Massively^™

It's an interesting time for Age of Conan. On the surface, their monumental first month and record sales numbers give the appearance of a solid new contender in the MMO sphere. At the same time, the bug problems and vacuous end-game has reportedly left many players heading for greener pastures. Fanboys and detractors alike have been looking for some sort of indication of how the game is faring as it moves into its second month of operation. One metric that's been tossed about recently is the Age of Conan usage data for Xfire users over the past month.

On the surface, the numbers look less than optimistic. From a peak of about 80,000 player hours around the time of launch, the game is hovering around in the mid-30's this weekend. This data may be less than helpful for a number of reasons, however. For one, we don't have reliable trend data about how similar games like Lord of the Rings Online (which pulled in a quarter of the minutes played per day over the same period) have fared immediately post-launch, and we don't know how reliable a sample Xfire users actually are. Still, expect these numbers to continue to be bandied about as proof of one thing or another.

What is with all these World of Warcraft leaks? If you knew where to look everything you wanted to know about WotlK was already exposed before Blizzard Entertainment's World Wide Invitational extravaganza. For shame, not even the WotlK box art is safe from prying eyes and camera phones. WoW Insider already exposed the box art for the Collector's Edition, and the same source has also obtained snaps of the basic box art.

Is it the real deal or a mocked-up forge? The WotlK box layout has many exact elements used on The Burning Crusade box. The placement for the Blizzard logo and ESRB rating line up exactly, and the font used to spell 'expansion set' is identical to its cardboard predecessor. In another photo that lends to its authenticity is a printer's mark. The box also notes that you need The Burning Crusade to play Wrath of the Lich King which means no free TBC bundles.

Hopefully, it won't be long until those boxes are stuffed with the goods and shipped to retail where we can pick them up because what comes on the inside of the box is what matters. Unless you're one of those weirdoes that save game boxes and treasures them for eternity. If you are feeling lucky skip the box altogether and try your hand at the WotlK beta-lottery.

	Massively interview: KingsIsle on Wizard101 We recently had the chance to check up on KingsIsle and talk to them about their three-year conjuration, Wizard101. We sat down with the studio's director, Todd Coleman, to discuss what's in store for the tween-centric wizard school MMO.
	First Impressions: Requiem: Bloodymare We've been talking about this game for months now, and Requiem: Bloodymare is finally available to play. Hailed as the first horror MMO, there are definitely aspects of R:B that are pretty gruesome.
	EVE Online Community Spotlight: a Q&A with Chribba Trust is a rare commodity in EVE Online. Many players are drawn to the game by the fact that almost any form of deceit, betrayal, and outright treachery is allowed in EVE. Not all players head down this path, of course, but plenty do. This element of risk is what makes the game exciting ...
	MMOGology: Mobile MMOGs Several weeks ago at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) Steve Jobs announced the 3G iPhone. The announcement wasn't much of a shock to industry experts since other cell phones have been using 3G networks ...
	MMO MMOnkey: Why I stopped playing Age of Conan I like Age of Conan. I like the combat system that demands active engagement rather than the auto-attack, go-make-a-cup-of-coffee style of combat used in so many other MMOs. I enjoy exploring Funcom's recreation of Hyboria ...

When you hear the words "power leveling," which country do you usually think of? The term almost always conjures images of digital content factories in China, where teams of workers grind around the clock for the legions of gamers out there who are willing to pay to get ahead.

Power leveling and gold farming are by no means limited to China though. Other countries in Asia are seeing a marked increase in these activities as internet access becomes more ubiquitous, and of course as broadband speeds increase. PlayNoEvil points out an article from Vietnam News, which reports "game addicts with talent can now indulge in their favourite pastime and be paid up to VND 2.7 million (US$ 160) a month for doing it." PlayNoEvil notes that the salary of a power-leveler is greater than that of a teacher, who only earns between US$ 60 and US$ 100 per month.

Via PlayNoEvil

EVE Online is running a series of Chronicles focusing on the leadership of the four races in the Empyrean Age, now locked into war in a galaxy divided. The latest EVE Chronicle, "The Paths They Chose," focuses on the Gallente race and is set in a blend of futuristic crystalline cityscape and natural scenery. The story shows the measures taken by leaders of the Gallente Federation to ensure their way of life continues. Holographic technology, advanced eavesdropping countermeasures, and an artificially cultivated environment merge in several acres of selectively grown flora and woodland; serenity and privacy for Federation officials and visiting diplomats is assured in the sanctum beneath a vast transparent dome.

But the beauty of this place is juxtaposed with the inhuman actions taken within. A traitor to the Gallente people is grotesquely crucified upon a metallic 'dead man's needle,' which suspends the captive by his vertebrae while pumping him full of sedatives. The captive is abused like this by order of the President of the Gallente Federation, Souro Foiritan. Like the illusion of transparency of the eco-dome surrounding the characters, the moral high ground of the Gallente Federation is shown to be equally ephemeral, as President Foiritan reveals a new -- and dark -- direction that the Gallente will take in New Eden. Read "The Paths They Chose" to see Foiritan's descent into becoming "a leader cruel enough to do what needed to be done, and compassionate enough to understand why it needed doing." The story has struck a chord with some of EVE's players, who are discussing the sudden change and what this might do for the game's backstory.

