Massively^™

There's MMOs to play, plenty of activities and events are happening in World of Warcraft, EverQuest, EverQuest II, and Guild Wars. Even the space cases in EVE Online are tearing each other up in the Empyrean Age expansion. But there isn't always something for everyone, many of us yearn for a new creation not touched before, and the million boxes Age of Conan shipped attests to that. Right now Warhammer: Age of Reckoning is looking like the only real new option on the dinner table, and it may be time to be taking a leap into Warhammer's open beta.

Over on the Warhammer Online blog WAAAGH! Syp has gathered and laid out all the facts and the rumors regarding the open beta. If you didn't know you can pre-order the Warhammer Online Collector's edition to guarantee a spot in the beta to beat the launch pandemonium. As for an estimate on when the open beta will start the latest WAR newsletter revealed that the guild beta will be starting in early July. This phase of testing will at least last for a month and it will be the last closed beta phase. Making it more than likely that WAR's open beta phase at the very least wont start until mid-August, if that, making the rest of summer pretty bleak MMO wise if you aren't planning on playing anything until WAR comes out.

Over at the Waaagh! Warhammer Online blog, Syp has reported back from his recent time spent with a copy of June's PC Gamer at a doctor's waiting room (and we agree with him, coolest doctor ever). The June issue featured a whole mess of Warhammer related content, including WAR coverage, and Syp has been good enough to condense this down into note form or us to peruse.

The result is a quick but worthwhile read, and might give you an idea of whether you'd like to pick up the mag to check out the articles in full. Some of the topics covered are: the original RvR system versus what is in game now, the guild UI, a races "role call", and some information about Warhammer in general.

Yeah we used that "test" word, but hear us out! These are the fun kinds of tests that you can take in your downtime or at work when you just feel like slacking off -- you know, when the boss isn't looking. These particular tests are for the online gaming and MMO players out there, which makes them especially interesting for us here at Massively. Whether or not you consider personality tests to carry any real weight, this one is easily one of the better tests we've encountered in the worthwhile department. Plus, it has cool little graphical characters at the end of it!

Whether you're a PvPer, PvEer or even an everything-er you'll find out something interesting about yourself from the Bartle Test of Gamer Psychology. Even the WAAAGH! blog seemed to be able to relate their scores to what excites them most about EA Mythic's forthcoming Warhammer Online. We're not saying the test will give a definitive answer about what type of player you are, but it does get fairly close. In our case, almost creepily-so.

There's a tendency for everyone in the MMO industry to speculate how well an upcoming MMO will or won't perform and whether or not it'll take a chunk of the World of Warcraft pie. While that's all good and fun we sometimes forget that a game's success can be determined by some simple modifiers. The Warhammer Online blog WAAAGH! has taken some time to think about those modifiers and what they mean for EA Mythic and their newest MMO coming to market.

It's essentially a list of ten things that WAAAGH! feels will either make or break Warhammer Online. After looking over the list with a steady eye our conclusion is that everything listed is something that EA Mythic has most of the responsibility for handling. Well, except for the marketing. Electronic Arts will be taking care of that for the most part, although we would hope that EA Mythic gets some say in how that's handled. As for the parts of the equation that EA Mythic cannot control -- such as timing, market climate, WotLK release -- we suppose they'll just have to hope for the best.

There you are, poised at the ready. The guild you've created is almost complete! You've gathered a few friends for potential guild-mates. You've discussed the general focus of the guild. Now all you need is a name! You've come up with a few, but for some reason, your friends keep rejecting your suggestions concerning LOLcats, Prince Caspian or the latest song by the Jonas Brothers. What gives?!

Well, according to a recent blog post by Syp over at the Waaagh! blog, you're just doing it wrong. Not to worry though, because Syp compiled a comprehensive list of what to avoid while considering a guild name or tag. Even if you've already created your perfect guild and you're just curious about the effectiveness of your name, check out the blog post. Chances are, you did it wrong.

[Thanks Syp!]

If you're the type of player who just needs to experiment with every available race and class in your MMO of choice, then altaholicism may be a serious concern for you. Seeking professional help is optional, but do know that you are not alone. Together we can fight to one day concentrate on a single primary character, and one character alone! Unite brothers and sisters!

Ahem. Anyway, if you are suffering from altitis, you may want to check out Syp's newest post over at his Waaagh blog. He shares with us his 10 commandments for anyone suffering with altitis, and his best tips on how to not only use alts to your advantage, but also embrace your indecisiveness. Afterall, there's nothing wrong with experimenting. Just don't inhale.

One of the aspects about Warhammer Online's Greenskins that seems to endear them to players so much is that they present the opportunity to write in a hackneyed and entirely ungrammatically stunted form of english. Wut iz dees humies lookin' at dem shiny bits for? See, I slipped into character there. I bet you thought I was an Orc for a second. It's OK, you don't have to feel bad, I'm a pretty good actor.

For those not already well steeped in the Warhammer lore via the tabletop game and pen and paper RPG, the folks over at Warhammer Alliance have been going faction by faction putting up guides to the various races. By some strange fortune, we somehow missed the fact that they had posted a "Guide to the Waaagh" last week, replete with biological information, sociological observations, and of course a gracious dose of Orc-speak. It's a short run-down, but well worth soaking up for anybody at all interested in fielding a Black Orc or Shaman into battle in Q2 of this year.

Of course, if you really want to get serious about things, you should probably pick up the Orcs & Goblins Army book or bookmark the Warhammer Wiki for perusal at work.