Amanda Rivera
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Amanda Rivera
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Have you been itching to add your own personal icon to your Massively comments but haven't had the time to create your own? Don't know even where to begin personalizing your icon? Well, you're in luck, because we here at Massively are all about making life easier for you, the reader. To that end we've put together a couple icons from today's top MMOs to get you started. To select a pre-made icon from the gallery below, simply download it to your desktop (right-click then save) and upload it to your profile.
Ten Ton Hammer is reporting on a recent uproar on the Vanguard: Saga of Heroes forums surrounding many MMO players' least favorite subject: death. Few like to contemplate their own demise, and even those who do would agree that penalties for dying in an online game are annoying. The current controversy surrounds a certain Producer's Letter written by game producer Thom Terrazas wherein he mentioned the possibility of reducing the severity of the death penalties in Vanguard.Now Dalmarus makes a valid point about all of this. Removing the loss of experience mechanic from death means removing the excitement. Essentially, the developers would be eliminating that extra thrill you get from tackling dangers and taking on challenges that might be a bit much for you; the thrill you get knowing you survived and saved your precious experience points. I would agree that a death penalty gives players a consequence, albeit a small one, for reckless actions in-game, and removing that penalty means changing the game experience for better or worse. My feeling is that the Vanguard team might be looking at their competition, titles like WoW, and noticing that the loss of experience might deter the casual player from sticking with the game. But then again, it doesn't deter Dalmarus, so should they really be worried?
When asked about the type of logo they are looking to create, Phillip Atencio of NetDevil mentioned that it must be something that conveys the creativity and energy of LEGO Universe, Fiorella Lee of LEGO.com brought up the phrase "global identity," and Matthew, and 10-year-old focus group participant talked about "lots of colors that shows what is going to happen in the game." So color, energy, and global identity. Well, that should be simple enough. Just draw a LEGO planet orbited by a LEGO cheetah, and throw in my LEGO dragon for good measure. I expect my check in the mail.
Are you looking to pick up a new MMO but not sure which one to try? Or perhaps you're one of those people that simply doesn't get all the hullabaloo surrounding World of Warcraft. If you happen to be just this type of person, then Howstuffworks has the article for you. "How World of Warcraft Works" looks into the game from an outsider's perspective, and gives a brilliant overview of nearly every aspect of the game. 








| Name | Date |
|---|---|
| Earth Eternal Open Beta | Q3 2009 |
| Alganon Launch | Dec 1 2009 |
| EVE Online: Dominion Launch | Dec 1 2009 |
| LotRO: Siege of Mirkwood Launch | Dec 1 2009 |
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