Filed under: Tips and tricks

EVE Evolved: Courier contracts used for theft

by Brendan Drain Jun 21st 2009 at 8:00PM

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Culture, Game mechanics, PvP, Making money, Tips and tricks, EVE Evolved

Many of EVE Online's most prolific marketeers use courier contracts to collect together items from their region-wide buy orders but that's not all they can be used for. Courier contracts were originally intended as a way to pay another player to haul items for you securely using a standard collateral deal but if you know how, they can also be used for theft. Over the years, players have found ways to use courier contracts for profiteering, gambling, and even corporate theft. In EVE's Machiavellian universe, anything you can get away with is fair game. This includes twisting an innocuous game mechanic like courier contracts into a tool for theft and piracy.

In this short article, I examine some of the more creative ways pilots have used courier contracts to steal and plunder their way to the top.

EVE Online article on piloting savvy a condensed gem of a resource

by James Egan Jun 10th 2009 at 10:00AM

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, PvP, Tips and tricks

We read a lot of what EVE Online players have to say about the game, whether it's on the growing number of blogs out there, in the official forums, or at Scrapheap Challenge. In fact we've noted an ever-increasing amount of excellent content out there, particularly among the EVE Blog Pack that's either informative or entertaining, and often both. The only downside, if there even is one, is that we don't get the chance to highlight as much of what people are doing out there quite as much as we'd like. Now and again though, we come across something that we feel really stands out and truly deserves a mention.

This is the case with "Piloting Savviness", one condensed gem of a post by 00sage00 on his blog Yarrbear Tales. 00sage00's article is chock full of tips on how to improve your effectiveness as a pilot, ranging from pointers on knowing your ship and its limitations to gaining an an awareness of your opposition, as well as your surroundings. If you're an EVE Online player getting into PvP, "Piloting Savviness" is a must-read.

MMO gaming under quarantine

by Tateru Nino Jun 6th 2009 at 12:00PM

Filed under: Tips and tricks, Opinion, Free-to-play, Massively meta

If you're unlucky enough to be quarantined because of Influenza A(H1N1), commonly referred to in the media as "Swine flu", trying to find ways to pass the time without wrecking yourself might seem a bit elusive. Since some of us, here at Massively, are stuck in quarantine right now ourselves, it seems only fitting that we try to pass on a few useful tips.

Obviously, you're already reading Massively, so we don't need to recommend that. Since you can't infect others online, gaming seems like a great option, but there are some things you'll want to watch out for, because the last thing you want is to make things worse for yourself.

EVE Evolved: EVE Online's aggression mechanics

by Brendan Drain May 31st 2009 at 6:00PM

Filed under: At a glance, Sci-fi, EVE Online, Game mechanics, PvP, Tips and tricks, Education, EVE Evolved

The aggression mechanics are something that every pilot in EVE Online should learn about. This is a set of rules that determines who you can attack in high security space, who can attack you and whether you can dock or use a stargate. Knowing them inside and out can mean the difference between losing your ship and keeping it in one piece, even if you have no intent of getting into a PvP situation. Nevertheless, it's a part of the game that a lot of players don't take the time to properly acquaint themselves with.

In this technical article, I give some important tips that will improve your survival. Can you afford not to learn about EVE's aggression mechanics?

Making that transition from casual to hardcore guild

by Jon Shute May 27th 2009 at 12:00PM

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Culture, Guilds, Raiding, Endgame, Tips and tricks

The Hunter's Mark has an interesting post regarding making the transition from casual to hardcode raiding for if you decide that you have enough of PuGs or your casual guild and want something a bit more hardcore. Although aimed at WoW the ideas and concepts are true for all the other games that also have a similar raiding system.

The guide starts off with the important point of checking that your current guild doesn't already have plans for that already, not burning your bridges with your current guild leadership because that may well be asked what you are like by your new guild and then where to go to actually find your new guild. It follows up with actually getting onto your guilds raids if they use DKP or a system like EPGP, how to be prepared through doing your homework and finally how to keep that spot when you get it so that you can continue raiding.

Developer reveals how stats work in WAR

by Brooke Pilley May 24th 2009 at 1:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Patches, Tips and tricks, Warhammer Online, News items

Min/maxers in Warhammer Online rejoice! Adam Gershowitz, producer of character systems stopped by the official forums to clear up a bit of confusion about how stats work in the current live game (1.21) and how they will work after the new patch (1.3) lands sometime in June.

