Be The Gamer » world of warcraft http://www.bethegamer.com Fri, 10 Feb 2012 15:00:00 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.4 WoW loses another 100,000 subscribers http://www.bethegamer.com/2012/02/09/wow-loses-another-100000-subscribers/ http://www.bethegamer.com/2012/02/09/wow-loses-another-100000-subscribers/#comments Thu, 09 Feb 2012 22:00:00 +0000 Brianna Royce http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/02/09/wow-loses-another-100-000-subscribers/ Filed under: , , , ,

World of Warcraft
Thanks to our sister blog WoW Insider, we've got the scoop on today's Activision-Blizzard investor call. The results? Turns out World of Warcraft isn't dying, but it's certainly seen better days in its record-breaking run. Blizzard's flagship MMO now boasts "only" 10.2 million subscribers worldwide (10.3 million were reported during the call in November). The company believes the success of the 4.3 patch contributed to subscriber retention, as did the success of the annual pass; in fact, a million players took Blizzard up on a deal to purchase a year's worth of WoW in return for a free copy of Diablo III.

Blizzard also confirmed plans to launch at least two titles this year, including Diablo III in Q2. Mists of Pandaria, WoW's much-maligned upcoming expansion, might be the other, though Titan, Blizzard DOTA, and a new StarCraft II campaign are also in the works. The company's expected revenue for 2012 is $4.5 billion US.

MassivelyWoW loses another 100,000 subscribers originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 09 Feb 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> http://www.bethegamer.com/2012/02/09/wow-loses-another-100000-subscribers/feed/ 0 The Perfect Ten: MMO prisons http://www.bethegamer.com/2012/02/09/the-perfect-ten-mmo-prisons/ http://www.bethegamer.com/2012/02/09/the-perfect-ten-mmo-prisons/#comments Thu, 09 Feb 2012 20:00:00 +0000 Justin Olivetti http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/02/09/the-perfect-ten-mmo-prisons/ Filed under: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Perfect Ten Prisons
Chillin' in the clink. Spending time in stoney lonesome. Thrown into the slammer. Checking in to the big house. Doing (perfect) 10 to life in the hole. Learning the ropes in juvie.

Prison: The only fun thing about it is the slang that people have come up to describe it. And while you may never actually want to spend any time in the crowbar hotel in real life, chances are you've already done so in MMOs. Jails are an ever-popular locale in online gaming, and they almost always deal with an epidemic of escaped -- yet still milling around casually -- prisoners.

So in today's Perfect Ten, we talked to the warden and got you a special glimpse into pixelated pokeys, if only to scare you straight. No more exploits and bots for you, young man or woman!

Continue reading The Perfect Ten: MMO prisons

MassivelyThe Perfect Ten: MMO prisons originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 09 Feb 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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    ]]>     http://www.bethegamer.com/2012/02/09/the-perfect-ten-mmo-prisons/feed/ 0     The world of World of Warcraft recreated in Minecraft http://www.bethegamer.com/2012/02/09/the-world-of-world-of-warcraft-recreated-in-minecraft/ http://www.bethegamer.com/2012/02/09/the-world-of-world-of-warcraft-recreated-in-minecraft/#comments Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:00:00 +0000 Justin Olivetti http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/02/09/the-world-of-world-of-warcraft-recreated-in-minecraft/ Filed under: , ,

    Minecraft
    Minecraft players are well-known for their insane, over-the-top LEGO building projects, but one may have all the rest beat. A player named Rumsey is in the process of recreating the entire world of Azeroth from World of Warcraft inside the game, and while it's not completed quite yet, it's already incredibly impressive.

    Rumsey says that he had to cheat a little: Instead of placing every single block by hand, he wrote a piece of software that helps to automate the process of making full-scale version of the world. He's recently completed one continent -- Kalimdor -- and has plans to do the others as well as all of WoW's dungeons. He says that the only problem he's run into is Minecraft's height limit of 128 blocks, so he's had to employ mods to get around that.

    When the project is complete, Rumsey has hopes that it will be hosted online for tourists to visit this much blockier version of their favorite WoW stomping grounds.

