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FFXI,MMORPG,WOW : Anti-Aliased: My first 30 levels with AFK... er... Jade DynastyBy: Colin Brennan Jun 12, 2009 03:00:00 PM News Item: 8874Filed under: At a glance, Betas, Fantasy, Game mechanics, MMORPG industry, New titles, belief, Free-to-play, Anti-Aliased  Therefore, because my column may induce emotional states similar to some drugs, I've been asked by the FDA to include a legible warning prior to each of my column topics. The FDA would like me to tell you that reading Anti-Aliased can, in rare cases, cause extreme emotional upset, eye strain, monitor punching syndrome, a feeling of discomfort around Mithra, itchyness, nausea, resurrection sickness, paralysis of the eyelids, and carpal tunnel syndrome. You should stop reading Anti-Aliased and consult with a World of Warcraft priest should you develop any one of these symptoms while reading. With that legalese out of the way, let's talk about Jade Dynasty -- dubbed by the illustrious James Egan as AFK Dynasty as it's the one MMORPG where you pay microtransactions to not play it. Yes, you heard me, it's more beneficial to not play Jade Dynasty than it is to play Jade Dynasty. EVE gamers, there is finally a game that puts your skill training system to shame. Continue reading Anti-Aliased: My first 30 levels with AFK... er... Jade Dynasty
EQ,MMORPG : Anti-Aliased: My first 30 levels with AFK... er... Jade Dynasty pt. 2By: Colin Brennan Jun 12, 2009 03:00:00 PM News Item: 8873Filed under: At a glance, Betas, Fantasy, Game mechanics, MMORPG industry, New titles, belief, Free-to-play, Anti-Aliased  When I finally found a new area to level in as my awesome level 30 self, I actually found that the quests had surprisingly become more tedious. Now it was kill 30 of a monster, or collect 10 to 15 of an item that would only drop once every 7 monsters. This is when I began to make crazy use of the invigorate feature, where I'd press the "kill stuff" button and my toonwould go off killing whatever she pleased. Was I worried about dying? Pfft, no! Using my wonderous cash shop gold I got a health and mana battery! These two items carried 700,000 HP and 700,000 SP inside of them, and would use enough of their charges to bring my toonback up to full HP and SP when I dropped below 10% in a category. I had absolutely nothing to fear now all because my toonwas basically on a potion IV drip. Everything in my path was easily slaughtered, and I didn't have to be present for any of it. It scared me. Is this what an MMORPG is? Other games try to hide it with cutscenes, story, diversions, and other tactics. Jade Dynasty is the full, unabashed version of what a MMORPG is -- grindy grindy grind. But when the game becomes so advanced that it can play itself, then I need to ask an important question What the heck is the point?
I sound like a broken record, but this is a very strong factorwhy I preach about the necessity of storyline and impact in a game. While gameplay is very, very important, any monotonous activity will become boring unless it is spiced up with enough change to keep it engaging. We use to have a strong grasp of making worlds with engaging substence. That grasp, however, has diminished since the dawn of the EverQuest and the rise of "kill X to level" quests. How do I know that we've lost our path regarding storyline? Well because Bioware is touting storyline as a new feature in The Old Republic. When we've gotten to the point that storyline is a "on-the-box" feature for a game, then we've done something horribly wrong in our designing. Our original designs spotlighted on the adventure in the world, not the quick drudgesessions to max level and the repetition of raids. I wish we could re-find those designs. My final note to you all for this week: if you want to play a game of numbers without playing the game, I have a recommendation for you. It's a "game" that runs on anyone's computer thanks to low graphical requirements and provides all of the same action and features that Jade Dynasty provides. It's called Progress Quest, it's equivolent to Jade Dynasty, and it's 100% free. Try it, you'll love it.  Colin Brennan is the weekly writer of Anti-Aliased who is totally level 45 in Jade Dynasty by only playing it for an hour. When he's not writing here for , he's rambling on his personal blog, The Experience Curve. If you want to message him, send him an e-mail at colin.brennan AT weblogsinc DOT com. You can also follow him on Twitter through , or through his personal feed.
MMORPG : Free Realms breaks the 3 million markBy: Shawn Schuster Jun 12, 2009 11:30:00 AM News Item: 8872Filed under: Business models, Events, real-world, Events, in-game, MMORPG industry, Free-to-play, Free Realms, Kids  "SOE worked diligently over the past four years to make certain that Free Realms would take the online space by storm," said John Smedley, president of Sony Online Entertainment. "We are pleased to be able to provide such a vast, in-depth and, most importantly, fun world to an standard of 500,000 new gamers per week." As with the previous milestones, this one is being celebrated with more exclusive in-game items. The 3M Pet Party Pack will be filled with goodies for use on a character's virtual pets, and gamers have until June 19th to redeem this special offer. Keep reading just after the jump below for the complete press release. Continue reading Free Realms breaks the 3 million mark
Champions,MMORPG : Champions Online box art revealedBy: Kyle Horner Jun 12, 2009 11:00:00 AM News Item: 8878Filed under: Super-hero, New titles, News items, Champions Online  There's a definite sense of intensity and overall the art does a good job at capturing that climatic battle between good and evil. Plus, it has a giant robot in it, which is always an instant bonus in our books. Now the only question that remains is what the special edition box will look like -- of it there'll even be one in the first place.