Machinima book authors Hugh Hancock, Johnnie Ingram, and Matt Kelland have taken to World of Warcraft to fight a stealth law that is trying to be passed in Europe. Hidden in thick packet of telecoms legislation is a "three strikes" law that could blacklist your household IP for life if it has been deemed to be file sharing three times. It doesn't matter if it was your sister, your parents, your girlfriend, roommate, friend stopping by, or someone that "borrowed" your wifi.

Surely you would have heard about this before, right? They managed to fit it in one week before voting and there is now only one day left to fight back! On Monday, voting will begin on this legislation. However, given the short notice, many of those voting may have not even read it. If you would like to do something about this, you can find more information on the Strange Company website.

[Thanks, Hugh and Johnnie!]

If you have machinima or movie suggestions from any MMO, please send them to machinima AT massively DOT com, along with any information you might have about them.

The first post-module 7 patch has dropped to the Dungeons and Dragons Online live servers, taking care of a few outstanding issues. Probably the most welcome change was the fix to an accidental deletion bug. Players were reporting losing items when they tried to move loot from the bank to their character if their character had full bags. Other tweaks include the reapplication of spell failure chances, some modifications and improvements to the recently-added Monk class, and a few odds-and-ends corrections to collection bags.

The official forums also has a known issues post up, allowing players the comfort of knowing certain bugs are being addressed. Our favorite in-the-game-right-now bug: "When attempting to guide your teammate across the chasm in the 2nd puzzle room of the Abbot raid, please be sure to remove your goggles before recalling after failure or success, as recalling with the goggles equipped could cause your party to become stuck during the loading screen."

Back in March we mentioned an article at the OC Register talking all about the design lessons you can take away from World of Warcraft. It turns out that was just a small part of a longer series on the site. Via a reminder link from Tobold, we can head back to the OC to get the full look. In all the site offered up 11 design lessons from the game, each taking on a specific game element and laying it out in layman's terms. We particuarly enjoyed the quip "Demand excellence or you'll get mediocrity." That's the 9th lesson J. Allen Brack laid out for the site, and one that I think most Blizzard players would agree is a core philosophy for the company.

Accompanying this piece was a follow-up, asking readers to be sure and read the lively comments that accompanied the original '11 lessons' article. Many commenters took the site to task, stating that Blizzard wasn't particularly innovative in bringing World of Warcraft to market. Instead, they offered, the game 'merely' polished what the genre already had to offer. What's your view? Did Blizzard innovate, or are they just rock-polishers following in Sony Online's wake?

With WWI past us, BlizzCon not due for several more months, and no more major patches due until the expansion hits, now is the time for discontent among World of Warcraft players. While accounts will surge back to life with the arrival of Arthus and Northrend, from now until then it's going to be increasingly hard to get your guildmates in-game. Raids will flag, Arena teams will disband, and /gquit will be a common 4am turn of phrase.

What about you? Are you sticking with Azeroth through to the new expansion content? Or are you going to give Blizzard's behemoth a break until then, and let visions of snowdrifts in the North carry you happily through the summer months? What's your account look like for next month, faithful readers?

Ye sea loving scallywags looking for adventure better look to Pirates of the Burning Sea, it has plenty of adventuring waiting in the latest 1.5.46.0 patch. Fitted just last week a build discrepancy caused sails to rip apart, a server reboot followed causing disgruntled nations on Rackham to take cover but the storm has since calmed. There will be twice a week scheduled server restarts to work out the remaining kinks on both NA and EU servers set to take place on Tuesdays and Fridays at 1:30am PST.

There's a lot of new content in this patch, including a new six man epic mission in Fortaleza Da Luz. The mission is intended for level 50 players and balanced at a high difficulty. Numerous other changes and updates in this milestone update can be viewed at the official Flying Lab support site. Also, both the testbed and live servers are now in synch with the same build and players can now copy a live character over to the test server. Forewarning, any active auction listing will be delisted. Vote on your favorite PotBS video, transfer a character or stick to plundering on a live server, it's time to get back to playing and drinking some rum!

This is my bow. There are many like it, but this one is mine. My bow is my best friend. It is my life. My bow without me is useless. Without my bow, I am useless. Such is the life of a Ranger in Funcom's Age of Conan, at least once you've gotten out of the starter area. While the careful use of abilities plays a larger role in determining the success of any given Ranger, using the right equipment is still paramount maximizing damage. And when you're a straight DPS class, that's why people want you in groups.

That's why we were so delighted to see a guide being built over on the official Age of Conan forums, detailing the locations and stats of the most desirable rare bows, crossbows, and quivers in all level ranges from Tortage to the end-game. With the truly tremendous amount of bitching that goes on over at those forums, we love to see useful information like this floating to the top of the morass. If you've got a Ranger or regularly group with one, make sure to check out the list to see if you've got the best bow for your level.