Dive into a fantasy-driven RPG with interesting elements and a thrilling companion system that is sure to please gamers who love monsters and battle pets, We're talking about The Aurora World!
Monday, March 11, 2013
First Look of The Aurora World
First Look of The Aurora World:
Dive into a fantasy-driven RPG with interesting elements and a thrilling companion system that is sure to please gamers who love monsters and battle pets, We're talking about The Aurora World!
Dive into a fantasy-driven RPG with interesting elements and a thrilling companion system that is sure to please gamers who love monsters and battle pets, We're talking about The Aurora World!
EVE Evolved: Do PLEX make EVE pay-to-win?
EVE Evolved: Do PLEX make EVE pay-to-win?:
Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Business models, Culture, Economy, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Professions, Opinion, Guild Wars 2, EVE Evolved, Sandbox
Several years ago, the subscription model was king and the mere mention of an MMO selling in-game items for cash was almost enough to cause a virtual riot. RMT was the devil, and players who bought swords or spaceships for cash deserved nothing short of a permanent ban. The past decade of development has changed the MMO landscape and brought in a new generation of gamers with different attitudes. Today's players have grown up with and embraced ideas like the free-to-play business model, microtransaction shops, and perhaps even the idea of buying in-game advantages for cash.
In his latest Free for All column, Massively's Beau Hindman tackled the controversial issue of MMOs selling power for real cash, and his points about EVE Online sparked some pretty interesting discussion in the comments. The crux of the argument was that an EVE player can currently take out his wallet and buy his way into a bigger ship or even pick up a pre-trained veteran character. That's certainly true, but is that the same as buying an unfair advantage and does it necessarily make EVE pay-to-win?
In this week's EVE Evolved, I look at why players find PLEX so much more palatable than direct item sales and ask whether the system fits the definition of pay-to-win.
Continue reading EVE Evolved: Do PLEX make EVE pay-to-win?
EVE Evolved: Do PLEX make EVE pay-to-win? originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 10 Mar 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Business models, Culture, Economy, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Professions, Opinion, Guild Wars 2, EVE Evolved, Sandbox
Several years ago, the subscription model was king and the mere mention of an MMO selling in-game items for cash was almost enough to cause a virtual riot. RMT was the devil, and players who bought swords or spaceships for cash deserved nothing short of a permanent ban. The past decade of development has changed the MMO landscape and brought in a new generation of gamers with different attitudes. Today's players have grown up with and embraced ideas like the free-to-play business model, microtransaction shops, and perhaps even the idea of buying in-game advantages for cash.
In his latest Free for All column, Massively's Beau Hindman tackled the controversial issue of MMOs selling power for real cash, and his points about EVE Online sparked some pretty interesting discussion in the comments. The crux of the argument was that an EVE player can currently take out his wallet and buy his way into a bigger ship or even pick up a pre-trained veteran character. That's certainly true, but is that the same as buying an unfair advantage and does it necessarily make EVE pay-to-win?
In this week's EVE Evolved, I look at why players find PLEX so much more palatable than direct item sales and ask whether the system fits the definition of pay-to-win.
Continue reading EVE Evolved: Do PLEX make EVE pay-to-win?
EVE Evolved: Do PLEX make EVE pay-to-win? originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 10 Mar 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
Dragon's Prophet character classes trailer released
Dragon's Prophet character classes trailer released:
Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Classes, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Free-to-play, Dragon's Prophet
Runewaker's Dragon's Prophet came to our attention last year as SOE signed on to publish the title in North America. This week, the game is gearing up for a closed beta test in its native Taiwan. As such, Runewaker has released a character classes trailer, and MMO Culture comments on the game's rough-around-the-edges alpha experience.
"The combat is leaning towards that of TERA's, rather than Dragon Nest or Vindictus," the author writes. Dragon's Prophet is Runewaker's followup to Runes of Magic, and it features eight different types of dragons with unique skill trees, an extensive housing system, raids, and PvP.
The game's Taiwanese beta starts March 13th. You can view the classes trailer after the cut.
[Thanks Dengar!]
Continue reading Dragon's Prophet character classes trailer released
Dragon's Prophet character classes trailer released originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 10 Mar 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Classes, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Free-to-play, Dragon's Prophet
Runewaker's Dragon's Prophet came to our attention last year as SOE signed on to publish the title in North America. This week, the game is gearing up for a closed beta test in its native Taiwan. As such, Runewaker has released a character classes trailer, and MMO Culture comments on the game's rough-around-the-edges alpha experience.