MMORPG,SWG : The Daily Grind: Games that should be MMORPGs?By: Lesley Smith Jun 12, 2009 08:00:00 AM News Item: 8871Filed under: Game mechanics, MMORPG industry, The Daily Grind  But that aside, I'm pretty sure most gamers are stoked that Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is being reinvented as an MMORPG. I want to know, if graphics,developerwishes and game mechanics weren't an issue, what games would you like to see become an MMORPG and why?
EQ,MMORPG : "EverCracked! The Phenomenon of EverQuest" to debut at SOE Fan FaireBy: William Dobson Jun 11, 2009 03:00:00 PM News Item: 8870Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, EverQuest, Culture, Events, real-world, MMORPG industry, News items  The documentary is hosted by Jason "Jace" Hall (of the Jace Hall Show) and features conversations not only with some of the main brains behind the game, but also with another very important group of citizens -- the gamers. We aren't sure yet when those who aren't visiting Fan Faire will be able to see it, but for now, check after the break for a preview trailer. Continue reading "EverCracked! The Phenomenon of EverQuest" to debut at SOE Fan Faire
MMORPG,STO : Path to 2409 - 2388 Supplemental LogBy: Rekhan Jun 11, 2009 02:53:29 PM News Item: 8840I meet with Ambassador Worf in his home on Qo’noS. He hasn’t spoken with any reporter since the events surrounding the Hobus explosion. The Ambassador is an old friend of my family, which is why I thought I might be able to speak with him. It appears that I was right. read more EQ,EQ2,Eve,L2,MMORPG,RS2,WOW : Should MMORPGs have sequels?By: Brendan Drain Jun 11, 2009 01:00:00 PM News Item: 8869Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Sci-fi, EVE Online, EverQuest, EverQuest II, Lineage, Lineage 2, Business models, Culture, Expansions, MMORPG industry, belief, Runescape, Academic, Education, Virtual worlds  In this article, I explore the games industry's obsession with repetition as I ask the question "Should MMORPGs have sequels?" Continue reading Should MMORPGs have sequels?
MMORPG : Fallen Earth Developer Diary: New Flagteam UniversityBy: Shawn Schuster Jun 11, 2009 12:00:00 PM News Item: 8868Filed under: Sci-fi, Galleries, Fallen Earth, Culture, Lore, MMORPG industry, New titles  Higher education's never been quite so deadly as it is in New Flagteam University. The campus was recognized by GlobalTech in the Northfields section of the Grand Canyon Province soon after the megacorp took over the national park from the federal government. A prominent and well-funded university, NFU provided top-notch scientific research and experimentation agendas. In the century since the Fall, the school-like the great city that yielded its name-has crumbled into disrepair. However, it still contains equipment that's useful for scientific tinkering. Continue reading Fallen Earth Developer Diary: New Flagteam University
Eve,MMORPG : CCP Games CEO to announce new venturein GDC Europe keynoteBy: James Egan Jun 11, 2009 09:00:00 AM News Item: 8867Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Events, real-world, MMORPG industry, News items  Hilmar Pétursson, the CEO of CCP Games, will keynote Game Developers Conference Europe 2009 in Cologne, Germany. The event runs from August 17 through the 19th at the Cologne Congress Center East. Hilmar's keynote will spotlight on how CCP Games rose from being ashortReykjavik-based studio with an obscure niche title to becoming a success story in the MMORPG industry with the growing popularity of EVE Online, now running studios in Atlanta and Shanghai, as well as their hometown of Reykjavik. Perhaps the biggest news here is the reveal hinted at in the CCP Games press release: "As a testament to the industry's potential for growth despite rampant economic turmoil and as an inspiration for up-and-coming independent studios, Pétursson will give an exclusive first look at the company's latest project, which is currently in pre-construction." We can only assume this is the World of Darkness MMORPG, but it could very well be a closer look at Walking in Stations or any of the other projects CCP announced at last year's Fanfest. Regardless of what this new ventureis, we won't know for sure until August.
Aion,MMORPG : First Closed Beta Event SoaredBy: Jun 10, 2009 10:33:00 PM News Item: 8842
Legions of eager testers created characters to venture into the lands of the Elyos for the first time. A number of gamers were in high spirits and provided fantastic feedback on their initial encounter with the world of Atreia.
“The game itself...I am in love with it.”
“It’s the best first day of a closed beta I’ve seen.”
“Looks actually impressive. Looks like we could spend a weekend on tooncreation alone.”
Ten Ton Hammer also shared their favorite impressions of Aion, providing an in-depth look at the first closed beta event.
”Aion could quite potentialbe the first Korean MMORPG to make a major impact on the North American market.”
Thank you to all participants for sharing your view! The Aion quality assurance and customer service teams are busy catching up on all of the comments, reports, and constructive feedback from this first event to provide an even better experience for upcoming beta events and beyond.
Stay tuned to the official Aion web site and Twitter for pronouncements on the next closed beta event (June 19, 2009), including the spotlight of testing and your chance to be a part of it!
