Virtual World News
Filed under: Super-hero, Video, City of Heroes, City of Villains, Lore, News items, Free-to-play
Narrated by Matt Miller and Sean McCann, the video goes into detail about the powers of the survivors and their roles in the game, from Positron to the now-marked Statesman. It's a useful refresher on the game's lore, so if you're looking forward to the remainder of the signature arc and want to get a refresher on some of the fine points of lore, jump past the break for the video.
Continue reading Newest City of Heroes video documents the heroes of the Freedom Phalanx
Newest City of Heroes video documents the heroes of the Freedom Phalanx originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 10 Jan 2012 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- Source: Signature Arc ViDoc #2
Filed under: Podcasts, Culture, News items, Opinion, Humor, Massively Speaking, Miscellaneous
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Continue reading Massively Speaking Episode 181
Massively Speaking Episode 181 originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 10 Jan 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Video, MMO industry, Virtual worlds, The Game Archaeologist, Miscellaneous
Because of this, some of you will not understand the import of how it felt when technology advanced to the point that people could reach out online and interact with others, first through written communication and later through applications and games. What we take for granted in today's MMOs -- the constant presence of thousands of real humans interacting with us in a virtual space -- simply blew the minds of those who first encountered it.
And way back when, those encounters depended on the person and technology available. Some folks had access in the '60s and '70s to the early form of the internet and email in universities and government offices, but these close encounters of the virtual kind only started to make its way into households in the '80s (and even then, mostly to those plugged into the geek community). The developers of these programs -- the MUDs, the BBSes, CompuServe, etc. -- were truly pioneers forging a path while trying to figure things out on the fly.
So it amazed me to hear that I've been missing out on a key part of MMO history by overlooking Lucasfilm's Habitat, which wasn't quite an MMO by modern standards and yet created a graphical virtual world with many of the elements that were adopted into later projects. In our two-week look at Habitat, we'll see just how eerily similar this 1986 title is to what we know today -- even though it came out on the Commodore 64.
Continue reading The Game Archaeologist moves into Lucasfilm's Habitat: Part 1
The Game Archaeologist moves into Lucasfilm's Habitat: Part 1 originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 10 Jan 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Fantasy, Guilds, Patches, Endgame, News items, RIFT
To be eligible, guilds must have at least 20 members able to participate in two hours of raiding two nights per week; they must also currently be at 11/11 in Hammerknell. Candidates are also expected to have mature members capable of responsible feedback, since they are going to be testing new and possibly buggy combat. If you think your guild qualifies, have your guild leader (which may be you) respond to the call. And be prepared to blow through everything in minutes once it goes live -- that's always the risk.
RIFT asks its community to test raids originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 10 Jan 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- Source: RIFT Wants You!
- Via: TenTonHammer
Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Game mechanics, Previews, News items, MMORTS
The focus of the game, naturally, is on creating and running one's own city; it takes some time to turn your plot of land into a functional city, and in the midst of all that you still have troops to recruit, train, and improve. It's a mixture of quest-based gameplay and more traditional RTS mechanics, but you don't need to take our word for it. Jump past the break to watch the full video and see if it looks like the right mix of both tastes for you.
[Source: Reverie World Studios press release]
Continue reading Dawn of Fantasy shows off the Online Kingdoms mode
Dawn of Fantasy shows off the Online Kingdoms mode originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 10 Jan 2012 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Game mechanics, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Roleplaying, Miscellaneous
I've gamed with roleplayers who took their characters deadly seriously and would delete their characters if they were killed off within the context of the game. (So much for the idea that roleplayers are casuals, eh?) Their web of self-inflicted rules is so complex (maiming? dice rolls? emote-combat?) that playing with such RPers can actually become stressful, especially if you don't want to be responsible for their having to delete and reroll.
What about you folks? Do you play or roleplay in a self-enforced hardcore mode? Do you do it because it's fun, because it makes gameplay more intense, or because you like a good challenge?
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: Do you play in self-enforced hardcore mode? originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 09 Jan 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Livestream, Miscellaneous, MV Guide
Every week, the Massively staff logs in to play various MMOs live and in person, and we'd love for you to drop by the channel and visit. We have a combination of regular weekly games and new surprises, so you'll find a variety of titles to take a look at. During our streamed events, you can participate in the live chat, ask questions to learn about the game, and simply spend some time with Massively staff and readers. (Of course, streaming is subject to the whims of outside forces like server-side gremlins once in a while.)
Follow along after the jump to see what's on this week's schedule!
Continue reading MV Guide: January 9-15, 2012
MV Guide: January 9-15, 2012 originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 09 Jan 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Fantasy, Guild Wars, Interviews, PvP, PvE, Guild Wars 2, Flameseeker Chronicles
This is something that I've heard with some regularity over the past year or two, and every time I sort of shake my head in confusion. How could anyone perceive Guild Wars 2 as a PvP-only game? Really, just take a look at what we've seen from the development team and how PvE-centric it is and it seems that you'd get the impression that if anything, there's more of a PvE focus.
Of course, I can see where this perception comes from -- Guild Wars 1 holds the same perception for a lot of people, so it carries over. As a huge fan of both games and a pure PvE player, I thought it would be fun to take this week and clear things up. Eric Flannum and John Stumme were kind enough to help, stepping in to answer a few questions about the balance of things both past and present. Curious about what they have to say? Click past the cut and take a look!
Continue reading Flameseeker Chronicles: ArenaNet talks PvE vs. PvP
Flameseeker Chronicles: ArenaNet talks PvE vs. PvP originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 09 Jan 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: MMO industry, RuneScape, Free-to-play, Legal, Miscellaneous, Transformers Universe
Insight Venture Brothers, a venture capital firm from the US, completed a deal last year to increase its ownership to 55% of the UK-based company. Previously, the firm had 35% interest in Jagex. Now that the scales have tipped to the new ownership, this technically makes Jagex a US-controlled company and has US investors leading its board of directors.
While revenues were up 2% for Jagex in 2011, both operating and net profits were significantly down from the previous financial year. Jagex is a major player in the MMO free-to-play market, with RuneScape, Transformers Universe, and 8Realms as part of its project portfilio.
Develop reports that the controlling interest was made possible by Jagex co-founder Andrew Gower selling off his ownership claims to the firm for $115.65 million. As part of the deal, Jagex paid $3.85 million in expenses. The studio will remain in Cambridge while its controlling firm is in NYC.
God save the green: Deal makes Jagex a US company originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 09 Jan 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-fi, Trailers, Video, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Free-to-play
According to MMO Culture, Black Gold will pit two rival factions against one another in a struggle for control of a world divided between nature lovers and technologists. We don't know a whole lot of gameplay details yet, but we'll keep our eye on this one. Don't forget to check out the Russian server alpha footage after the cut.
Continue reading Black Gold Online alpha footage released
Black Gold Online alpha footage released originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 09 Jan 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- Source: MMO Culture