Specifically, he detailed the basic functions of offensive stats (strength, intelligence, and ballistics) versus the main defensive stat (toughness). There are three main reasons why Mythic is making these adjustments. First, quicker and weaker attacks with special debuffs were doing more damage than intended. Second, AoE attacks were also doing more damage than intended. Third, boosting the effectiveness of toughness will encourage gear diversity, which goes hand in hand with the new sigil system.

To see the nitty-gritty breakdown of how these stats will play against each other in the new patch, head on over to the official forum discussion. Make sure you read through all the pages as Adam responds several times with additional information. He hints that there may be upcoming changes to how weaponskill affects parry, block, and dodge as well.

EVE Evolved: A stealth bomber adventure

by Brendan Drain May 11th 2009 at 8:00PM

Filed under: At a glance, Sci-fi, Galleries, Screenshots, EVE Online, Classes, Expansions, Game mechanics, PvP, Raiding, Tips and tricks, Grouping, Opinion, Hands-on, Education, EVE Evolved

Stealth bombers were originally advanced frigates aimed at an ambush predator role. They launched cruise missiles at foes from a distance and dealt very high damage to small ships like cruisers and other frigates. With the changes in the recent EVE Online expansion, they've been re-focused into an anti-battleship role. They now fling massive torpedoes that deal impressive damage to large targets but poor damage to smaller ships. In addition, they were switched from an ambush predator role intended to use normal cloaking devices to a pack hunter role able to warp while cloaked using a covert ops cloaking device.

It's all very well to speculate, but how well do the new stealth bombers actually perform? I took a gang of stealth bomber pilots out on the town for a tense PvP test drive. In this gallery article, I show a visual record of our adventure and go on to give my opinion on the new stealth bombers after a night of EVE PvP.

Gallery: A stealth bomber adventure

New EQII site features live in-game data

by William Dobson Apr 24th 2009 at 4:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest II, Launches, Tips and tricks

With the help of SOE, Zam has launched their new EverQuest II site, which boasts an impressive set of features. The site draws a lot of its information directly from the game data itself now -- you really can't get much more accurate than that. It's pretty safe to say that we know where we'll be heading next time we're hunting down an elusive quest mob in EQII. Here's a list of some of what's on offer:

A live Broker feed that allows you to track sales, items, and their pricing data across all servers

Loc's and other detailed information on every mob

Drop information of every item, including drop tables with exact percentages

Quest data from the game

Complete recipe information

The site overhaul is being celebrated with a contest, offering daily giveaways and a grand prize of four tickets to the SOE Fan Faire. To enter, visitors must create an account and contribute to the wiki, the forums, or the various comment sections, with each contribution granting one entry into the draw. That sure sounds like a recipe for some spam-tastic action, but we don't doubt that the folks at Zam are ready and waiting with ban-hammers drawn.

Starting out in Vana'diel: The auction house

by Colin Brennan Apr 17th 2009 at 4:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Final Fantasy XI, Economy, Guides, Making money, Tips and tricks, Consoles

Hello adventurers! It's been a while, hasn't it? We've been put off track thanks to an anime convention and a certain holiday, but we're back and better than ever! Last time I said we were going to talk about the auction gouse, and that's exactly what we're going to learn about today!

Final Fantasy XI's auction house isn't your standard ebay-esque system. While there is bidding, there is no such thing as a buyout, and you can't actually buy from a specific person. Items are put into the auction house, you can see if there are any of a certain item in-stock, and you can choose to place an amount of gil for that item. This type of auction is a variant on the silent auction, where there is no auctioneer and rising bidding price. Interested? Keep on reading and we'll get into the specifics of how this system works -- it's a little tricky at first.

Starting out in Vana'diel: See no evil, hear no evil, smell... no evil?

by Colin Brennan Mar 31st 2009 at 4:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Final Fantasy XI, Game mechanics, Guides, Leveling, Tips and tricks, Grouping, Consoles

Hola mi amigos! Hoy es la dia de Vana'diel! *clears throat* Ahem, sorry about that. Hello adventurers, and welcome to another edition of Starting out in Vana'diel! Today's topic is actually one that I find quite cool about Final Fantasy XI, especially when you compare it to other MMOs. It's the mechanic that puts the fear of Promathia into every adventurer's step.

Today's column is all about the different monster aggro types -- yes, there are different types. You want to find out more? Come, follow me, and let's find out more!

Starting out in Vana'diel: Time to pick up that second job you always wanted

by Colin Brennan Mar 27th 2009 at 3:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Final Fantasy XI, Classes, Game mechanics, Guides, Leveling, Tips and tricks, Quests, Grouping, PvE, Consoles

Hello again adventurers! Ready to go on another tour of Vana'diel? So, ok, you're in Valkurm Dunes. You're enjoying the luxurious beaches, the warm weather, the beautiful sandstorms, the nasty crabs that use defense buffs, and fish that fly in the air and attempt to impale you. It's all par for the course down here at Valkurm.