COH,COV,MMORPG : City of Heroesdeveloperblog talks tooncustomizationBy: Dev Blogger Jun 10, 2009 08:00:00 PM News Item: 8866Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, City of Villains, Expansions, Game mechanics, MMORPG industry  In addition to supporting the two new task forces for Issue 15, we also wanted to spotlight some attention on expanding our tooncreation system. Character customization is a hallmark of City of Heroes and we're always striving to improve and expand upon our gamers' ability to create a truly unique super powered hero or villain. For Issue 15, there are two new costume sets obtainable to everyone, created by the newest addition to our toonartist team, Cheryl Austin. "Vines" is a new pattern while "Ulterior" is a new texture set, both of which work with most of the existing costume pieces. Cheryl has also created over twenty new face textures, something we haven't done since City of Villains commenceed. While our options for individual costume pieces and sets have continued to expand over the years, our selection of faces hasn't received the same amount of attention. Her goal was to create a set of new face textures that were a bit more subtle and realistic and while also working well across our full range skin tones. Gallery: City of Heroes Issue 15: Anniversary      Continue reading City of Heroesdeveloperblog talks tooncustomization
MMORPG,STO : Dev Chat: June 16By: Rekhan Jun 10, 2009 06:36:35 PM News Item: 8839Next Tuesday, June 16, at 3:30 p.m. Pacific time (we’re GMT -7 right now), we’ll be holding a developer’s chat in the official Star Trek Online IRC chat! read more L2,MMORPG,MWO : Screenshots: GodsWar OnlineBy: Mabie A. Jun 10, 2009 06:25:24 PM News Item: 8831
IGG gives out new screenshots and assets for their MMORPG title, GodsWar Online. Based on Greek mythology, this 3D game brings the gamers to the world of Gods, Humans, Demigods and Monsters -- all in the same continent. We're bringing you more substence for GodsWar Online, such as adeveloperjournal, so keep it locked here.
Eve,MMORPG : CCP Hellmar to give keynote at GDC Europe 2009By: CCP Manifest Jun 10, 2009 05:52:00 PM News Item: 8834Hilmar Petursson, CCP's mighty CEO, will be delivering the keynote address at this year's GDC Europe. He'll weave together the complex and triumphant story of EVE's devlopment, the challenges along the way and most likely have a trick or two up his sleeve for those following along. You can read more about it in this press release.
MMORPG,WAR : Crafty WAR marketing reveals the "Rosetta Bones," hints at upcoming contestBy: Colin Brennan Jun 10, 2009 04:30:00 PM News Item: 8865Filed under: Fantasy, Contests, Culture, Events, real-world, Expansions, MMORPG industry, Warhammer Online  This pronouncement however, is pretty big. In conjunction with the release of the Land of the Dead, blogs all about the blogosphere will be getting "Rosetta Bones." These bones will feature different symbols on their faces, each linked with a letter of the alphabet. The bones will also be accompanied with a map that points out special tomb unlocks, a flag to show which version the bones belong to (Europe or North American audiences will be getting different bones) and a parchment page containing storyline clues for what will be occuring in the future. Continue reading Crafty WAR marketing reveals the "Rosetta Bones," hints at upcoming contest
MMORPG : GamerDNA: A brief look at free to play gamesBy: GamerDNA Jun 10, 2009 04:00:00 PM News Item: 8864Filed under: Culture, MMORPG industry, News items, Free-to-play, Academic  By Sanya Weathers for GamerDNAWhen you're the market header in MMORPG games, you can afford to do a little innovating - though not so much as to disturb or ruffle the consumers you've already acquired. When you're making a top drawer MMORPG with thirty million dollars of other citizens's money, you can't afford to innovate. Refinements, sure. But no big risks. So where's the innovation? These days, you see it in the free to play genre, and its close cousin, the "freemium" game. Both of these games make their money from microtransactions. In order to get a customer to fork over a microtransaction, these games require consumers that are vested into the world. But free to play means the gamer has invested nothing but the time spent downloading the product. And there's a perception among some industry professionals that "easy come, easy go." Gallery: GamerDNA: A brief look at free to play games      Continue reading GamerDNA: A brief look at free to play games
DDO,MMORPG : The pros and cons of free to play Dungeons and Dragons OnlineBy: Colin Brennan Jun 10, 2009 03:00:00 PM News Item: 8883Filed under: Fantasy, Dungeons and Dragons Online, Business models, belief, Free-to-play  Yesterday we were all over the pronouncement, covering the basics of what can be expected with this changeover from subscription based to free to play. But now, I'd like to break that down even further, and actually look at the changes in an in-depth manner. Certainly not everything about the new version of DDO has been defined by Turbine, but we're going to take a look at the basics of what this new version offers and equatethe ups and downs of what's being offered. By the time we're done looking over the new system, you'll be able to answer that one burning question that's plaguing your mind. Is free to play DDOworthy ofit for you? Continue reading The pros and cons of free to play Dungeons and Dragons Online
DDO,MMORPG : The pros and cons of free to play Dungeons and Dragons Online pt. 2By: Colin Brennan Jun 10, 2009 03:00:00 PM News Item: 8882Filed under: Fantasy, Dungeons and Dragons Online, Business models, belief, Free-to-play  Item malls that offer gamers the ability to purchase items or item upgrades degrade the gaming experience. We've been over this before -- letting Mr. Moneybags deck out his toonat level 1 so he's 10x more awesome than everybody else is a major downer to citizens who don't have the money. While I've pored over the text that Turbine is released, it doesn't appear that they will be offering items like weaponry or armor. They will be offering "items of convenience" to the gamers. My best guess is things like potions, perhaps portals, resurrection scrolls, things such as these. Even though these are low powered items, they can still annoy you when Moneybags can teleport all over the place and you're left walking and taking the slow route. This con is, however, offset by the fact that points can be earned by actually playing the game. It sounds like they are attempting to make the cash shop obtainable for everyone, not just the Moneybags of the world. This will be fascinating to watch, as no other developer as truly tried this in the American market.