    MassivelyThe world of World of Warcraft recreated in Minecraft originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 09 Feb 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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    ]]>     http://www.bethegamer.com/2012/02/09/the-world-of-world-of-warcraft-recreated-in-minecraft/feed/ 0     Meet the guild that’s lasted over 16 years http://www.bethegamer.com/2012/02/05/meet-the-guild-thats-lasted-over-16-years/ http://www.bethegamer.com/2012/02/05/meet-the-guild-thats-lasted-over-16-years/#comments Sun, 05 Feb 2012 22:00:00 +0000 Brendan Drain http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/02/05/meet-the-guild-thats-lasted-over-16-years/ Filed under: , , , , ,

    Ultima Online title image
    Guilds are a dime a dozen in MMOs today, be they small social guilds or hardcore groups that collect a few hundred players together. Most guildmates you play with will eventually leave the guild, making way for new members giving the game a try. But what if your guild could transcend the game it was formed in, creating a community that stayed together and moved from game to game? The Syndicate is one such guild, boasting a membership of 1,200 players and a 95% retention rate. The organisation celebrates its 16th anniversary this week, having been born as an online community before the release of Ultima Online.

    The Syndicate is currently active in Ultima Online and World of Warcraft, having previously been active in EverQuest, Shadowbane and other games. All members agree to follow a charter that forbids stealing, cheating, non-consensual player-killing, and immature behaviour. The Syndicate takes its identity so seriously that it's even trademarked its name and has worked with MMO companies to rename guilds using it. Developers have in turn taken advantage of The Syndicate's huge community size and code of conduct to beta test upcoming games. With its 16th birthday behind it, the guild predates most MMOs on the market today and is still going strong.

    MassivelyMeet the guild that's lasted over 16 years originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 05 Feb 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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    ]]>     http://www.bethegamer.com/2012/02/05/meet-the-guild-thats-lasted-over-16-years/feed/ 0     The Daily Grind: What mob type is too cute to kill? http://www.bethegamer.com/2012/02/04/the-daily-grind-what-mob-type-is-too-cute-to-kill/ http://www.bethegamer.com/2012/02/04/the-daily-grind-what-mob-type-is-too-cute-to-kill/#comments Sat, 04 Feb 2012 13:00:00 +0000 Brianna Royce http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/02/04/the-daily-grind-what-mob-type-is-too-cute-to-kill/ Filed under: , , , ,

    SWTOR
    In Star Wars Galaxies, it was the Gubbur. In Star Wars: The Old Republic, it's the Bantha. In World of Warcraft, it's those weird flower-monsters called Lashers. Every game has a super cute mob that I just feel horrible killing. Sometimes I suspect that the devs are purposely adding adorable things to MMOs and asking us to kill them just to mess with our heads in the service of some sort of Milgram experiment. Or maybe it's just meant to put us in our place out of pure revenge: "Flame my game on the forums, will you? Here's a zone full of fluffy Vorpal Bunnies that can one-shot you. Eat it, suckers!"

    So what say you? What MMO creature is simply too cute to kill?

    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: What mob type is too cute to kill? originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 04 Feb 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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      ]]>       http://www.bethegamer.com/2012/02/04/the-daily-grind-what-mob-type-is-too-cute-to-kill/feed/ 0       Study links MMOs to ‘problem’ game-playing http://www.bethegamer.com/2012/02/03/study-links-mmos-to-problem-game-playing/ http://www.bethegamer.com/2012/02/03/study-links-mmos-to-problem-game-playing/#comments Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:00:00 +0000 Jef Reahard http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/02/03/study-links-mmos-to-problem-game-playing/ Filed under: , , , , , ,

      Addicted gamer
      Despite the fact that video game addiction lacks both a definition and a diagnosis, "researchers around the world continue to investigate methods of determining, treating, and preventing" it, according to Gamespot.

      The American Psychiatric Association recently rejected a movement to incorporate game addiction into its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, but that hasn't stopped folks at the National Development and Research Institute from publishing the findings from a survey conducted with 3,380 adult gamers.

      The study found that five percent of participants reported "moderate to extreme problem game-playing." Commonly reported problem titles included Call of Duty, the Grand Theft Auto series, online poker games, and World of Warcraft. The team concluded that "there is evidence to suggest that problem game-playing is linked to particular kinds of game genres" and that further research is needed.

