soe posts

One Shots: Norrathian safari

by Krystalle Voecks Jul 30th 2010 at 2:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Screenshots, EverQuest II, One Shots

You know why we love to get more than one game's screenshots from one person? Aside from the fact that it's fun to see what you're all up to, it tells us we're not the only ones with multiple-MMO ~~addictions~~ subscriptions! Indeed, that's part of what makes the readers of Massively so awesome -- you're just as crazy about these games as we are. Today, we have the second screenshot of the week from shanert, who sent us the Vanguard one a couple of days ago. This time, we catch up with his Ratonga, and have a look around the world of EverQuest II. He writes a rhymey line to explain:

"Running around the borderlands of Freeport with my little rat and see,
how beautifull a six year old game can be."

There are tons of interesting sights out there in MMO land, but we need you to make One Shots happen. So while you're out playing this weekend, why not grab a screenshot of something interesting for us! Then all you have to do is email it to us here at oneshots@massively.com along with your name, the name of the game, and a description of what we're seeing. We'll post it out here for everyone to enjoy, and give you the credit.

Gallery: One Shots: Gallery II

Tags: EQ2, EQII, EverQuest-2, everquest-ii, one-shots, screenshots, shanert, soe, Sony-Online-Entertainment

The Road to Mordor: Gated communities

by Justin Olivetti Jul 30th 2010 at 1:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest II, Lord of the Rings Online, Culture, Patches, Free-to-play, The Road to Mordor

This past week, many of us were shaken out of our self-absorption with LotRO's F2P switch as we were suddenly joined by -- of all things -- the good folks at EverQuest II. I don't think anyone could've predicted two such high-profile MMORPGs moving to a subscription/free-to-play hybrid model this year, which makes LotRO and EQII comrades-in-arms for the time being. Both titles are currently in testing, with their F2P release coming this fall.

Other than the mutual surprise of two game communities that were taken off guard (except for that one guy who, y'know, totally called it and won't stop crowing about it), there are a number of similarities as both SOE and Turbine look to replicate DDO's F2P success and bolster both the number of players and number of dollars coming in to both games. However, there's certainly a major difference in how the freebie players will be handled: LotRO is integrating them with subscribers on normal servers, whereas EverQuest II Expanded will segregate the free players on their own unique servers.

So I thought that this would be an excellent time to talk about one of the crucial factors of F2P switches, which is the potential growth and/or fracturing of the game's community. Which MMO has the better idea, LotRO or EQII? Hit the jump for my thoughts.

Tags: community, ddo, dungeons-and-dragons-online, elitism, eq2, eq2-expanded, eqii, everquest-2, everquest-ii, everquest-ii-expanded, expanded, f2p, featured, free-to-play, freebies, freemium, ftp, gated-community, hospitality, lord-of-the-rings-online, lotro, microtransactions, moocher, servers, soe, Sony-Online-Entertainment, subbies, the-road-to-mordor, turbine, uncouth-savages

Wall Street Journal examines SOE's and Turbine's switch to free-to-play

by Rubi Bayer Jul 30th 2010 at 11:00AM

Filed under: Dungeons and Dragons Online, EverQuest II, Lord of the Rings Online, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play

The growing trend toward the free-to-play business model in the MMO industry has caught the attention of the Wall Street Journal.

The feature story in the paper's weekly Digital Media section is entitled "First, Give Away the Game," and focuses heavily on some of the recent free-to-play announcements from high-profile MMO developers. Warner Brothers President Martin Tremblay spoke to the WSJ regarding DDO's dramatic turnaround last year as well. "The game was almost dead," said Tremblay, saying that DDO is now "very healthy" financially, thanks to the switch to free-to-play. He stated that the change was "a big reason" for the decision to acquire Turbine, and the reason Warner Brothers plans to follow the business model for other games. "This is the way we believe customers want to consume games in the future."

It's an interesting look at the growth of microtransactions and the F2P model in the Western market. The full story can be read on the Wall Street Journal's Digital Network.

