Virtual World News
Filed under: Sci-fi, Launches, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Star Wars: The Old Republic
The launch of a game from BioWare with the Star Wars IP attached to it was bound to be a huge deal, and as today approached, both fans and developers pulled out all the stops on the hype-train. Now the big day is here and things will start quieting down a bit over time as players settle in to finally enjoying the game. Sure, there's sure to be ongoing discussion of the game as it develops post-launch, but the pre-launch excitement is wrapped up.
So are you relieved to see this? Were you enjoying the festivities or just wishing they were over and done with already?
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: Are you glad to see the end of the SWTOR pre-launch frenzy? originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 20 Dec 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Sci-fi, Video, Launches, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Dev Diaries
The team spends the time making a case for why the game is not only special but how it should appeal to the Star Wars fan in all of us. Covering the bases of story, voiceovers, companions, exploration, graphical style, and more, the developers hit on all of the selling points of the game while giving first-time viewers a good reason to give this title a shot.
Even if you're a veteran of the Mandalorian War, there should be a tidbit or two in this documentary that's new to you, whether it be the behind-the-scenes voice recordings or to see just how big and bushy some of the devs' beards have become. You can watch the full documentary after the jump -- and don't forget to check out our comprehensive guide to launch and beyond!
Continue reading BioWare documents the beginning of your SWTOR saga
BioWare documents the beginning of your SWTOR saga originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 20 Dec 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- Source: SWTOR
Filed under: Historical, Game mechanics, MMO industry, PvP, News items, War, Free-to-play, World of Tanks
The new tech tree boasts 18 new French fighting vehicles (there's a pacifist joke in there somewhere) divided into light, medium, and heavy flavors. Wargaming.net also says that the French armor will "enrich the combat and bring all-new tactics into the game." We're not sure how the new tactics will work as of yet, but we'll bring you the very latest as the devs make it available.
Finally, Wargaming.net says that French SPGs and tank destroyers are planned for a later update.
[Source: Wargaming.net press release]
World of Tanks 7.1 update to feature French armor originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 20 Dec 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Sci-fi, Culture, Fan art, Star Wars: The Old Republic
Yep, there's now a hip-hop song all about SWTOR entitled Cold Republic, created by the already-established hip-hop artist Richie Branson. It seems Richie enjoys playing his Empire character Kazen on the Ven Zallow RP-PVP so much that he stopped playing just long enough to write and record a song about it.
According to his website, he plans to create more SWTOR-related songs, using samples from the game itself.
*Most of these items are not real.
[Thanks Matt for the tip!]
Yes, someone made a SWTOR hip-hop song already originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 20 Dec 2011 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Podcasts, News items, Opinion, Humor, Massively Speaking, Miscellaneous
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Continue reading Massively Speaking Episode 179: Mesmeriffic
Massively Speaking Episode 179: Mesmeriffic originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 20 Dec 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Contests, Free-to-play
Just head to our giveaway page and pick up your key. Register on the Eligium home page if you haven't done so yet, and then you can go to the redemption page to enter your key. That's all there is to it; you're set for download and launch!
You'll have plenty of time to play and content to experience, as the closed beta lasts until January 18th and has a level cap of 45. Make sure you take some time while you're installing to check out the closed beta forum, and have fun in Eligium!
Eligium enters closed beta today -- get your key from Massively! originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 20 Dec 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Historical, Trailers, Video, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, War, Free-to-play, World of Warplanes
The American lineup also features a unique branch of carrier-based fighters that won't be available with the German and Soviet tiers that will ship with the finished game.
World of Warplanes is currently in closed alpha testing and Wargaming.net tells us that the game is scheduled for a 2012 release. You can check out the American tech tree and a new teaser trailer after the break.
[Source: Wargaming.net press release]
Continue reading World of Warplanes reveals American tech tree, new trailer
World of Warplanes reveals American tech tree, new trailer originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 20 Dec 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Sci-fi, Lore, New titles, Opinion, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Hyperspace Beacon
Now that you have the game in your hands, what do you do? Of course, you enter in the code to your SWTOR account, but I mean, what do you do once you get into the game? First, if you have absolutely no clue which direction to go, you should read a couple of the class introductions in Massively's giant SWTOR pre-launch guide. Once you've decided on a class, hop past the break as I give you my top five things you must watch out for very early on in the game -- things that will make your launch day experience just a bit more interesting.
Continue reading Hyperspace Beacon: Top five SWTOR launch day secrets
Hyperspace Beacon: Top five SWTOR launch day secrets originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 20 Dec 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Fantasy, Meridian 59, Culture, Interviews, MMO industry, Free-to-play
As I'll recount over the next two episodes of The Game Archaeologist, I sat down with Brian Green, a blogger and game developer who oversaw the resurrection of Meridian 59 in the early 2000s and ran it for the better part of a decade. Green graciously agreed to participate, saying that he always loves talking about games -- and this one in particular.
The Game Archaeologist: Hi! Please introduce yourself and your current position and project.
Brian Green: I'm Brian "Psychochild" Green, a long-time MMO designer and programmer. I'm known for my professional blog and my work on Meridian 59. I'm currently working on the Storybricks project as the MMO Wizard. We're a startup, so that means I do whatever needs to be done at the moment.
Continue reading The Game Archaeologist crosses Meridian 59: An interview with Brian Green (part 1)
The Game Archaeologist crosses Meridian 59: An interview with Brian Green (part 1) originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 20 Dec 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Culture, MMO industry, Opinion, The Soapbox, Miscellaneous
As everyone knows, social gaming is doomed to failure. Mindless, repetitive drivel like FarmVille is just an enormous waste of time and clicking with no actual gameplay aspects involved, and there's no real depth to keep someone hooked. It's not even remotely close to an MMO, and obviously pretty much everyone will get bored with it and stop giving Zynga money in a couple of months.
The only thing that stands in the way of that clearly correct opinion is the piles of money it continues to make.
Of course, the above is what several gamers have been stating ever since the first seemingly innocent Facebook game came around. I'm restating it here not because I'm talking about social games but because it's a symptom of a larger problem. As gamers, we love to predict which MMOs will work and which ones won't, but we're also suffering from a terrible sense of tunnel vision that makes us really awful at that.
Continue reading The Soapbox: Tunnel vision
The Soapbox: Tunnel vision originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 20 Dec 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.