      MassivelyStudy links MMOs to 'problem' game-playing originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 03 Feb 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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      ]]>       http://www.bethegamer.com/2012/02/03/study-links-mmos-to-problem-game-playing/feed/ 0       Free for All: Old Second Life documentary still highlights truths http://www.bethegamer.com/2012/02/01/free-for-all-old-second-life-documentary-still-highlights-truths/ http://www.bethegamer.com/2012/02/01/free-for-all-old-second-life-documentary-still-highlights-truths/#comments Thu, 02 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0000 Beau Hindman http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/02/01/free-for-all-older-second-life-documentary-still-highlights-tru/ Filed under: , , , , , , , , ,

      Second Life documentary screenshot
      So I was working on this week's Free for All last night when a buddy of mine asked me if I had seen a certain older Second Life documentary. I didn't think I had before, but it turns out that my usual record of consuming everything MMO still stands, and it was fun to re-watch the older documentary again for several reasons.

      One of the most important things I noticed about the film was just how universal to MMO gaming the documentary was. The issues it brought up are still issues, the problems with virtual worlds are still problems, and the fact that any technology older than six months looks laughable on film is still true. It was also encouraging to see how well Second Life has aged since 2007, but it's slightly depressing to see just how horrible MMO documentaries can be at showing the entire picture.

      Continue reading Free for All: Old Second Life documentary still highlights truths

      MassivelyFree for All: Old Second Life documentary still highlights truths originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 01 Feb 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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        ]]>         http://www.bethegamer.com/2012/02/01/free-for-all-old-second-life-documentary-still-highlights-truths/feed/ 0         Amateur documentary tackles online game addiction http://www.bethegamer.com/2012/01/29/amateur-documentary-tackles-online-game-addiction/ http://www.bethegamer.com/2012/01/29/amateur-documentary-tackles-online-game-addiction/#comments Sun, 29 Jan 2012 21:00:00 +0000 Brendan Drain http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/29/amateur-documentary-tackles-online-game-addiction/ Filed under: , , , , ,

        World of Warcraft title image
        Countless documentaries have investigated gaming addiction and the supposed dangers lurking in massively multiplayer titles, but it's not often that someone who's experienced an addiction talks about it himself. Third year film student and ex World of Warcraft junkie Anthony Rosner looks back on his six years in the game in a new short documentary on the effects of MMO addiction. With help from friends Dave Novis and Arron Amo, Anthony produced, directed, wrote, and edited the film himself, ensuring that he had the opportunity to tell his whole story and tell it from his own perspective.

        Titled IRL - In Real Life, the film takes a largely light-hearted look at Anthony's past but still manages to tackle the big issues. "I used to wake up early, log on, play all day, and then go to sleep," Anthony recalls, adding the sobering note that this was his routine "for over 400 days of my life." Most of us can sympathise with people who feel isolated in the most social type of game there is, or who feel like running a guild is a full-time job. Anthony tackles these issues and talks about how he dragged himself out of them. The film's high production quality and authentic voice offer a glimpse into a world to which we can all relate. Check out the full video after the cut.

        Continue reading Amateur documentary tackles online game addiction

        MassivelyAmateur documentary tackles online game addiction originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 29 Jan 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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        ]]>         http://www.bethegamer.com/2012/01/29/amateur-documentary-tackles-online-game-addiction/feed/ 0         Creating a new world: 38 Studios discusses the formation of Amalur’s IP http://www.bethegamer.com/2012/01/27/creating-a-new-world-38-studios-discusses-the-formation-of-amalurs-ip/ http://www.bethegamer.com/2012/01/27/creating-a-new-world-38-studios-discusses-the-formation-of-amalurs-ip/#comments Fri, 27 Jan 2012 14:00:00 +0000 Justin Olivetti http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/27/creating-a-new-world-38-studios-discusses-the-formation-of-amal/ Filed under: , ,

        Reckoning
        As MMO fans, we're keeping a close eye on 38 Studios for its development of Project Copernicus, the MMO that will serve as the follow-up to next month's Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. The risk factor of not only developing two major intertwined projects in parallel but to have the additional task of creating a brand-new IP in which to put them must be a pressing one, which is why CVG sat down with Reckoning Lead Designer Ian Frazier to talk about challenges the studio has been tackling.

