffers' weekend plans as well as what character creation options they would like to see in MMOs. The readers may also leave their weekend plans in the comments afterwards. That should be fun for everyone not stuck on a horrible prom date.

    Continue reading WRUP: This prom date is going nowhere edition

    MassivelyWRUP: This prom date is going nowhere edition originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 06 Oct 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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      The Game Archaeologist: The curious case of Lost Colony
      October 06, 2012

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      The Game Archaeologist Lost Colony
      You know the story of Roanoke, right? That early American settlement that abruptly went missing with only the word "Croatoan" carved into a tree for later colonists to find? It's a big mystery that might not be much of a mystery at all, but I've always been fascinated with it and other similar tales. There's just something about an abruptly vanishing thing or people to arrest the imagination.

      So what about an entire MMO that one day just went "poof" and vanished into thin air? And what if it had the ironic name of Lost Colony? And what if I were so bored as to scour the internet for clues as to what happened to it? I think you're going to find out.

      Lost Colony came to my attention during a recent trip to Planet Wikipedia, where the natives are interesting if not always fully sourced. I was reading through an article on vaporware when this game caught my eye. An MMO I never heard of that just disappeared? I felt a Scooby Doo mystery coming on!

      Continue reading The Game Archaeologist: The curious case of Lost Colony

      MassivelyThe Game Archaeologist: The curious case of Lost Colony originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 06 Oct 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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        RIFT reveals the Tactician, master of flamethrowers
        October 06, 2012

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        RIFT title image
        RIFT has been updated with new areas and content since launch, but the upcoming Storm Legion expansion is set to seriously kick things up a notch. As if tripling the size of the game world weren't enough, the expansion will raise the level cap and add a new technology-based soul to each of the game's core classes. The battle-mage style Harbinger soul was revealed at Gamescom 2012 in August, followed by the Tempest, and data from the test server hinted that the remaining pair might be named Defiler and Tactician. Last night Trion Worlds confirmed our suspicions by revealing the new Rogue Tactician soul to livestream viewers.

        The Tactician uses a magical weapon that's part flamethrower and part fire extinguisher, able to deal incredible area-effect elemental damage to enemies but actually heal allies. Players using the soul can also place small devices called Cores on the ground to provide area-effect healing, buffs, and additional damage. The flamethrower-like weapon is directionally aimed and can be channelled while the player is moving, so clever positioning is required to get the most out of this unique soul.

        MassivelyRIFT reveals the Tactician, master of flamethrowers originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 06 Oct 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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        The Mog Log: Reacting to FFXIV's relaunch information
        October 06, 2012

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        The Mog Log header by A. Fienemann
        Not so long ago I was getting upset at a lack of hard information on Final Fantasy XIV's relaunch. (All right, I was getting upset at a lack of hard information on stuff to make people currently long gone care about the game, but that was tied into a lack of hard information.) Over the last two weeks, we've received a lot of hard information on the relaunch.

        Well played, Naoki Yoshida. Well played.

        Metacommentary aside, we've actually gotten some useful bits, chiefly in the form of a fully translated Letter from the Producer LIVE and an update on what's happening with items and money when the relaunch happens. There's a lot of information to hit there, so I'm just going to take it piece by piece and cover what I see as the highlights. I wouldn't say that this information really fixes some of the communication concerns I've had, but it certainly mollifies me for the moment.

        Continue reading The Mog Log: Reacting to FFXIV's relaunch information

        MassivelyThe Mog Log: Reacting to FFXIV's relaunch information originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 06 Oct 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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          The Tattered Notebook: Seven highlights from SOE Fan Faire history
          October 06, 2012

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          The Tattered Notebook 7 highlights from Fan Faire history
          There's just a couple of weeks left until this year's SOE Live, and players are all preparing for what should be a very busy convention with lots of game news. But for some of us, it's hard to get used to not calling it Fan Faire. The gathering has had a long past spanning more than a decade and more than a few memorable moments (some of them not fit to print!).

          What happens in Vegas doesn't always stay in Vegas, and as fans get ready to once again descend upon Bally's, it's worth looking back at highlights from past Fan Faires. In this week's Tattered Notebook, we'll revisit a few of those memorable moments.

