Be The Gamer

Filed under: Fantasy, Final Fantasy XI, Game mechanics, Patches, News items, Consoles

It’s a good day to be in Vana’diel, as Final Fantasy XI’s much-awaited September version update is now up and running on the live servers. That means another increase in the level cap, new missions for Wings of the Goddess, and many other improvements to the game. The full list of changes may be found in the official patch notes, which also include a few pieces of information not previously disclosed.

As expected, the majority of the changes center around the increase of the level cap to 85, complete with levels for the previewed new abilities and traits. There are also several smaller quality of life improvements, and the usual array of bug fixes across the board. Players waiting for the update to download (which can take quite some time, as any Final Fantasy XI veteran can attest) can peruse the full list of changes and get ready for some interesting new experiences.

September version update live for Final Fantasy XI originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 08 Sep 2010 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Think you’ve got what it takes to design a starship? CCP Games and deviantART are giving you the opportunity to prove it with their new Create A Starship Contest for EVE Online. From now through October 13th, artists can submit their drawings for a chance to win some pretty significant prizes. Up to 15 semi-finalists will walk away with $50 iTunes gift cards, while first-, second-, and third-place finishers will snag $900, $750, and $500 respectively, in addition to an Apple iPad, a Wacom Intuos4 Tablet, deviantART premium memberships, and more.

Additionally, the first-place winner will see his or her design brought to life in the universe of New Eden and ultimately flown by thousands of player pilots. Check out the full contest rules, as well as the current competition, at deviantART.

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Contests, News items

CCP and deviantART looking for EVE starship designers originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 08 Sep 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New and innovative changes continue to enhance the Penny Auction industry.

(PRWeb September 08, 2010)

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2010/09/prweb4471574.htm

Players of Dragonica Online have been left high and dry since August 31st, when publisher THQ*ICE closed its doors.

This state of affairs might change soon, as the game is being transferred to another publisher. WarpPortal is taking over the game, and in an effort to make it an easy transition for players, all account information is being transferred to the new publisher. Dragonica, the EU version of the game, is unaffected.

If you missed out on this transfer, the new publisher has a Q&A on the forums, and a date for relaunch should come soon. We’ll keep an eye out for Dragonica Online’s reintroduction!

Filed under: Fantasy, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play, Dragonica Online

THQ*ICE closes doors, suspends operation of Dragonica Online originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 08 Sep 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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As a reader of Massively, you should have a pretty good idea what MMORPG means. Not just what it stands for, but what it feels like, looks like, and behaves like. The problem is, despite common definitions, the games keep coming in different shapes and sizes — and from all over the world. While I receive many comments about the Western coverage that Massively features, I would only be doing half my job if I reported on only the latest half a dozen games to break the multi-million-dollar budget mark in America.

The world is a smaller place, especially now. And across the world there are MMORPGs that are being played and enjoyed in many different ways. There are PvP games, games that place players into instance after instance with only a handful of other players, all while offering the potential to hang out with thousands of other people. Is an instanced combat game still an MMO? How about a game like Mabinogi, which maintains a persistent world, but is broken into several invisible channels for players to skip in to and out of?

This is impossible, but I think I will try to define exactly what MMO means — now, in this current market.

Continue reading Free for All: So, what does “MMORPG” mean?

Filed under: Fantasy, Culture, Game mechanics, Opinion, Free-to-play, Mobile, Roleplaying, Free for All

Free for All: So, what does “MMORPG” mean? originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 08 Sep 2010 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Massively Speaking Episode 114 is back this week with Shawn, Rubi and Justin discussing their time at PAX Prime in Seattle and Dragon*Con in Atlanta. They discuss the latest news from each con as well as some stories that just couldn’t be shared in text form.

Have a comment for the podcasters? Shoot an email to shawn@massively.com. Maybe we’ll read your letter on the air!

Get the podcast:
[iTunes] Subscribe to Massively Speaking directly in iTunes.
[RSS] Add Massively Speaking to your RSS aggregator.
[MP3] Download the MP3 directly.
Listen here on the page:

Read below the cut for the full show notes.

Continue reading Massively Speaking Episode 114

Filed under: Podcasts, Culture, Events, real-world, News items, Massively meta, Humor, Massively Event Coverage, Massively Speaking

Massively Speaking Episode 114 originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 08 Sep 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Massively has taken a swing at Marvel’s Super Hero Squad Online several times in the last few months, now. So, on our trip to PAX, the boy-in-grown-up-shoes, Jay Minn, could not wait to show us the newly announced PvP portion of this dynamic game. Minn, who is the Director of Games for The Amazing Society, turned in to a giddy imp and directed me to a computer station that had a burning Human Torch on the screen, all prepared to fight some bad guys. Even though PvE wasn’t what I was there to cover that day, Minn just had to show me anyway. “Click on a bad guy,” he told me, “and good things just happen.” I obliged; the Torch lit up and chased some bad guys away! At that point, we were told we had to move on to the PvP portion of the demonstration. Marketing people can be such spoil-sports sometimes.