I could easily see some gamers offering up items in the auction house above the amount that a free gamer's wallet could hold. This is going to inconvenience the gamer further because it's going to restrict how the gamer can interact with the auction house and interact with the vendors in the world. Another two bites out of the pro pile are the fact that free gamers rank lower than DDO VIP subscription gamers in the login queue and free gamers don't get access to customer support. This means that a constant influx of DDO VIP gamers could easily keep bumping free gamers back in the login queue, should the worldbecome overpopulated. While I don't exactly see this happening, it could become problem should the lines actually get backed up. I know I wouldn't like to see that my place in line as number 27 get jacked backward to 30 or 35 just because a few subscribers chose to log in. Lastly is the fact that free gamers are stuck with the online knowledge base and the forums as theircause of aid should they encounter problems. I can foresee some free gamers attempting to play the game, getting stuck on some odd technical problem, and then becoming unable to solve it simply because the knowledge base doesn't have their problem on file. You're going to inevitably lose some citizens over this, just because they don't want to deal with the frustration of attempting to make a free game work. It's a free game, so if it doesn't work, just move onto the next game. The bottom line? The final thoughts for all of this is you should weigh it for yourself. If you want to save some cash and you like Dungeons and Dragons, then this might just be the experience for you. If you're looking for a second quality MMORPG to have as a side-game, then this might also be what you want to pick up. If you're someone who's easily frustrated by limitations, however, then you might not enjoy this experience. Some of the stuff, like decreased auctions, gold storage, and chatting capabilities might hamper gameplay just enough to turn off some citizens. But, don't take my word for it. Judge the game for yourself when it hits free to play status later this summer.
DDO,MMORPG : DDO goes F2P: An conversation with TurbineBy: Shawn Schuster Jun 10, 2009 01:00:00 PM News Item: 8863Filed under: Fantasy, Dungeons and Dragons Online, Business models, Interviews, MMORPG industry, Free-to-play  As the news hit yesterday concerning Dungeons and Dragons Online going free-to-play, many MMORPG gamers collectively rejoiced, while others didn't. The idea of this hybrid business model is wonderful for those who have yet to experience DDO, as it now gives them a chance to play the game as long as they'd like, with no level cap restrictions for absolutely no cost. This means no credit card info changing hands, no commitments to a monthly fee and the implied need to "get your money's worth" and no real need to quit the game if you can't afford it. But it can't be that easy, can it? Well, there's a slight catch.
Current subscribers will see no real change in the game, as what they're paying for now is what's included in the new VIP model. The F2P gamers will not exactly have access to the same features for free, yet they can purchase as little or as much as they'd like in the Turbine store with Turbine points. This allows more casual gamers the chance to play the game and only pay for those features they know they'll use. To help clarifythis new system, and answer some questions we had, we had a chance to sit down with Adam Mersky, Turbine's Director of Communication, Kate Paiz, Senior Producer for DDO and Fernando Paiz, Executive Producer for DDO. Keep reading after the jump to find out what they had to say. Gallery: DDO Unlimited      Continue reading DDO goes F2P: An conversation with Turbine
MMORPG : Speaking Episode 56: E3 impressionsBy: Shawn Schuster Jun 10, 2009 11:00:00 AM News Item: 8862Filed under: Podcasts, Culture, Events, real-world, MMORPG industry, belief, meta, Interviews, Hands-on, Speaking  Speaking Episode 56 is back after a brief hiatus while we spent last week at E3. To compensate, Shawn is joined by WoW.com's Mike Schramm for a recap of the best and brightest from the convention. Which game did they like best? Why does it seem like every game will release in 2010? Check out the podcast to find out!Have a comment for the podcasters? Shoot us an email to podcast AT massively DOT com. Maybe we'll read your letter on the air! Get the podcast: [iTunes] Subscribe to Speaking directly in iTunes. [Zune] Subscribe to Speaking via the Zune service. [RSS] Add Speaking to your RSS aggregator. [Digg] Like the show? Digg it. [MP3] Download the MP3 directly. [VW] Listen at VirginWorlds.com Listen here on the page: MMORPG : A closer look at revenues in free-to-play MMORPGsBy: James Egan Jun 10, 2009 09:00:00 AM News Item: 8861Filed under: Puzzle Pirates, Interviews, MMORPG industry, MetaPlace, Free-to-play, Casual  The free-to-play business model in the MMORPG industry is one that lets users play a game for free in hopes that a percentage of that userbase will opt to embrace microtransactions, allowing F2P game operators to potentially bring in more revenue per month than they would maintain through subscription fees. We periodically see pronouncements of yearly revenue from some of the larger companies, but these figures are classicly pronouncements of standard revenue per paying user (ARPPU), emphasis on 'paying'. But how much money are free-to-play MMORPGs actually making? This is the subject of an article at Gamasutra written by Paul Hyman titled, 'What Are The Rewards Of 'Free-To-Play' MMORPGs?" Hyman catches up with Raph Koster (Metaplace), Daniel James from Three Rings Design (Puzzle Pirates), and Jeremy Liew from Lightspeed Venture Partners (a fundingcause for F2P MMORPGs) to discuss the microtransaction model. Continue reading A closer look at revenues in free-to-play MMORPGs
