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World of Warcraft's graphics engine to be upgraded incrementally

Samuel Axon — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 19:30:00 EST

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, News items

In the wake of a series of comments by Blizzard reps hinting at an eventual overhaul of World of Warcraft's graphics engine, Worldofwar.net contacted Lead Producer J. Allen Brack for clarification. Brack responded by describing specific changes to the engine that will be in the Wrath of the Lich King expansion, and then by making a pretty major revelation about the nature of the overhaul.

According to Brack, Blizzard will be making the changes bit-by-bit rather than all at once. "We're taking an iterative, organic approach to graphics upgrades," he said, "going feature by feature as opposed to thinking in terms of an overall new graphics engine."

As for the WotLK changes: those will include a new shadow engine, some new shaders for "even better looking terrain, as well as cool ice effects," and an increased view distance to make those expansive Northrend wastelands look, well ... expansive. He also noted that new water effects will be coming in "a future content update or expansion."

[Via WoW Insider]

One of Azeroth's millions of citizens? Check out our ongoing coverage of the World of Warcraft, and be sure to touch base with our sister site WoW Insider for all your Lich King needs!

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Ryzom opens free accounts to new users

Shawn Schuster — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-fi, Business models, Events, real-world, MMO industry, Ryzom, Free-to-play

With the recent news of Ryzom's slow rebirth, allowing previous subscribers to reactivate their accounts for free, we're happy to report that free accounts are open to new players as well. This new account reactivation is happening in increments though, so if you've unsuccessfully applied previously, be patient! These activation stages will occur when each previous limit is reached, gradually bringing the populations back up in the game.

This new player activation is completely free, but they say it won't last long. If you've never tried the game and were put off by the reports of its untimely death, now is your chance to see what all the buzz is about.

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LotRO Lorebook updates players on ancient horrors

Samuel Axon — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Lore

We've always enjoyed Turbine's regular The Lord of the Rings Online Lorebook updates. The Lorebook is essentially a wiki that contains both gameplay information and Middle-earth lore. Some of the entries are made by players, and some are official. They usually focus on a particular character or place that Turbine has extrapolated or expanded from J.R.R. Tolkien's book trilogy.

The North American LotRO site hadn't been updated with any featured Lorebook entries in a while, but a couple new ones have finally arrived. First up is Bolgrukh -- a half-woman, half-bat horror who picks of hapless adventurers near Carn Dum. Apparently she was enslaved by Morgoth, and if you know your Middle-earth lore, you know that makes her really old. And old monsters are usually scarier than young ones!

The second entry is the Rogmul (Balrog slave) Udúnion, a level 52 Nemesis boss who will most certainly annihilate almost everyone he ever sees. He too is extremely old; the entry lists several historical events he's witnessed. And you know something's badass when its classifications are "Ancient Evil" and "Nameless." Fear!

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Spacetime Studios releases fast-paced Blackstar video

James Egan — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 17:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Video, MMO industry, New titles, Previews, News items, Blackstar

Sci-fi MMO fans received some bad news when Spacetime Studios recently announced that their Blackstar IP was in jeopardy, due to needing a publisher for the title. Surprisingly, selling a publisher on the IP -- where action occurs both in space and on the ground -- has been a challenge.

While they may be on the ropes, Spacetime Studios is far from throwing in the towel with Blackstar. They've announced that they will be meeting with people at the Austin Game Developers Conference in September, and are inviting business inquiries about the title. While we wait and hope a publisher will step up and make the title a reality for gamers, Spacetime Studios has given us a new video of pre-production footage of Blackstar. Check out the fast-paced video footage below the cut, for a look at what may yet be.

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Violently networking as APB comes to Facebook

Samuel Axon — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Interviews, MMO industry, New titles, All Points Bulletin, Crime

Social networking and virtual worlds are related technologies; they're both digital spaces where people can form and maintain relationships with one another. Social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook are commonly used to market products and services. MMOs are both products and services, so putting them on Facebook makes sense.

Realtime Worlds thinks so, anyway, as it has opened an official APB Facebook page where it can hold contests, and post news and media, and where fans can converse about the game. While pages are often used as half-hearted attempts to keep brands visible, Realtime Worlds is swinging for the fences by making its APB page an integral part of its public relations strategy.

WarCry talked to Realtime Worlds community manager Chris "Ulric" Dye about that decision, and he described in detail what the company is trying to do and why it's trying to do it. It's an interesting read, and there are a couple more general game-related questions slipped in. Most of them are artfully dodged, though! Nevertheless, Dye announced a fan art contest. Go to the Facebook page and submit your "best APB-themed graffiti/artwork" to win an as-yet-unannounced prize!