          Continue reading The Tattered Notebook: Seven highlights from SOE Fan Faire history

          MassivelyThe Tattered Notebook: Seven highlights from SOE Fan Faire history originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 06 Oct 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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            EB Games Expo 2012: Hello from Sydney!
            October 06, 2012

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            Massively at the EB Games Expo 2012
            This weekend, Massively's resident Aussie and livestreamer extraordinaire David Desi -- aka Psykopig -- was on the ground at the EB Games Expo in Sydney, Australia, marking the first time we've ever sent anyone to an Australian gaming con. It was jam-packed with goodness -- so much goodness that he had to make a video highlighting the weekend's adventures! You'll see some dancing, some silly faces, a whole bunch of cosplay... and maybe even a few surprises! Ever seen Deadpool and Darth Vader battle through dance? What about a flock (I think it's a flock?) of Pikachu jumping out from behind a host? If you are quick enough, you might even glimpse a wild Psykopig appearing and having a dance himself.

            Check out our convention overview video behind the break, and stay tuned for more videos and even a Guild Wars 2 interview later this weekend!

            Continue reading EB Games Expo 2012: Hello from Sydney!

            MassivelyEB Games Expo 2012: Hello from Sydney! originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 06 Oct 2012 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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              ArenaNet's plans for supporting Guild Wars 2
              October 05, 2012

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              GW2
              Guild Wars 2 has been live for more than a month. Now that ArenaNet has more or less dealt with initial problems like server stability, absurd imbalance, and exploits, the company can start looking forward. ArenaNet devs have long talked about providing new content and huge support for the game, and a blog post this morning details some of their plans for that. ArenaNet has "formed multiple live teams focused on expanding Guild Wars 2 in the long term."

              So what are those teams, and what do they do? The Live Security team is all about cracking down on bots, spammers, and scammers. The Live Response team is made up of the fine folks addressing balance issues and bugs. The Living World focuses on adding new content and rewards for PvE and WvW. There's a PvP and Esports team focused on making Guild Wars 2 the best PvP game it can be. Holidays and Events have their own special team, dedicated to keeping up the Guild Wars legacy of amazing holiday content. In addition, the Holidays and Events team will be creating one-off events that occur in the world. The Mac and Performance team is working on getting Guild Wars 2 to run on the widest possible range of hardware. Bonus teams will take care of any projects that don't fall in the direct domain of other teams. Last but not least, the Commerce team will be keeping an eye on the Guild Wars 2 economy and thinking up new goodies for the Black Lion Trading Company.

              Hit up the full post for all the gory details.

              MassivelyArenaNet's plans for supporting Guild Wars 2 originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 04 Oct 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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              The Daily Grind: Are dynamic events another MMO fad?
              October 05, 2012

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              Are dynamic events another MMO fad?
              Move over, MMO story: dynamic events are this season's buzz word. Popularized by earlier MMOs like Warhammer Online and RIFT, dynamic events have become such an integral part of modern MMO design that brand-new Guild Wars 2 employs them as its central content conceit. Skip dynamic events in GW2 and you're going to have a rough time leveling (or surviving the ridicule of the commentariat, who consider dynamic events to be far superior to mundane, quest-like renown hearts). Even MMOFPS titles like Firefall are adopting the mechanic for their PvE fans.

              But is this actually the type of content we want to see from our MMOs, whatever their flavor? Never mind whether they're actually dynamic -- do you actually think they make for fun, desirable content? Or are we just so sick of themepark-style questing and leveling that we're willing to accept anything in its stead, even if that "anything" might be a fad akin to MMO story?

              What do you think -- are dynamic events all that and a bag of chips?

              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: Are dynamic events another MMO fad? originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 05 Oct 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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                Ten things to do in City of Heroes before it's gone
                October 05, 2012

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                Ten things to do in City of Heroes before it's gone
                A year ago to the day, I grudgingly, sorrowfully published Ten things to do in Star Wars Galaxies before it's gone. SWG was my favorite MMO of all time, and I was devastated to see it canned for licensing reasons, but I wanted to do it justice, and hey, at least I had my second-favorite MMO to fall back on, right? City of Heroes -- now that was a game that had staying power!

                Welp, so much for that. As we've been covering for the last month and change, NCsoft is pulling the plug on City of Heroes come the end of November, and the genre is faced with the loss of yet another pioneering and ostensibly profitable MMO long before its time. While there are still soldiers fighting for that slim chance NCsoft might sell the game to a willing investor, the likelihood is that it's game over for Paragon City, at least in its current incarnation. Fight on, I say; don't give up. But make sure you enjoy the game that exists right now, too. Log in. Play. You may never get the chance again.

                Today, I'll tell you 10 things you should do in City of Heroes... before it's too late.

                Continue reading Ten things to do in City of Heroes before it's gone

                MassivelyTen things to do in City of Heroes before it's gone originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 05 Oct 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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