Champions,L2,MMORPG,MWO,NWN,STO : Neverwinter Nights MMORPG in the works from Cryptic?By: Mabie A. Jun 09, 2009 09:44:33 PM News Item: 8830 Last December, Cryptic Studios packed up and moved in with Atari and Infogrames, in effect turning over all of their proprietary IP, tools, technology and even WIPs to their new parent company. Insidecauses are now alive and abuzz that part of the turned over WIPs would be an MMORPG version of Neverwinter Nights.According to the rumors, it is (loosely) slated for a 2011 release, and was in fact the primary factorwhy Atari got actually interested in pursuing Cryptic for an acquisition. Could there be something to this rumor? More importantly, would you be interested to play if indeed this was in development? Cryptic Studios was also responsible for Champions Online, as well as Star Trek Online. Related Articles:
L2,MMORPG,MWO,WOW : WoW Gold Pig giving away 500,000 gold in-gameBy: Mabie A. Jun 09, 2009 07:44:07 PM News Item: 8829
This is the gold mine right here. Literally. The WoW Gold Pig blog is running a contest for 500,000 WoW Gold. We ve gotten wind of it, thanks to tips (and tweets) from the community, and so went further to fish out more info about it.
Apparently, the contest goes like this: you register, you enter a name for their WoW Gold Pig Twitter mascot and, if your entry is chosen, you win 500,000 in-game gold for World of Warcraft. Easy as pie, yes? We got in touch with their representative Nick Gardner, and here's the lowdown on this contest. QJ: Hi Nick. First things first, who are you and what do you do? Nick: I m your friendly neighborhood blogger at WoWGoldPig.blogspot.com. When I'm not doing that, I'm usually raiding or otherwise lounging around somewhere in Azeroth... QJ: Can you walk us through the contest? Nick: Sure. The contest you are referring to is called Name Twitter Pig . To join, just visit our blog site, enter a winning name for Twitter Pig and walk away with half a million WoW Gold. It couldn't be easier. QJ: That sounds pretty simple. However, the maximum amount of gold a World of Warcraft tooncan hold is 214,748 gold, 36 silver and 47 copper. How is the winner supposed to collect it all?  Nick: That's the best part of the contest! Initially we struggled with that limitation as well, and almost settled for a measly 50,000g giveaway. But we actually wanted the community to have some fun with this promotion. And since community is such a big part of online gaming, we decided it to let the winner nominate ten (10) WoW characters. Each toonwill receive 50,000g. So the winner will be in a position to gift gold to guild mates, friends, family, or simply store it on alts. QJ: Do contestants have to buy anything? Nick: There s no purchase necessary. Just good old fun for everyone! QJ: How did the Twitter connection come about? Nick: We are all active members in multiple online communities and games. And we meticulously like the real time aspect of Twitter. It's fun to participate and it's different than a blog site, which feels more like a turn based form of community. Twitter's WoW community is large and robust and we want to be part of it. This contest is just one example of how we try to contribute to the community. It's fun! QJ: I guess fun is the operating word on WoW Gold Pig? Nick: You betcha. And so went our little chat. If you re a World of Warcraft gamer, don t miss this chance and join the contest today. For more on the contest facts, just head to thecause linked below. Good Luck! MMORPG,STO : Meet the Team: Matthew KenneallyBy: Rekhan Jun 09, 2009 05:52:18 PM News Item: 8838 What do you do on Star Trek Online? read more AOC,Eve,MMORPG,SWG,WAR,WOW : The MMORPG commence subscriber bubbleBy: Brendan Drain Jun 09, 2009 03:00:00 PM News Item: 8844Filed under: World of Warcraft, Betas, Age of Conan, EVE Online, Business models, Culture, Launches, MMORPG industry, New titles, Warhammer Online, Academic, Education, Virtual worlds, Star Wars: The Old Republic  In this article, we look at what can go wrong with over-hyped MMORPG commencees and what happens when the subscriber bubble bursts. Continue reading The MMORPG commence subscriber bubble
Aion,Eve,LOTRO,MMORPG : One Shots: A first taste of large-scale battleBy: Krystalle Voecks Jun 09, 2009 02:00:00 PM News Item: 8888Filed under: Sci-fi, Screenshots, EVE Online, One Shots  Too bad I wasn't able to participate in the fight later on, as the solar system was just too full of gamers. I saw 750+ gamers out there in local chat, but my grid wasn't loading, so I was stuck for hours while the others were fighting against each other and against the enormous lag. Later the node crashed at least 2 times due to the mass of gamers. The fight was in E-7U8U in the Venal Region. I hope you enjoy this screenshot. I like it very much because of the lights and all those ships, waiting to get to the battle. If you've caught a actually awesome image from your favorite game, we want to see it! Just email it to us here at oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name, the name of the game, and a description. We'll post it out here and let everyone know all about your experience. Gallery: One Shots     
DDO,MMORPG : DDO adds free-to-play with Eberron Unlimited [Updated]By: Kyle Horner Jun 09, 2009 12:53:00 PM News Item: 8881Filed under: Dungeons and Dragons Online, Business models, News items  Turbine is pioneering something very fascinating and exciting here, as the hybrid model isn't widely used at this point, with Free Realms being the closest comparison we can think of off the top of our collective heads. Allowing gamers the choice of free-to-play or subscription seems like a perfect fit for Dungeons and Dragons Online. Plus, the pronouncement comes with new substence, including a brand new class! There appears to be no confirmation on what class it is, but our guess would be the Druid. Check out the facts after the break! Continue reading DDO adds free-to-play with Eberron Unlimited [Updated]