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Second Life Mono-enabled deployment rolling after multiple delays

Tateru Nino — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 16:30:00 EST

Filed under: Bugs, Patches, News items, Second Life

You might be wondering, you know after all the hooraw last week, just what precisely happened to SLS1.24, the Mono-enabled deployment of the Second Life server code that was supposed to deploy on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday last week.

Well, that was 1.24.0, and as you may recall that not long after the pilot deployment the Second Life grid went kind of whack. But that's alright, because 1.24.1 to the rescue! Nobody said quite what was wrong -- heck, maybe they can't -- but 1.24.1 fixed that and it was rolled out to replace 1.24.0 on the pilot simulators.

Now, stop us if you've heard this one before, but while 1.24.1 fixed whatever it was that was wrong with 1.24.0, but was kind of well ... crashy.

Are you a part of the most widely-known collaborative virtual environment or keeping a close eye on it? Massively's Second Life coverage keeps you in the loop.

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Ask Massively: Second chances in MMO's

Kevin Stallard — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: MMO industry, Opinion, Ask Massively

I'm feeling a bit cranky these days, so for this week's Ask Massively, I thought that I'd give you all my unvarnished opinion instead of kissing your collective backside in order to generate a few more page hits. Get your claws out for this one, folks. This nugget of truth is going to hurt a little.

Why do MMO's only have 1 shot when they change so *drastically* over time?

Games such as EQ2, DDO, Vanguard, Tabula Rasa, perhaps AoC...

6 months to a year later when the game is good and bursting with content etc. Why do players always chime the mantra "Too little too late" and perfer to just wait for the "next big thing" instead of re-visting these other games?

I understand feeling burnt for not getting everything at launch, but who cares? if the game has everything you wanted *now* who cares about the past when it *didnt*?

I just dont get it.

-Ding Dong Dang

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The 10 Commandments of EVE

James Egan — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Galleries, EVE Online, Game mechanics, PvP, Tips and tricks, PvE

EVE Online tends to appeal to MMO players who like the depth and complexity of a sci-fi game where players have the freedom to act as they wish in a vast galaxy. But that freedom comes with a price; EVE can be a harsh setting, particularly for newer players trying to get a handle on the game.

For the newer player who's recently completed the tutorial, EVE largely remains a mystery... one which only reading, learning from other players, and just 'going for it' can solve. Still, it's always good when someone passes on advice to newer players as many of us learned our lessons the hard way. To that end, we bring you The 10 Commandments of EVE. Truth be told, there are a lot more than ten essential things to know about the game, but this is a good start. Feel free to add your own "commandments" or lessons learned in the comments below.

Behold The 10 Commandments of EVE >>

Gallery: The 10 Commandments of EVE Online

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Warhammer's last pre-launch newsletter released!

Michael Zenke — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 14:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, New titles, Warhammer Online

The August newsletter for Warhammer Online is likely to be the last one released before the game launches on September 18th. The folks at Mythic have made it a great one, so buckle up for another big helping of WAR goodness.

With the game coming out so soon there's a lot of 'business' to discuss. There's a reminder that Open Beta begins September 7th, and that characters played in the Open won't transfer to live service. The NDA has lifted, of course, and there are a few notes about what that means. They also reveal that there will be pre-paid game time cards available at launch, in 30 and 60-day increments.
The Road to WAR is officially underway, and the newsletter discusses a bit about what they want to do with this unique marketing campaign.
They link to that fantastic CG trailer, offering everyone another look at the forces of Order and Destruction in action.
They offer up a brand new video, a trailer for the forces of Order talking about brotherhood and the ongoing war they're undertaking.
There's a brand-new production podcast as well, this one consisting entirely of outtakes. Overall it's a bit weak, but you have to stay to the end for outtakes from Mark Jacobs' appearance on the cast and Josh Drescher's hilarious impression of Paul Barnett. Well worth the wait.
A German fan trailer shows off the might and majesty of the city of Altdorf, and the dedication of the forces of Order.
There are preview articles about RvR scenarios (Thunder Valley and Logrin's Forge) and a look deep into the dungeon known as The Lost Vale with an in-world fiction piece.
There's tons more, including a snippet from the new Warhammer Online novel, Beta reports, player after-action writeups, more class mastery details, pre-order information ... etc.

As always, you can sign up for the newsletter at the official Warhammer Online website. Tell em' we sent you.

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One Shots: Coming in on the night boat

Krystalle Voecks — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Screenshots, Age of Conan, One Shots

Almost time for the weekend, a great time for new adventures! Today's One Shots from Age of Conan shows the daring Bear Shaman, Dabursus, after his arrival in the Stygian port of Khemi at dusk. Now that's someone who looks like they're out to find some adventure -- or at least an interesting-looking bar, most likely.

Have you found a great place to adventure, or just hang out, in your favorite game? If so, we'd love to see those screenshots! Send them to us here at oneshots AT massively DOT com. Sure, you can keep them to yourself -- but adventures become better in the retelling.