        Frazier outlines the balance the studio's struck between its three big-name creators -- Todd McFarlane (art), R.A. Salvatore (story), and Ken Rolston (design) -- not to mention the ideas that pour in from founder Curt Schilling. Fortunately, Frazier says that these larger-than-life personalities mesh well together: "The nice thing that's worked out is, I think if we'd got three famous game designers, it would have been a disaster: big egos, they're all on the same plane, it wouldn't have worked out. What makes this work is they're all different."

        Even though Rolston previously worked on The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion, Frazier said the designer wanted to try his hand at something fresh with a better combat system. "They're all great games," Frazier said of the Elder Scrolls series, "and I think they're progressively better, but they're all the same game. It's not like they're radically changing with time."

        Frazier said Reckoning has been compared to a "single-player WoW" as well as Dragon Age and Fable, but he insists that the world and ideas the team's been creating will take it far past those basic comparisons.

        You can take your first peek into the world of Amalur with the Reckoning demo -- and let us know what you think in the comments!

        MassivelyCreating a new world: 38 Studios discusses the formation of Amalur's IP originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 27 Jan 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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        ]]>         http://www.bethegamer.com/2012/01/27/creating-a-new-world-38-studios-discusses-the-formation-of-amalurs-ip/feed/ 0         The Perfect Ten: Best MMO theme songs (part two) http://www.bethegamer.com/2012/01/26/the-perfect-ten-best-mmo-theme-songs-part-two/ http://www.bethegamer.com/2012/01/26/the-perfect-ten-best-mmo-theme-songs-part-two/#comments Thu, 26 Jan 2012 15:00:00 +0000 Justin Olivetti http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/26/the-perfect-ten-best-mmo-theme-songs-part-two/ Filed under: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

        Perfect Ten
        The last time on the Perfect Ten, disaster struck the good ship Poseidon and the surviving readers were running out of air as they tried to escape the flipped-over vessel. Also, we were counting down the top 20 MMO themes, but that's of small consolation to the soon-to-be bereaved friends and families, don't you think?

        Because we play these games extensively, it's not uncommon for MMO music -- and themes -- to become vilified by the sheer number of times we've heard them. That's a little unfair to a three-minute piece of soundtrack that slaves every day to feed his wife and kids, doing the best he can in a trying situation. So perhaps we can put aside melodic oversaturation to look at these tracks anew, shall we?

        With half of them out of the way, it's time to look into the elite of the elite: the 10 best MMO themes of all time. According to me. A guy you don't know. You've got goosebumps, don't you?

        Continue reading The Perfect Ten: Best MMO theme songs (part two)

        MassivelyThe Perfect Ten: Best MMO theme songs (part two) originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 26 Jan 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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          ]]>           http://www.bethegamer.com/2012/01/26/the-perfect-ten-best-mmo-theme-songs-part-two/feed/ 0           The Game Archaeologist’s World of Warcraft confession http://www.bethegamer.com/2012/01/24/the-game-archaeologists-world-of-warcraft-confession/ http://www.bethegamer.com/2012/01/24/the-game-archaeologists-world-of-warcraft-confession/#comments Tue, 24 Jan 2012 21:00:00 +0000 Justin Olivetti http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/24/the-game-archaeologists-world-of-warcraft-confession/ Filed under: , , , ,

          WoW Concept Art
          As you may well know by now, I wasn't an early adopter of the MMO scene apart from a brief exposure to BBSes in the '90s and Anarchy Online and Final Fantasy XI in the early 2000s. To be honest, I found that MMOs were as intimidating -- and fascinating -- to me as pen-and-paper RPGs. You see, in high school I started buying RPG manuals and devouring them cover-to-cover, but I could never find friends or like-minded people with whom to play. The genre was a spectator sport for me; I was looking in from the sidelines and imagining what would happen if I actually got to be part of a D&D session.

          Likewise, MMORPGs in their earlier forms appeared as user-friendly to me as that house on the block with overgrown shrubs, a rusty iron fence, and a mangy, ever-barking mutt in front of it. Maybe it was really cool inside, or maybe it was a death trap from whence there was no escape, but I never had the courage to find out. Let me put it this way: I purchased and read the entire Star Wars Galaxies Prima Guide three times over without once signing up for the game.

          I'm sharing this with you because I always want to remember that what we take for granted today -- that MMOs are friendly, fun, engaging, and a downright natural part of many of our gaming lives -- isn't always true for those curious lookey-loos who feel intimidated by the scope, busy UIs, subscription fees, or the often bizarre attitudes that long-term MMO players exhibit. For me, it took one game that tore those barriers down to extend a welcoming hand to me, guiding me into these awesome games.