Tags: business-models, ddo, dungeons-and-dragons-online, eq-2, EQ-II, EQ2, EQII, EverQuest-2, everquest-ii, f2p, free-to-play, ftp, lord-of-the-rings-online, lotro, Microtransactions, soe, Sony-Online-Entertainment, turbine, wall-street-journal, wall-street-journal-online, warner-brothers, wsj, wsj-online

DC Universe Online releases new video developer Q&A

by Rubi Bayer Jul 29th 2010 at 9:00PM

Filed under: Super-hero, Video, News items, DC Universe Online

Episode 6 of DC Universe Online's video dev diary Inside the Studio has been released on Facebook, with Game Director Chris Cao and Creative Director Jens Andersen answering the latest round of fan questions.

The questions, of course, were pulled from Facebook comments, and the 10-minute video covered quite a few subjects. The developers confirmed that you will have powers which allow you to shapeshift into various animals, taking on their powers. They gave more details on weapons, powers, and the combinations thereof, details about flight, story arcs, and much more.

Check out the full video on Facebook for all the answers, and keep an eye out for Episode 7.

Tags: chris-cao, dc-universe-online, dcuo, developer-blog, facebook, jens-andersen, soe, Sony-Online-Entertainment, video-dev-diary

Pirates of the Burning Sea exchange shops detailed

by Jef Reahard Jul 29th 2010 at 6:00PM

Filed under: Historical, Pirates of the Burning Sea, Expansions, News items

We know what you're thinking, because it's the same thing we thought when we heard the words "exchange shop" uttered in concert with Pirates of the Burning Sea. Surprisingly, this isn't yet another free-to-play conversion announcement but rather a look at one of the new features sailing your way in the forthcoming Power and Prestige expansion.

The new content, scheduled to launch August 24th, will enable Collection Exchange Shops on every junk buyer in a particular game region. In a nutshell, the shops streamline the loot collection and turn-in process, and a new dev blog over at the official Pirates of the Burning Sea website has all the details. "We have done some number crunching and decided to increase the value of low level loot in order to give new players another way to generate capital while roaming the open sea," the post says.

Furthermore, Flying Lab has also added Career Reward Exchange Shops to the expansion. Due to the extensive ship changes coming with the patch, it's quite probable that many veteran players will want to respec their previously earned career rewards. Many career mission NPCs will now feature the ability to swap ship outfittings free of charge.

Tags: career-reward-exchange-shop, collection-exchange-shops, dev-log, flying-lab, flying-lab-software, Pirates, Pirates-of-the-Burning-Sea, potbs, power-and-prestige, power-and-prestige-expansion, respec, soe, Sony-Online-Entertainment

Massively's Vanguard group smushes spiders, moves on to bigger things

by Beau Hindman Jul 28th 2010 at 4:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Events, in-game, Vanguard

Recently, we started a static group for Vanguard: Saga of Heroes, and since then we have made our way off of the Isle of the Dawn, the newbie zone. We started out killing hobgoblins and facing down fire demons, made our way through the misty waters of a swamp, and moved on to flying a group of pegasi into the firey Hell of the Temple of the Ancients. (OK, more like "laggy Hell," but they have fixed that issue since then.) I ran through most of the Isle's content alone before, so revisiting it in a full group was such a pleasure.

Well, we fight on! We met on Monday to conquer the Jade Depths: essentially a giant spider-infested system of caves, going through such tribulations as becoming impregnated with arachnid larvae, digging through piles of bones, and using magical portals. All was spooky -- very spooky. We are going to meet up next Monday, the 2nd of August, to take a swipe at the Vault of Heroes. While it might be old, take a look at this entry from Jaye over at Journeys with Jaye to give you an idea of what lies in store! Here is a list of quests in the zone, as well. Be between the levels of 11-14, grab your best armor, and meet us at 9 p.m. EDT (8 p.m. CDT) in Veskal's Exchange. Contact Rikoo Rakoo, Burtimus or Massively Lee for a guild invite!

Hopefully this time the larval-impregnation will be kept to a minimum.

Tags: events-in-game, isle-of-the-dawn, jade-depths, larval-impregnation, live-events, SOE, Sony-Online-Entertainment, vanguard, Vanguard-Saga-of-Heroes, vault-of-heroes

Choose My Adventure: No soup for you!

by Krystalle Voecks Jul 28th 2010 at 3:00PM

Filed under: Sci-fi, Opinion, Star Wars Galaxies, Hands-on, Choose my Adventure

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, as our two months are up, we'll do it all over again in a new game!