Eve,MMORPG : New EVE quarterly economic newsletterBy: Jon Shute Jun 09, 2009 11:00:00 AM News Item: 8887Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Economy  There is also an extensive examination of skill points, with the difference in the number of points in each skill point group for each race showing correlation between the race of the toonand the skills trained. Interestingly Gallente characters tend to have more points in drone skills, while Caldari characters have the highest missile skills. This seems to indicate that gamers are following their racial ship choices for their skill training, which is not something that the game enforces. There's a lot more information in the report itself, including detail on ship prices over time, Tech 3 construction for the first month and mineral trading. You can read the full document at thedeveloperblog, and follow the comments from gamers on the EVE Online forums.
Eve,MMORPG : Next EVE Online patch will boost Tech III constructionBy: James Egan Jun 09, 2009 09:00:00 AM News Item: 8886Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Economy, Game mechanics, Patches, Crafting  The Apocrypha expansion for EVE Online introduced wormhole exploration to the game and with it, the potential to reverse engineer advanced technology from the Sleeper NPC race. The goal for many such explorers is ultimately to produce the next iteration of ship technology in the game; these Tech III strategic cruisers feature modular designs that can accomplish some impressive things. This, coupled with their rarity and sky high prices make Tech III ships into everybody's favorite multi-billion ISK gankmagnets, and it's that scarcity that EVE game designer CCP Chronotis addresses in his latestdeveloperblog. He writes that CCP Games will make some changes in the next Apocrypha patch that will affect the supply of Tech III materials. Specifically, they're going to boost reverse engineering while also balancing out the types of salvage gained from Sleeper NPC wrecks, and increase the availability of Tech III construction materials in general. If you're concerned in wormhole exploration or Tech III construction, consider thisdeveloperblog from CCP Chronotis a heads up as to the changes on the way.
FFXI,MMORPG,SWG : The Daily Grind: What was your favorite E3 MMORPG news?By: Krystalle Voecks Jun 09, 2009 08:00:00 AM News Item: 8860Filed under: Events, real-world, MMORPG industry, New titles, News items, belief, Event Coverage 
Aion,L2,MMORPG : First Closed Beta Event - A Brief IntermissionBy: Jun 08, 2009 11:51:00 PM News Item: 8841
At 12:00 p.m. PST June 5, 2009, we commenceed our first Aion closed beta event. The turnout was phenomenal! We are incredibly excited by the number of eager fans and we’re already looking forward to our next Beta Event (Friday, June 19th).
Exciting Tidings in the Community Team
As the number of Aion community members, services, and needs grow, the profile of the community consistently climbs higher. Lani “Liv” Blazier is transitioning from Community Manager to Associate Producer. Lani will continue to support the community effort, but she will be doing so from a construction standpoint. In this new role she will continue to provide guidance to our other Community Managers. Congratulations, Lani!
Martin “Amboss” Rabl, who you all know well, will continue his terrific work in social networking alongside heading our German community as German Community Manager.
Sebastian “Ayase” Streiffert will now be the English Community Manager for Aion. Congratulations, Sebastian!
We’ll also have Lauren “Lyzira” Duncan lending a hand on the forums. Lauren currently manages Exteel and Lineage communities, but has graciously volunteered to lend a hand.
We are also conversationing for a French Community Manager and anticipateto have someone in the position within the next few weeks.
Champions,FFXI,MMORPG,SWG : E3 2009: A complete roundup of coverageBy: James Egan Jun 08, 2009 08:00:00 PM News Item: 8859Filed under: Jumpgate Evolution, MMORPG industry, New titles, The Agency, All Points Bulletin, Global Agenda, Free Realms, Interviews, Hands-on, Event Coverage, Champions Online, Home, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Dragonica Online, Heroes of Telara, Final Fantasy XIV  Electronic Entertainment Expo 2009 proved to be a significant event for the gaming industry once again, with a fair amount of news and pronouncements related to MMORPGs. was there on the ground for E3 this year and we've been putting up breaking pronouncements, conversations, and hands-on previews throughout. Given how much info came out of E3 on , here's a roundup of our coverage, day-by-day. Be sure to look into the rest after the jump as there's plenty more substence, plus you'll find E3 galleries for these games as you click through. To cap it all off, we've also put together an E3 2009 wrapup video for you at the end of this post. Read on to see where the MMORPG industry is headed in the next year and beyond! Day One
Continue reading E3 2009: A complete roundup of coverage
GW,MMORPG : Guild Wars 2 model art spottedBy: James Egan Jun 08, 2009 07:30:00 PM News Item: 8858Filed under: Fantasy, MMORPG industry, Guild Wars 2  Guild Wars has some fantastic model art. We've point outed this in the past, meticulously in the context of the work of ArenaNet art director Daniel Dociu and model art head Kekai Kotaki as seen at Spectrum Fantastic Art. In fact, the last thing we asked was, "Does this give some hints as to what we'll be seeing in Guild Wars 2?" It turns out, it does. In fact, Guild Wars 2 model art is now appearing in other places as well. Ravious at Kill Ten Rats hunted down more GW2 art by Dociu and Kotaki, as confirmed by ArenaNet's Regina Buenaobra. Check out the post on GW2 model art by Ravious over at Kill Ten Rats, which features some examples of what he's found along with some background on what they may show of the next game's setting, "250 years after the original Guild Wars."