          Of course, that was World of Warcraft. And even though my geek cred would be so much higher if it were something earlier or, well, not so mainstream, that wouldn't be the truth. So today I'm going to share my story of how I got into MMOs and why the early days of WoW were some of my most treasured gaming memories.

          Continue reading The Game Archaeologist's World of Warcraft confession

          MassivelyThe Game Archaeologist's World of Warcraft confession originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 24 Jan 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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            ]]>             http://www.bethegamer.com/2012/01/24/the-game-archaeologists-world-of-warcraft-confession/feed/ 0             The Daily Grind: What’s your favorite item-quality system? http://www.bethegamer.com/2012/01/21/the-daily-grind-whats-your-favorite-item-quality-system/ http://www.bethegamer.com/2012/01/21/the-daily-grind-whats-your-favorite-item-quality-system/#comments Sat, 21 Jan 2012 13:00:00 +0000 Brianna Royce http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/21/the-daily-grind-whats-your-favorite-item-quality-system/ Filed under: , , , ,

            Screenshot taken of Wowhead browser database
            Grey, white, green, blue, purple, gold. World of Warcraft may not have invented what's become the standard colors for item quality, but it's surely cemented the hierarchy in gamers' minds. Last week, Raph Koster suggested that these tiers of items are part of the "yuck" that leads to the loss of immersion across the games industry.

            I think he's right. I miss the days of Ultima Online (which not coincidentally was Koster's baby), when players geared up with basic platemail of invulnerability, chainmail of fortification, and katanas of vanquishing. Halfway through UO's lifespan, that system was gutted in favor of a Diablo-esque item that turned wearables into a numbers game. The charm of my deadly poisoned kryss made by a Grandmaster Blacksmith was gone, replaced by a few dozen stats to juggle.

            Do you agree with Koster? Are color-coded item tiers a design shortcut that contributes to the loss of immersion in MMOs and other games? What game has your favorite item-quality system?

            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: What's your favorite item-quality system? originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 21 Jan 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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              ]]>               http://www.bethegamer.com/2012/01/21/the-daily-grind-whats-your-favorite-item-quality-system/feed/ 0               A WoW player’s guide to The Old Republic http://www.bethegamer.com/2012/01/20/a-wow-players-guide-to-the-old-republic/ http://www.bethegamer.com/2012/01/20/a-wow-players-guide-to-the-old-republic/#comments Fri, 20 Jan 2012 15:30:00 +0000 Matt Daniel http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/20/a-wow-players-guide-to-the-old-republic/ Filed under: , , , , ,

              Not pictured: looking up from this point on the map to see several docked battlecruisers. It's unexpectedly impressive.
              Whether you're a longtime World of Warcraft player or someone who's just recently tried the game and fallen in love with it, you're probably aware that there are other MMORPGs out there. Recently, the game that's been getting the most press is Star Wars: The Old Republic. And if you've sat down and tried it out as a veteran on World of Warcraft, you probably had some idea of what was going on when you started playing, with the only initial speedbump being the lack of an auto-attack feature.

              But there's more to the game than combat and more things that might trip you up in the long run. So Eliot Lefebvre and Matt Daniel are here to help you out with a massive guide to coming into TOR when you're accustomed to the environment of WoW. Take a skip past the break to find out almost everything you'll need to know when converting from the world of Azeroth to the galaxy of Star Wars: The Old Republic.

              Continue reading A WoW player's guide to The Old Republic

              MassivelyA WoW player's guide to The Old Republic originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 20 Jan 2012 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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                ]]>                 http://www.bethegamer.com/2012/01/20/a-wow-players-guide-to-the-old-republic/feed/ 0                 The Game Archaeologist moves into Lucasfilm’s Habitat: Part 2 http://www.bethegamer.com/2012/01/17/the-game-archaeologist-moves-into-lucasfilms-habitat-part-2/ http://www.bethegamer.com/2012/01/17/the-game-archaeologist-moves-into-lucasfilms-habitat-part-2/#comments Wed, 18 Jan 2012 01:00:00 +0000 Justin Olivetti http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/17/the-game-archaeologist-moves-into-lucasfilms-habitat-part-2/ Filed under: , ,

                Habitat
                Last week on the exciting cosmic adventures of the Game Archaeologist, we uncovered the ancient civilization of Lucasfilm's Habitat, one of the early predecessors to graphical MMOs. While we talked about how it came to be and pondered just how much money we'd waste if game companies were still charging by the minute, we didn't have the time or space to cover the community and events that formed around this experimental project.