Yet, I know what you're saying to yourself. You're saying, "Well Brennan, when are you going to tell me how to get that sub-job, so I don't look stupid around the other players?" Perhaps you're not putting it so nicely in your head, but you get the drift.

For those of you who have thought that, then you'll be pleased to know that today's topic is getting your sub-job. Sure, the quest is pretty straightforward, but I have a couple of tips that may help you get through it that much faster. This way, when you get to level 18, you'll have a second job next to your name before your house moogle can say "Kupo~!"

Starting out in Vana'diel: Questing and you

by Colin Brennan Mar 24th 2009 at 5:30PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Final Fantasy XI, Game mechanics, Guides, Leveling, Tips and tricks, Quests, PvE, Player Housing, Consoles

Hello again adventurers! Today's topic is once again back on hard gaming ground instead of community theory as I introduce quests and their purpose.

Questing in Final Fantasy XI is not like questing in other games. Quests exist, but they don't jump out at you with bright yellow exclamation points. NPCs don't scream, "I have things for you to do for me!" Quests don't hold your hand as you pursue their goals. Also, most importantly, quests don't reward experience.

So why bother, right? If you're only going to get come cruddy gold and maybe an item, why should you spend your time doing the quest? Beautiful question, and a very accurate one. Let's take a look at the quest system, what it has to offer you, and how to find some quests at your level with ease.

How to stop worrying and enjoy games like Darkfall

by James Egan Mar 19th 2009 at 5:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Darkfall, Game mechanics, MMO industry, PvP, Tips and tricks, Opinion

While they seem to draw a fair amount of controversy and commentary, massively multiplayer online games that offer kick-in-your-ribs PvP aren't really a new thing. Darkfall is the title that everyone's talking about of late, but it's really cut from the same cloth as the progenitor of all MMOs, Ultima Online. Granted, Ultima Online wasn't and isn't purely focused on player killing, but the fact remains that when you log into games that allow for the possibility of being ganked, in some respects it is what you signed up for. While the no-holds-barred style of play isn't for everyone, it certainly is what some players want. Or at least think they want.

MMO world celeb Sanya Weathers, writing for Examiner, says "Darkfall has been, since its conception, an unapologetic return to Ultima Online's original style of full metal ham kicking. The gang at Aventurine never pretended their game would appeal to a mass market, and certainly never pretended that the game would have anything but a vicious learning curve."

Starting out in Vana'diel: Community, controls and cooperation

by Colin Brennan Mar 19th 2009 at 4:30PM

Filed under: Culture, Guides, Leveling, Tips and tricks, Grouping, PvE

Hello there adventurers! It's Thursday, and that means more tips for those of you who are new to Vana'diel.

This time around we have some less documented topics to talk about -- the controls of Final Fantasy XI, how to get into groups and how to run groups, and answer one of the questions presented by reader Green Armadillo in last column's comment area.

I know these topics may seem weird for a recurring feature that is suppose to be a guide to starting out in Final Fantasy XI. You would think I would be tackling more game play issues or tips on how to level. However, these topics play right into getting the most out of your FFXI experience. Knowing these things is going to help you tremendously in Vana'diel, so let's stop talking about it and get down into it.

Starting out in Vana'diel: Going solo, tips for levels 1-10

by Colin Brennan Mar 17th 2009 at 5:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Final Fantasy XI, Game mechanics, Guides, Leveling, Tips and tricks, PvE, Consoles

Hello again adventurers! Welcome back to Starting out in Vana'diel! Last time I promised that I would talk about getting levels 1-10 done and what you should do once you're done. While this probably won't be the most exciting column that will ever be written in this series, it is one of the most essential.

While not everything in Final Fantasy XI comes down to levels, they seem to be the main drive for any gamer who picks this game up. Plus, I know people really don't like grinds, but that's what levels 1-10 are going to be. I'm not going to sugar coat it -- these are the most painful levels of the game.

But, thanks to Fields of Valor and the exp bonus ring that you should have in your possession, things should go very smooth. (You didn't lose it since our first column, right?) Join me after the break, so we can get started on getting you to the magical level 10.

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Name	Date
Fallen Earth Launch	Q2 2009
Global Agenda Closed Beta	July 2009
CrimeCraft Launch	Aug 25 2009
Champions Online Launch	Sep 1 2009
Cities XL EU Launch	Sep 3 2009
Aion Launch	Sep 22 2009
Earth Eternal Open Beta	Q3 2009