The giddy grin returned to Minn’s face as he gave me instructions on how to get into the online card game. In the lower right-hand corner simply sat an icon that looked like fanned-out cards. As part of the demo I was able to pick my opponent, and since I just love seeing the Ol’ Canucklehead Wolverine get beaten down, I picked him for my enemy. And who is the best Marvel superhero? Spider-Man, of course. I had to choose him as my character.

Hero up with me after the break to find out the details of my adventure through this shiny and lively online card game.

Continue reading PAX 2010: It’s clobberin’ time with SHSO’s PvP online card game

Filed under: Super-hero, Screenshots, Trailers, Video, Events, real-world, Interviews, New titles, Previews, PvP, Opinion, Free-to-play, Browser, Hands-on, Trading card games, Casual, Kids, Super Hero Squad Online

PAX 2010: It’s clobberin’ time with SHSO’s PvP online card game originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 08 Sep 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Join me as I brave my way through lands unknown in an adventure dictated entirely by you, the Massively readers! Vote for everything from game played to character creation to ultimate goal and watch it unfold in a series of posts and galleries here on the site. Then, after our two months are up, we’ll do it all over again in a new game!

Well, the masses have once again spoken, and this time I’m headed off to spend the next six weeks running around in Vanguard: Saga of Heroes! I’ll admit that this is one title that I’ve never played. At the time it was released, my computer’s stats were nowhere near the level required to play it (surprise), so I gave it a pass. Since then, I’ve been intrigued by the world (largely due to many of the lovely One Shots I’ve seen on it), but I simply haven’t taken the first step to check the game out. Thanks to the vote being rocked by the Vanguard community, it looks like I’m going to get that chance to see Telon after all!

Unfamiliar with Vanguard? Know all about it and would rather skip straight to this week’s polls? Join me behind the break for both!

Continue reading Choose My Adventure: Off to Telon!

Filed under: Fantasy, Polls, Vanguard, Massively meta, Choose my Adventure

Choose My Adventure: Off to Telon! originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 08 Sep 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The revelations at PAX East were pretty darn big for City of Heroes, but they had a big advantage over PAX Prime. At the time we sat down in Boston, Going Rogue was months away, and we knew almost nothing about what it would bring us. This time around, it’s been out for a couple of weeks, and most of the fancy pieces of knowledge are pretty well established. It would be hard, if not impossible, for the development team to hit us with the same one-two punch.

I wouldn’t argue that the team quite managed that — there’s no comparison to revealing two new power sets, the endgame system, and video demonstrations of much-awaited sets — but Paragon Studios sure did manage to drop quite a bomb on us. As I’ve done frequently in the past, we’re going to take this point by point, with a full collection of neat pieces of news that leave me wondering just how much interesting stuff is yet to come from the development team.

Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: All the news that’s fit from PAX

Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, City of Villains, Events, real-world, Expansions, Patches, Endgame, A Mild-Mannered Reporter

A Mild-Mannered Reporter: All the news that’s fit from PAX originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 08 Sep 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The day has come! Lord of the Rings Online is relaunching as a free-to-play title here in the States, and legions of new adventurers are setting off to follow in the footsteps of the Fellowship. For those new to the lands of Turbine’s take on Middle-earth, we wish you many exciting adventurers and frothy mugs of ale at the end of the day. We can’t wait to see your One Shots as you get a chance to travel through this picturesque world. One such example is today’s screenshot, which was sent in to us by Bronson. He writes in to explain this image from Lord of the Rings Online: “My rune-keeper was leaving Duillond and crossing the bridge to The Shire, and I thought the scenery was pretty darn… well pretty.“

Are you one of the myriad players who are headed into Middle-earth? Why not snap a screenshot of your adventures for us! We love to see what everyone’s up to. All you have to do to take part is to email us here at oneshots@massively.com with your image, your name, and a description of what we’re seeing. We’ll post it out here for everyone to enjoy and give you the credit. Easy!