Welcome to yet another week in Star Wars Galaxies -- an MMO that is very rapidly teaching me that there's a lot more going on below the surface than I'd ever really considered. Sure, there's combat, and all the great creatures, locations, and stories one would expect from a game set in Star Wars' storyline. But as I'm learning the more I play, there are some interesting systems that offer more than one might expect at first glimpse.

Curious as to what this week was like, and what new things I learned? Join me behind the break as I tell you all about my most recent adventures. Be ready vets for this week's request, wherein I solicit some unique homework from you! Also, as before, I've gathered up some screenshots from this week's adventure and tucked them into the gallery below for your enjoyment.

Gallery: Choose my Adventure: Star Wars Galaxies

In a strange new place, looking for the scum and villainy.

Bantha! Don't try to run them over in your landspeeder. It doesn't work very well.

Say hello to Bintall. He's very handy with a blaster!

Mo'ag and I had to put the Tuskens in their place.

I got a shiny new backpack to carry more things.

Tags: choose-my-adventure, chronicle-system, chronicles, cma, featured, hands-on, legacy-storyline, missions, player-housing, quests, soe, sony-online-entertainment, star-wars-galaxies, swg, terminal-missions

One Shots: I'm on a boat!

by Krystalle Voecks Jul 28th 2010 at 2:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Screenshots, Vanguard, One Shots

With the news out yesterday that EverQuest II is going to offer a F2P version, there are many who turned to look at the other SOE games wondering if we might see a shift for them as well. For Vanguard, that could mean more people taking a second look at this graphically gorgeous game -- something we're relatively certain the current playerbase would welcome! With interesting visuals like today's One Shots from shanert, along with interesting in-game systems to play through, we suspect others would be doing what he wrote in to tell us about today: "Here's an image of my character on a tour around the rivers with a self-crafted sloop (after finishing a extensive quest-line that takes weeks of harvesting and crafting)."

Have you snapped a great screenshot from your favorite game lately? Why not share it with us! We're always looking for new and interesting things to show off on One Shots. Email your image to us here at oneshots@massively.com along with your name, the name of the game, and a description of what we're seeing. We'll post it out here for everyone to enjoy and give you the credit.

Gallery: One Shots: Gallery II

Tags: boat, one-shots, screenshot, screenshots, shanert, soe, sony-online-entertainment, vanguard, vg

Exclusive: EQII F2P interview with Dave Georgeson

by Jef Reahard Jul 27th 2010 at 3:30PM

Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest II, Business models, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play

Earlier today SOE dropped the F2P bomb that is EverQuest II Extended, and Massively was on the front lines to bring you the scoop first. We also sat down with lead producer Dave Georgeson to chat about the particulars of the new service, as well as get his take on where the industry is heading.

He had a number of interesting nuggets to share, about not only the game's alternate F2P business model, but also the fact that SOE is keen on respecting the wishes of its core player base.

Read all about it after the cut.

Tags: breaking, business-models, dave-georgeson, EQ2, eq2-extended, EQII, eqII-extended, EverQuest-2, everquest-ii, extended, f2p, featured, free-to-play, smokejumper, soe, Sony-Online-Entertainment

SDCC 2010: Up, up and away at the DCUO panel

by Justin Olivetti Jul 27th 2010 at 3:00PM

Filed under: Super-hero, Interviews, Massively Event Coverage, DC Universe Online

Are you pumped for DC Universe Online after watching the recent "Who Do You Trust?" trailer or our own interview with John Smedley? We can hardly blame you -- it's tough being a superhero waiting in the wings. While we count down the days until its November 2nd launch, there's a lot more DCUO goodness to be had.

Massively was on hand at the DCUO panel at this year's San Diego Comic-Con, where Jens Andersen, Chris Cao, Marv Wolfman, Jim Lee and Mark Hamill (who is reprising his voice work as the Joker) were on hand to answer questions about DC's upcoming title. Hit the jump for the full skinny on time travel, heroes, villains and Bat-shark repellent.