Gallery: One Shots

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MTV previews Warhammer Online, finds five things interesting

Samuel Axon — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Screenshots, New titles, PvP, Warhammer Online

MTV's Multiplayer blog sent its resident Warhammer geek (Joe DeShano) into the Warhammer Online beta. He came out with five key observations and published them on the blog. The observations: the game's world is at war, PvP is constant, the Tome of Knowledge should please Warhammer fanboys, the Empire's capital city is both cool and big, and applying dyes to armor is an awesome reminder of nerdy miniature-painting sessions.

He wrote up a general preview around those five key points (and a number of screenshots), and while you're not likely to learn anything totally new from it if you've been following the game, it can't hurt to read someone's hands-on impressions. At the end of it all, he seemed to have a high-ish opinion of the game, calling it "World of Warcraft 2.0."

Did you enjoy this? Make sure to check out all of our previous Warhammer Online features, and don't miss any of our ongoing coverage as Massively goes to WAR!

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The Hyborian Backpackers' guide: Wild Lands of Zelata

William Dobson — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 12:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Age of Conan, Guides, Leveling, Quests, PvE

The Hyborian Backpackers have returned to guide you through another of Age of Conan's expansive zones. Last week we ventured across Conall's Valley, and for this next tour, we have moved to another of the game's earlier areas, the Wild Lands of Zelata. Flip through our gallery guide to see our snapshots of all the major locations, find out where to pick up your quests, preview some of the bigger and meaner monsters, and to learn what exactly a Zelata is.

Gallery: The Hyborian Backpackers guide: Wild Lands of Zelata

Having fun in Conan's homeland? Make sure to check out all of our previous Age of Conan coverage, and stick with Massively for more news from the Hyborian Age!

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Stargate Worlds beta invites coming in "early September/October"

Samuel Axon — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Sci-fi, New titles, Stargate Worlds, News items

In addition to a previously reported train station appearance, and in defiance of all common sense in the midst of a global gas crisis and panic about carbon emissions, Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment/FireSky promoted Stargate Worlds at the Games Convention in Leipzig by meeting the press in a constantly-moving caravan of pimped-out, gas-guzzling Hummers.

In one of those Hummers, Ten Ton Hammer's John Hoskin recorded a video interview with Stargate Worlds studio head Dan Elggren. Hoskin asked Elggren about CME/FireSky's beta plans. Elggren said that the friends and family beta test has been going on for a while (it was when we visited the studio back in July, even) but that invites for "gameplay testing" will be going out to the public in "early September/October." Not quite the summer date we were promised, but we're still impressed at how quickly it's coming up.

Hopefully that will cheer up Stargate fans who are depressed over the recent news of Stargate Atlantis' imminent cancellation. Yet another spin-off -- called Stargate Universe -- will premiere in 2009, though.

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Age of Conan: A postmortem analysis?

Shawn Schuster — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 11:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Age of Conan, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Opinion

Ouch. That word pretty much sums up this article we found over at MMOCrunch regarding their opinion on the current state of Age of Conan. As declared in the article, it wasn't written to convince potential players that the game is bad (although... uh, it does?), or to tell current players that their game sucks, but it was addressed to Funcom and any other MMO developers out there currently working on a game to let them know why they're sometimes referred to as "Failcom" by the community.

This article is harsh, straight to the point and pulls no punches. That's exactly what we love. But whether you agree or disagree with the author's prognosis, these MMO postmortem articles are always written to charge people up. Give it a read and let us know what you think.

Having fun in Conan's homeland? Make sure to check out all of our previous Age of Conan coverage, and stick with Massively for more news from the Hyborian Age!

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Massively Speaking Podcast Episode 20

Michael Zenke — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Podcasts, Culture, Massively Speaking

Massively Speaking Episode 20 is a Shawn-less show! More's the pity, Mr. Schuster needed to attend to important issues this week - like a leaking roof. Instead Michael is joined by Mr. Darren Love of the Common Sense Gamer blog. Brenda Holloway, blogger at the West Karana site and Massively columnist, joins the gents to set them straight on the newly announced EQ and EQII expansions. Additional subjects of conversation include the new Conan expansion, Warhammer Online (of course), and the upcoming Module 8 for DDO!

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!

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Read below the cut for the full show notes.

Continue reading Massively Speaking Podcast Episode 20

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Today's Age of Conan patch should be last one before new PvP system

Adrian Bott — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Age of Conan, Patches, Server downtime

This morning, the Age of Conan servers received a small patch, tagged as patch 1.5. There's not much in it: a fix to the charging issues (that's charging into battle, not charging a credit card), a change to the price of basic riding skills (to 25 silver) and a few other bits and bobs. Small though it is, it's already caused the servers to be brought down for another 5 hours for technical reasons.