"The combat is leaning towards that of TERA's, rather than Dragon Nest or Vindictus," the author writes. Dragon's Prophet is Runewaker's followup to Runes of Magic, and it features eight different types of dragons with unique skill trees, an extensive housing system, raids, and PvP.
The game's Taiwanese beta starts March 13th. You can view the classes trailer after the cut.
[Thanks Dengar!]
Continue reading Dragon's Prophet character classes trailer released
Dragon's Prophet character classes trailer released originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 10 Mar 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
- Source: MMO Culture
Rise and Shiny: Kartuga
Rise and Shiny: Kartuga:
Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Sci-fi, Screenshots, Video, Game mechanics, New titles, Previews, PvP, PvE, Opinion, War, Free-to-play, Browser, Casual, Rise and Shiny, Livestream
MMOs are a very serious business these days. If you ask someone what type of MMO she prefers, you're more likely to get an explanation that sounds as if she's telling you what political party she belongs to. As a person who writes about games, it's easy to slip up and suggest that these virtual worlds we play in should offer different types of gameplay and even offer different ways to pay for them. If you're not careful, your readers can get angry and call you insensitive and inaccurate names like noob, sell-out or, even worse, journalist.
In steps Innogames. On the surface, the developer and publisher doesn't seem to be more than a peddler of semi-challenging browser-based games, but spend a few weeks with the lineup and you'll find yourself appreciating not only the innovation in the German game-maker's lineup but also the variety.
Kartuga is the latest to come from Innogames, and it's fun. I know, I know... fun seems to have become a dirty word when it comes to MMOs (it's not immersive or hardcore?!), but I for one am so happy it came along.
Continue reading Rise and Shiny: Kartuga
Rise and Shiny: Kartuga originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 10 Mar 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Sci-fi, Screenshots, Video, Game mechanics, New titles, Previews, PvP, PvE, Opinion, War, Free-to-play, Browser, Casual, Rise and Shiny, Livestream
MMOs are a very serious business these days. If you ask someone what type of MMO she prefers, you're more likely to get an explanation that sounds as if she's telling you what political party she belongs to. As a person who writes about games, it's easy to slip up and suggest that these virtual worlds we play in should offer different types of gameplay and even offer different ways to pay for them. If you're not careful, your readers can get angry and call you insensitive and inaccurate names like noob, sell-out or, even worse, journalist.
In steps Innogames. On the surface, the developer and publisher doesn't seem to be more than a peddler of semi-challenging browser-based games, but spend a few weeks with the lineup and you'll find yourself appreciating not only the innovation in the German game-maker's lineup but also the variety.
Kartuga is the latest to come from Innogames, and it's fun. I know, I know... fun seems to have become a dirty word when it comes to MMOs (it's not immersive or hardcore?!), but I for one am so happy it came along.
Continue reading Rise and Shiny: Kartuga
Rise and Shiny: Kartuga originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 10 Mar 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
Garriott's Shroud of the Avatar to feature 'personalized multiplayer'
Garriott's Shroud of the Avatar to feature 'personalized multiplayer':
Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Roleplaying, Sandbox, Crowdfunding
Richard Garriott's new Shroud of the Avatar project is proving pretty popular on Kickstarter. As of press time it's already raised over $600,000 of its $1 million goal with 28 days to go.
Why all the excitement? It would be easy to single out Lord British's Ultima pedigree, but it's also worth noting that the project itself seems to be aiming for those old-school gamers who are feeling a little left out due to the homogenization of current-gen MMOs. Garriott recently spoke to GamesIndustry.biz and elaborated on Shroud of the Avatar's mechanics, which he described as "personalized multiplayer" rather than massively multiplayer.
The game is "the antithesis of what people have been doing with MMOs these last few years," Garriott explained. "They not only build every stitch of technology from scratch, they build a giant world, and they build them all in the exact same horrifically difficult but no longer impressive model. At one time it was brilliant, but now they're all the same."
Shroud will have Garriott staples like a classless character system, virtues, housing, and extensive crafting, but it won't have thousands of players thrown together on a typical MMO-like server.