Tags: ambush-bug, backstory, bainiac, bat-shark-repellent, Batman-Arkham-Asylum, chris-cao, console-mmo, dc, dc-universe-online, dcuo, demented-clown, featured, green-lantern, jens-andersen, jim-lee, john-smedley, joker, lex-luthor, mark-hamill, marv-wolfman, playstation-plus, Playstation3, ps3, san-diego-comic-con, sdcc-2010, soe, Sony-Online-Entertainment, superman, the-flash, time-travel, trailer, who-do-you-trust, wonder-woman

EverQuest II jumps on the F2P bandwagon

by Jef Reahard Jul 27th 2010 at 2:05PM

Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest II, Business models, MMO industry, News items

Despite assurances as recently as last month that EverQuest II wouldn't be going free-to-play, Sony Online Entertainment today announced that the game is doing just that... sort of. EverQuest II Extended is slated for a beta launch on August 17th, and features a separate server set providing all of the game's original content via the insanely popular F2P business model.

"The very nature of an MMO is change, and the decision to create Extended was fueled by evolution of the industry landscape," says EQII lead producer Dave Georgeson. "By offering two services side by side we have given the power to our players to determine the program that best fits their game play style."

Extended will allow access to all zones through The Shadow Odyssey, sans subscription, credit card info, or software purchases. Players will be able to purchase additional perks (such as races, levels 80 - 90, statistical gear, and potions) through the marketplace. Existing EQII subscribers will also be able to transfer their characters to the F2P servers, albeit without their gold. Bags, no-trade items, and attuned items will be transferred. Extended also offers a yearly subscription priced at $200 USD, which equals out to $16.66 per month. SOE is chipping in 60 Station Cash to make up the difference.

Check out the membership matrix for all the details on the new service, and stay with Massively for our interview with Dave Georgeson later today.

[Update: That interview can be found here.]

Tags: breaking, business-models, dave-georgeson, EQ2, eq2-extended, EQII, eqII-extended, EverQuest-2, everquest-ii, extended, extended-servers, f2p, free-to-play, marketplace, separate-servers, smokejumper, soe, Sony-Online-Entertainment, yearly-subscription

The Tattered Notebook: Mask of the betrayer

by Jef Reahard Jul 26th 2010 at 1:30PM

Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest II, Opinion, The Tattered Notebook

You know, there's something decidedly ironic about playing a rat in an MMORPG, particularly in a themepark grinder like EverQuest II (and before anyone burns me at the stake, it's a good themepark grinder, I'm positively in love with it). The parallels are almost too perfect. Rats chase cheese and players chase digital carrots, running around a pre-defined maze with numerous boundaries, roadblocks, and invisible walls just like your average lab rodent. Luckily EQII camouflages these minor irritations better than most games, even on fairly grinderific content like the city betrayal quest series.

Yes, I've returned to playing my ratonga after a week of cheating on him with a shiny new shadowknight, and I've finally managed to move his furry little butt away from the abusive stylings of Freeport to a comfy little four-room rat hole off the side streets of South Qeynos.

Turn the page for more on his journey and thumb through his gallery below.

Gallery: EQII Ratonga Betrayal

Tags: betrayal, betrayal-quest, cheese, EQ2, EQII, EverQuest-2, everquest-ii, faction, faction-grind, featured, gallery, gil-mcmartin, grand-inquisitor-telex, grind, haven, opinion, qeynos, ratonga, screenshots, soe, Sony-Online-Entertainment, the-tattered-notebook

SDCC 2010: You can play as iconic characters: Massively's interview with DC Universe Online

by Rubi Bayer Jul 26th 2010 at 10:00AM

Filed under: Super-hero, Events, real-world, Interviews, PvP, News items, DC Universe Online

Last week we had a chat with Sony Online Entertainment's President John Smedley about preorders and beta for DC Universe Online. We talked quite a bit about the ability to play as Batman via a preorder bonus, and one of the questions we asked was "Will there be more opportunities in the future to play as familiar DC Universe villains or heroes?"