Aion,L2,LOTRO,MMORPG : One Shots: Farewell for nowBy: Krystalle Voecks Jun 08, 2009 02:00:00 PM News Item: 8855Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Screenshots, Aion, One Shots  If you're in a beta not blocked by NDA (or aren't under NDA due to being a writer) we'd love to see your screenshots! Not in an open beta? No worries -- we love screenshots from all games! Just send them to us with a brief description of what we're seeing along with your name and the name of the game to oneshots AT massively DOT com. We'll post up your virtual postcard for everyone to enjoy and give you credit for sending it in. Gallery: One Shots
MMORPG : E3 2009: The evolution of Jumpgate EvolutionBy: Mike Schramm Jun 08, 2009 12:00:00 PM News Item: 8857Filed under: Sci-fi, Galleries, Video, Jumpgate Evolution, Interviews, MMORPG industry, New titles, Player vs Player, Hands-on  What I found was both surprising and impressive. Way back in that first conversation, Peterscheck told me that they were trying to make a space shooter MMORPG that depended on skill rather than stats, that offered up a fully realized universe for gamers to explore, and gave some new options for Player vs Player and space combat that we hadn't seen before. Sitting in their booth watching the game get played on three big screens, I saw all that and more. Hit the jump (gate) below for impressions and even a gameplay video from last week's show. Gallery: Jumpgate Evolution E3 2009      Continue reading E3 2009: The evolution of Jumpgate Evolution
Aion,MMORPG : Aion Closed Beta Test 1 over, CBT2 dated.By: Lesley Smith Jun 08, 2009 09:30:00 AM News Item: 8854Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Aion, Events, in-game  It's seems everyone and their best friend was playing Aion this weekend, including most of Team . The closed beta test (CBT) ended in the weeshorthours of this morning with gamers providing ample feedback via the official forums. It wasn't too long before EU CM Ayase nipped posted an pronouncement regarding the next phase of testing which will see gamers becoming Asmodians:
"The event is scheduled to start Friday, June 19th (9:00 PM CEST, 8:00 PM BST, noon PST) and to end on Monday, June 22nd (8:59 AM CEST, 7:59 AM BST, Sunday 21st 11.59 PM PST). In CBT2 we will want to spotlight on the very first area of Asmodae and have therefore set the level limit to 10, primarily to make sure it's properly run through, but also to allow testers to stop and perhaps smell the flowers more, to dive into the quests and quest texts more carefully and to better explore the arch-classes. More information will come shortly and more beta events are definitely set to arrive in the future, so stock up on those canned beans (okay, maybe something else) and stay tuned!"
MMO,MMORPG : E3 2009: Sci-Fi MMORPG is an "action RPG"By: Krystalle Voecks Jun 08, 2009 08:30:00 AM News Item: 8856Filed under: Sci-fi, MMORPG industry, New titles, News items  While visiting with Trion World Network at E3, we were unable to snag any new facts on the Sci-Fi MMORPG beyond this poster - at least any that we can share with you, anyway. (Some of the early model art flashed across the monitors, and it looks pretty cool if we do say so ourselves.) We did find out that this new MMORPG is currently codenamed "Channel 3" and is going to be an "MMORPGARPG", or a massively multigamer action role-playing game. Of course, what precisely this means is largely anyone's guess. What makes it more action-based than a normal MMORPGRPG? Will the action be due to the tie-in with the upcoming Sci-Fi series? Will they change their earlier statements and perhaps film action-y parts of the upcoming series in-game? Or is it just going to be buttonmashapolooza, with attacks coming as fast as you're able to faceroll your keyboard? Who knows! We'll keep our eyes peeled and ears to the ground in case the folks at Trion World Entertainment decide to let slip with any more tantalizing tidbits about this upcoming TV/MMORPG hybrid property. (Well, assuming they also don't catch us taking pictures of the monitors showing off model art next time. Boooo.)
Aion,MMORPG : The Daily Grind: What did you think of the first weekend of the Aion beta?By: Lesley Smith Jun 08, 2009 08:00:00 AM News Item: 8853Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Aion, Events, in-game, The Daily Grind 
I spent this weekend in Atreia taking part in the first Aion beta test. I got my mage (and then spiritmaster) to level 10 and managed to explore the fringes of Eltnen by the time the beta ended in the weeshorthours of this morning GMT. I would have loved to make it to the full 20 levels but a weekend was never going to be long enough to do that. How did you do?