The more interesting news is that patch 2.0, which apparently brings with it the long awaited PvP consequence system, is set to go live on September 3rd. The usual disclaimers apply: we can't say for certain that this will happen, what appears on Testlive may not make it to Live, and so on and so forth.

There's a lot more to that patch than just the PvP system, of course. It's not the whole system, either, just the basics of it, namely PvP XP and the Notoriety system, which marks you as a criminal or murderer depending on who you slay. PvP gear is not yet included, so it's impossible to tell how worthwhile it is.

Having fun in Conan's homeland? Make sure to check out all of our previous Age of Conan coverage, and stick with Massively for more news from the Hyborian Age!

Continue reading Today's Age of Conan patch should be last one before new PvP system

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Ask a WAR Beta Tester: Greenskins and Chaos and Dark Elves, oh my

Kyle Horner — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, New titles, Warhammer Online

The road to Wahammer Online's release has been a lengthy walk for everyone. We've all been through ups and downs, but now that it's almost here we're more than happy to answer whatever questions are floating about your minds. So, in our second installment of Ask a WAR Beta Tester, we offer up some insight into the cut careers, leveling time and other questions of intrigue. All for the sake of satiating your burning desire to know more. Of course, we know that no matter how many answers are given there will be more questions asked. So if you've got something banging around in your brain that we haven't addressed, feel free to post a comment containing your question.

Continue reading Ask a WAR Beta Tester: Greenskins and Chaos and Dark Elves, oh my

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The Daily Grind: Are rewards for offline time a good idea?

Adrian Bott — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: The Daily Grind

In City of Heroes Issue 13: Architect, a new 'day job' system will be introduced where your character can gain buffs and progress towards special badges without you having to arrest a single villain. The system just requires you to log the character out in a location appropriate to the kind of work your character does when he's not being a superhero - a University for a scholar, a Hospital for a medical technician, a Police Station for a cop - and when the character logs back in, you get an appropriate buff and badge progress.

Other games have 'rested' systems, too. Age of Conan has 'fresh kills', where a set number of the first kills of the day net you extra XP (so long as they're a challenge), and something similar was popularized in World of Warcraft long before.

But do these systems just reward players for not playing? Is a system that rewards you for spending time offline effectively dictating how you ought to play? Or do such systems enrich a game, giving added incentive to keep several alts on the go?

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Silicon Knights developer says EVE is better than WoW

Samuel Axon — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Sci-fi, EVE Online, Interviews, Opinion

Silicon Knights President Dennis Dyack is apparently a balanced gamer. Sure, he's worked on games like Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain and he's president of the company behind the big Xbox 360 exclusive Too Human. But it would appear that he's also a connoisseur of MMOs.

He told videogaming247 that EVE Online is (for him, at least) a better game than World of Warcraft. "I know it's a lot harder core," he said, "but the depth of it's unparalleled and I love it." It's been mentioned again and again how different the EVE and WoW experiences are. They represent two fundamentally opposing game design philosophies. That serves as a reminder that this genre can be potentially achieve more than the treadmill-loving, fantasy RPG style it has become known for.

But Dyack had one complaint that applied to both titles. "I have to ... force myself to stop playing those games because it takes too much time," he said. That seems to be a problem with MMOs in general -- especially ones that use the subscription model. Blizzard and CCP want you to invest as much time as possible into the game so you'll stay subscribed, right? Looks like it backfired in Dyack's case. We wouldn't be surprised if it alienated a lot of other potential subscribers as well.

One of Azeroth's millions of citizens? Check out our ongoing coverage of the World of Warcraft, and be sure to touch base with our sister site WoW Insider for all your Lich King needs!

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CCP Games video interview on the Council of Stellar Management

James Egan — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Video, EVE Online, Economy, Events, real-world, Interviews, MMO industry, News items

MMORPG.com's video scoop from the Leipzig Games Convention wasn't limited to info on EVE Online's upcoming expansions. They also got some face time with Lead Economist Dr. Eyjólfur Guðmundsson of CCP Games, who discusses some of CCP's projects and initiatives, namely the Council of Stellar Management (CSM).

Dr. Guðmundsson shares his point of view on the process of having players interact with the developers on affecting the development pipeline. He also addresses the poor voter turnout in the CSM election, which was not surprising given the general apathy many people have about real-life elections, he comments. The interview largely focuses on Dr. Guðmundsson's experiences with the CSM, but given his role in the company, he also mentioned the economic impact of factional warfare on the market in EVE. More information on this aspect of EVE should be covered in one of his forthcoming Quarterly Economic Newsletters, he says. Be sure to see the video at MMORPG.com if you're interested in seeing more about the Council of Stellar Management and the economics of EVE Online.

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