John replied that they were thinking about it, but it sounds like the DCUO team has been doing a lot more than just thinking about it. We caught up with DCUO Studio Art Director Mike Daubert at Comic-Con this weekend, and he had some pretty exciting news for us.

Follow along after the jump to see what he had to say!

Tags: batman, Comic-con, comic-con-2010, dc-universe-online, dcuo, dcuo-iconic-characters, joker, lex-luthor, mike-daubert, pvp, san-diego-comic-con, san-diego-comic-con-2010, sdcc, sdcc-2010, sim-cards, soe, Sony-Online-Entertainment, superman

Pirates of the Burning Sea confirms expansion release date, extra features

by Jef Reahard Jul 25th 2010 at 8:00PM

Filed under: Historical, Pirates of the Burning Sea, Expansions, News items

Get ready to return to the high seas, as Flying Lab Software and Sony Online Entertainment have announced the official release date for Pirates of the Burning Sea's first expansion. Power and Prestige will sail on August 24th due to Flying Lab's desire to polish and perfect.

The expansion, which already features quite a list of game improvements, will also debut with a new career rewards exchange shop, a junk buyer exchange shop, and client-side preferences for auto-facing targets in avatar combat. When we add these to the previously announced port governance, skill revisions, career revamps, ship tweaks, avatar skill revamps, and hefty doses of new mission content, the result looks to be a premium expansion that will keep captains busy for quite some time.

You can view all the details via the official press release and expansion feature list.

Tags: expansion, flying-lab, flying-lab-software, Pirates-of-the-Burning-Sea, potbs, power-and-prestige, release-date, SOE, SONY, Sony-Online-Entertainment

SOE and Blur release DCUO story trailer

by Jef Reahard Jul 24th 2010 at 1:00PM

Filed under: Super-hero, Trailers, Video, New titles, News items, DC Universe Online

Sony Online Entertainment has just released a lengthy story trailer for its forthcoming DC Universe Online superhero MMORPG. Debuting early Saturday morning on GameTrailers, the massive video clocks in at over six minutes in length and features nearly all of the DC Comics notables, including Batman, Superman, Green Lantern, the Flash, Wonder Woman, the Joker, and others.

The hyper-violent cinematic is the latest creation of Blur Studio, also known for its Star Wars: The Old Republic teaser work. The cinematic sets up DCUO's overarching story, in which the heroes team up with Lex Luthor to stop Brainiac and his latest threat to humanity.

You can view the trailer, appropriately named "Who Do You Trust," after the cut or at GameTrailers.

Tags: batman, blur, brainiac, cgi, cinematic, dc-comics, dc-universe, dc-universe-online, dcuo, flash, green-lantern, joker, soe, Sony-Online-Entertainment, star-wars-the-old-republic, superman, swtor, the-old-republic, trailer, video, who-do-you-trust, wonder-woman

Massively Features

Events Calendar

Name	Date
GenCon Indy	Aug 5-8, 2010
SOE Fan Faire	Aug 5-8, 2010
Xsyon Prelude Launch	Aug 15, 2010
GamesCom Expo	Aug 18-22, 2010
Earthrise Launch	Q3 2010
Dragon*Con	Sep 3-6, 2010
PAX Prime	Sep 3-5, 2010
Final Fantasy XIV Launch	Sep 30, 2010
GDC Online	Oct 5-8, 2010
LEGO Universe Launch	Oct 26, 2010
DCUO Launch	Nov 2, 2010

Massively Staff

Name	Title
Shawn Schuster	Editor-in-Chief
Seraphina Brennan	Senior Editor
Brianna Royce	West Coast Editor
Dan O'Halloran	Features Coordinator
Brendan Drain	Contributing Editor
Eliot Lefebvre	Contributing Editor
Jef Reahard	Contributing Editor
Justin Olivetti	Contributing Editor
Krystalle Voecks	Contributing Editor
Rubi Bayer	Contributing Editor
Tateru Nino	Contributing Editor
Beau Hindman	Columnist
Edward Marshall	Columnist
Greg Waller	Columnist
Jeremy Stratton	Columnist
Larry Everett	Columnist
MJ Guthrie	Columnist
Patrick Mackey	Columnist
Ryan Greene	Columnist
Lisa Poisso	Columnist