                That day has come. Prepare your bladder for imminent release!

                Giving a bunch of players tools to do every which thing in the game and turning them loose without strict regulation might seem like a recipe for an instant sewage pit of a game today, but our cultured, classy behaviors weren't quite trained into us in 1986. When players first set eyes on Habitat, they weren't thinking of min-maxing, kill-stealing, or raid progression; they were trying to make sense of a virtual world using the only frame of reference they had to date: their own lives. Out of a melting pot of ideas and objects came fascinating stories from one of the earliest MMO proto-ancestors of the modern era. Get your '80s on as we head back... to the future!

                Continue reading The Game Archaeologist moves into Lucasfilm's Habitat: Part 2

                MassivelyThe Game Archaeologist moves into Lucasfilm's Habitat: Part 2 originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 17 Jan 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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                  ]]>                   http://www.bethegamer.com/2012/01/17/the-game-archaeologist-moves-into-lucasfilms-habitat-part-2/feed/ 0                   World of Warcraft’s patch 4.3 to be last major update until Mists of Pandaria http://www.bethegamer.com/2012/01/17/world-of-warcrafts-patch-4-3-to-be-last-major-update-until-mists-of-pandaria/ http://www.bethegamer.com/2012/01/17/world-of-warcrafts-patch-4-3-to-be-last-major-update-until-mists-of-pandaria/#comments Tue, 17 Jan 2012 22:45:00 +0000 Matt Daniel http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/17/world-of-warcrafts-patch-4-3-to-be-last-major-update-until-mist/ Filed under: , , , ,

                  Screenshot -- World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria
                  World of Warcraft's lead quest designer, Dave Kosak, let slip in an interview today that the recently released patch 4.3 will be the final major content update to hit Azeroth until Mists of Pandaria goes live. This is obviously a notable discovery, since it either means that Mists of Pandaria will be coming out soon, or WoW players are gonna be waiting a long time for the next patch. When asked if he believes that there's enough content in patch 4.3 to keep users sated until MoP comes out, Kosak replied that "between the three excellent dungeons [the game has], the new raid, and Raid Finder that should give people something to sink their teeth into for a few months." For the full interview, including a look back at the good and bad of WoW's patch 4.3, click on through the link below.

                  MassivelyWorld of Warcraft's patch 4.3 to be last major update until Mists of Pandaria originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 17 Jan 2012 17:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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                  ]]>                   http://www.bethegamer.com/2012/01/17/world-of-warcrafts-patch-4-3-to-be-last-major-update-until-mists-of-pandaria/feed/ 0                   Blizzard seems to think that Cataclysm was too linear http://www.bethegamer.com/2012/01/14/blizzard-seems-to-think-that-cataclysm-was-too-linear/ http://www.bethegamer.com/2012/01/14/blizzard-seems-to-think-that-cataclysm-was-too-linear/#comments Sun, 15 Jan 2012 01:00:00 +0000 Eliot Lefebvre http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/14/blizzard-seems-to-think-that-cataclysm-was-too-linear/ Filed under: , , ,

                  Yeah, that guy seems to have the right idea, let's go that way.
                  Designing MMOs is often the art of shepherding players in a given direction while at the same time giving them a sense of freedom. Even in a themepark environment, players want to be invested in areas, to have reasons to come back and explore and go off of the rails should they want to. World of Warcraft's most recent expansion, Cataclysm, has frequently been accused of giving players nowhere to go but a series of rails, and according to a recent response from a community manager, Blizzard agrees.

                  A very long thread on the official forums has spawned some interesting discussions about the game's overall endgame philosophy, with community manager Draxxari stating that Cataclysm's tightly linear design was an "error" on the design level. He goes on to state that Mists of Pandaria is meant to give players more reason to venture out and explore the world, although players will have to wait to see whether that promise holds true or not.

                  [Thanks to SgtBaker for the tip!]

                  MassivelyBlizzard seems to think that Cataclysm was too linear originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 14 Jan 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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