Filed under: Fantasy, Screenshots, Lord of the Rings Online, Free-to-play, One Shots

One Shots: What’s old is new again originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 08 Sep 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The day has come! Lord of the Rings Online is relaunching as a free-to-play title here in the States, and legions of new adventurers are setting off to follow in the footsteps of the Fellowship. For those new to the lands of Turbine’s take on Middle-earth, we wish you many exciting adventurers and frothy mugs of ale at the end of the day. We can’t wait to see your One Shots as you get a chance to travel through this picturesque world. One such example is today’s screenshot, which was sent in to us by Bronson. He writes in to explain this image from Lord of the Rings Online: “My rune-keeper was leaving Duillond and crossing the bridge to The Shire, and I thought the scenery was pretty darn… well pretty.“

Are you one of the myriad players who are headed into Middle-earth? Why not snap a screenshot of your adventures for us! We love to see what everyone’s up to. All you have to do to take part is to email us here at oneshots@massively.com with your image, your name, and a description of what we’re seeing. We’ll post it out here for everyone to enjoy and give you the credit. Easy!

Filed under: Fantasy, Screenshots, Lord of the Rings Online, Free-to-play, One Shots

One Shots: What’s old is new again originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 08 Sep 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Asetek Liquid Cooling Quiets the Powerful maxQ2 (squared) Computer which Runs Mac OS X™, Linux™, and Windows 7™ Natively

(PRWeb September 08, 2010)

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/quo_computer/liquid_cooling/prweb4472384.htm

Nexon Europe, makers of the sprawling Mabinogi free-to-play fantasy MMORPG, have just released the Uncharted Lands expansion that brings massive amounts of content updates to European players in one fell swoop. Uncharted Lands collates three years of Korean updates and two years of North American updates into one patch, culminating in the European Mabinogi client being brought up to speed a mere four months after its initial launch.

Included in the update are two new races (giants and elves), multiple new explorable locations (Connous, Physis, Courcle, and the city of Tara, among others), and flying mounts. Finally, social features such as the postal system, fashion and cooking contests, and activities including jousting and farming have been made available in the huge update.

You can learn more at the official Mabinogi website, as well as check out an expansion trailer after the cut.

Continue reading Mabinogi Europe reveals huge Uncharted Lands expansion

Filed under: Fantasy, Expansions, News items, Free-to-play, Mabinogi

Mabinogi Europe reveals huge Uncharted Lands expansion originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 08 Sep 2010 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You might think that BioWare has the market cornered when it comes to story in upcoming MMORPGs. As we found out at PAX Prime 2010, however, TERA is also focusing on delivering an interactive narrative experience to complement its action combat gameplay. Our own Rubi Bayer managed to corner En Masse Entertainment lead writer David Noonan for a little one-on-one time regarding TERA’s extensive storyline.

Noonan also dropped an interesting nugget or two regarding the state of the title’s endgame. Read the full interview after the cut and be sure to check out our gallery below.

Continue reading PAX 2010: TERA’s David Noonan talks story, endgame

Filed under: Fantasy, Events, real-world, Interviews, New titles, News items, TERA

PAX 2010: TERA’s David Noonan talks story, endgame originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 08 Sep 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Volume III, Book 2: The Ride of the Grey Company is upon us, a massive Lord of the Rings Online patch that is functioning as a virtual relaunch of the game. In addition to adding loads of new content, Turbine is transforming LotRO into a hybrid subscription/free-to-play model in the hopes that this choice will draw fresh crowds to the game. The company’s even opened eight new servers for the launch — four for US and four for EU.

Unfortunately, we have received word that Codemasters is going to release the patch in Europe “later than expected.”

Hit the jump for a roundup of our LotRO F2P news and discussion!

Continue reading LotRO F2P launch day roundup

Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Patches, Free-to-play, Guides

LotRO F2P launch day roundup originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 08 Sep 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Breen might be backstabbing frozen monsters, but they’ve been a part of something wonderful in Star Trek Online. Not in the sense that they’ve stopped being backstabbing frozen monsters, but in the sense that you’d be hard-pressed to find a player unhappy with the new featured episodes. And with the ongoing plan to add a new episode every week, there’s going to be a lot more content to enjoy in short order. The most recent Ask Cryptic feature, unsurprisingly, has focused on this new aspect of the game, with Dan Stahl fielding player questions on the weekly feature.

Perhaps most interesting for players will be the fact that Stahl talks about using the prototype version of user-generated content tools to develop some of the patrol missions seen in-game, reminding players that the option to make your own episodes is coming with time. There’s also re-affirmation of the episodes becoming permanent features of the game and scaling to all levels, allowing players to take off the rails of the previous leveling structure and chart their own course. View the full article for a deeper look inside the newest part of Star Trek Online, and really, don’t turn your back on a Breen.

Filed under: Sci-fi, Events, in-game, News items, Star Trek Online

Newest Ask Cryptic focuses on Star Trek Online’s weekly episodes originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 08 Sep 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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