While I still think the game looks beautiful and I love the look of my Elyos as she glided through the evening air, the beta is by no means finished yet. I'm curious to see the rest before making any firm judgments on the game itself. However I've noticed that opinions are divided both within Team and also citizens who got into the beta. Some folks loved every aspect of the game, from the graphics to the lore whilst others were bitterly disappointed. So tell me, constant readers, has your opinion of the game changed after playing for a weekend? Are you now more keen to see the full game or have you decided it's not for you? Do you think as many citizens will login for the next beta and try playing as an Asmodian?
More MMORPG News(Click to read)Jun 07, 2009 06:00:00 PM Eve,MMORPG : EVE Evolved: World events in EVE OnlineJun 07, 2009 03:00:00 PM Aion,MMORPG : Hands on with the Aion beta: Becoming a DaevaJun 07, 2009 08:00:00 AM AOC,Aion,Eve,FFXI,MMORPG,Perfect-World,WOW : The Daily Grind: Is an MMORPG's origin important to you?Jun 06, 2009 08:00:00 PM Aion,MMORPG : Hands on with the Aion beta: Your first steps into ElyseaJun 06, 2009 09:00:00 AM Champions,MMORPG,Mythos,Rohan : E3 2009: day 4 roundupJun 05, 2009 09:51:36 PM MMO,MMORPG,STO : Craig Talks the Play Test ProcessJun 05, 2009 06:30:00 PM Aion,MMORPG : Hands on with the Aion beta: Creating your ElyosJun 05, 2009 03:57:51 PM MMORPG,STO : Kobayashi Maru Vol. 16Jun 05, 2009 12:00:00 PM COH,Champions,MMORPG : E3 2009: Bill Roper on toonthemes and customization in Champions OnlineJun 05, 2009 08:00:00 AM Aion,MMORPG : The Daily Grind: Do you prefer a structured or sandbox beta?Jun 04, 2009 04:00:00 PM Eve,MMORPG : New EVE Online novel "The Burning Life" is on the wayJun 04, 2009 02:00:00 PM Aion,LOTRO,MMO,MMORPG,TCOS : One Shots: To the vaultJun 04, 2009 01:00:00 PM Dofus,MMORPG : Move over BlizzCon, here comes AnkamaConJun 04, 2009 10:00:00 AM Aion,MMORPG : Aion: Tower of Eternity: Preparing for the betaJun 04, 2009 08:00:00 AM Aion,MMORPG : The Daily Grind: Are you excited by the Aion beta?Jun 03, 2009 06:22:00 PM Eve,MMORPG : CCP Devs in Podcast on Fanfest and more.Jun 03, 2009 06:13:22 PM MMORPG,STO : New Wallpaper AvailableJun 03, 2009 11:35:56 AM L2,MMORPG,MWO,WOW : World of Warcraft client patch 3.1.3 releasedJun 03, 2009 09:30:00 AM Aion,MMO,MMORPG : Aion beta keys now in the wild, US beta confirmedJun 03, 2009 09:00:00 AM Champions,MMORPG : Six new Luchador-tastic Champions Online screensJun 03, 2009 08:00:00 AM Aion,MMORPG,WOW : The Daily Grind: How do you pick toonnames?Jun 02, 2009 05:57:00 PM Eve,MMORPG : New Chronicle: Depth of FieldJun 02, 2009 04:08:00 PM Aion,MMORPG : Beta Event key give-aways and competitionsJun 02, 2009 12:00:00 PM Eve,MMORPG : EVE Online and 'the places I've been' memeJun 02, 2009 11:00:00 AM MMORPG,SL : Second Life adult substence updates: Viewers, namechanges, grannies and grade-schoolersJun 02, 2009 08:57:25 AM MMORPG,WAR : Server Maintenance - Iron Rock - 6/2/09Jun 02, 2009 08:00:00 AM MMORPG : The Daily Grind: Do you wish there was more gamer-GM interaction?Jun 02, 2009 12:30:00 AM MMORPG,WOW : World of Warcraft patch 3.1.3 is imminentJun 01, 2009 09:04:47 PM Champions,MMORPG,STO : German OCR on TwitterJun 01, 2009 08:00:00 PM GW,MMORPG : Choose my Adventure: Leaving Pre-SearingJun 01, 2009 07:00:00 PM MMORPG : E3 2009: EA and Realtime Worlds partner on All Points BulletinJun 01, 2009 06:00:00 PM MMO,MMORPG : Kids exploring the Wastelands of FusionFall in ways devs never intendedJun 01, 2009 04:27:01 PM MMORPG,WAR : PTS Testing Event 6/2/2009!Jun 01, 2009 04:00:00 PM MMORPG,WOW : Blizzard believes fans make their games successfulJun 01, 2009 03:00:00 PM MMORPG,WOW : World of Warcraft in China to go offline for weeks in operator handoverJun 01, 2009 02:00:00 PM Eve,MMORPG : One Shots: Heading for a jump |
Anti-Aliased: My first 30 levels with AFK... er... Jade Dynasty Fri, 12 Jun 2009 15:00:00 EST. 
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