Garriott also says that while you can play Shroud of the Avatar offline, it will still be persistent. "Everyone's in the same world," he notes. "If you log on just once a month, you'll have downloaded the current state of affairs of ownership and the current blueprint of people's houses. Everyone who has a shop that sells things, whatever it is that has been built up in the world you'll get to see. Your world will advance because of the contributions of other players."
Garriott's Shroud of the Avatar to feature 'personalized multiplayer' originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 10 Mar 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Roleplaying, Sandbox, Crowdfunding
Richard Garriott's new Shroud of the Avatar project is proving pretty popular on Kickstarter. As of press time it's already raised over $600,000 of its $1 million goal with 28 days to go.
Why all the excitement? It would be easy to single out Lord British's Ultima pedigree, but it's also worth noting that the project itself seems to be aiming for those old-school gamers who are feeling a little left out due to the homogenization of current-gen MMOs. Garriott recently spoke to GamesIndustry.biz and elaborated on Shroud of the Avatar's mechanics, which he described as "personalized multiplayer" rather than massively multiplayer.
The game is "the antithesis of what people have been doing with MMOs these last few years," Garriott explained. "They not only build every stitch of technology from scratch, they build a giant world, and they build them all in the exact same horrifically difficult but no longer impressive model. At one time it was brilliant, but now they're all the same."
Shroud will have Garriott staples like a classless character system, virtues, housing, and extensive crafting, but it won't have thousands of players thrown together on a typical MMO-like server.
There is no server where everyone that is connected that happens to walk onto the same map will all see each other. If you do that it's terribly complicated and it's largely a waste of time for you. If you're walking on the streets of New York you don't really care about most of the people going by the other way. The only people you care about are the people you've met before or you are likely to meet again in the future. We can determine that by whatever information you're willing to give us, and if you're not willing to give us information we'll use a heuristic to pull people into your current play space. It's much cheaper, for you and for us, and much more likely to be relevant to you."
Garriott also says that while you can play Shroud of the Avatar offline, it will still be persistent. "Everyone's in the same world," he notes. "If you log on just once a month, you'll have downloaded the current state of affairs of ownership and the current blueprint of people's houses. Everyone who has a shop that sells things, whatever it is that has been built up in the world you'll get to see. Your world will advance because of the contributions of other players."
Garriott's Shroud of the Avatar to feature 'personalized multiplayer' originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 10 Mar 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
- Source: GamesIndustry.biz
The First Unofficial 'Steam Box' Will Launch This Holiday Season Starting At $1,000
The First Unofficial 'Steam Box' Will Launch This Holiday Season Starting At $1,000:
Xi3's Piston—the first unofficial Steam Box console—will launch this holiday at a starting price of $1,000, the hardware manufacturer announced today. More »
Xi3's Piston—the first unofficial Steam Box console—will launch this holiday at a starting price of $1,000, the hardware manufacturer announced today. More »
Polycraft Developer Diary #2: Less Talk, More Action (Online)
Polycraft Developer Diary #2: Less Talk, More Action (Online):
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Hi there! I'm Adam Langridge (@ajlangridge) and I'm a game maker on Polycraft here at Wonderstruck. In case you missed our previous developer diary, Polycraft is a new real-time strategy game with an action heart! Your hero has been washed up on the beach of a mysterious island. Rescued by a Wildling, you’re tasked with building a new life and defending it from the Ferals that seek to destroy it. | |
Funcom's Three MMO Worlds Are In His Hands. What Will He Do?
Funcom's Three MMO Worlds Are In His Hands. What Will He Do?:
Just a few short years ago, Funcom's Joel Bylos was in charge of level 20 through 40 of Age of Conan, a massively multiplayer online game that was, at launch, widely criticized for a lack of quality content past level 20. Now he's the creative director in charge of Age of Conan, Anarchy Online and The Secret World, and his goal is to make unhappy players at any experience level a thing of the past. More »
Just a few short years ago, Funcom's Joel Bylos was in charge of level 20 through 40 of Age of Conan, a massively multiplayer online game that was, at launch, widely criticized for a lack of quality content past level 20. Now he's the creative director in charge of Age of Conan, Anarchy Online and The Secret World, and his goal is to make unhappy players at any experience level a thing of the past. More »
General: The Golden Age Redux
General: The Golden Age Redux:
With Richard Garriott's big announcement today of his new RPG in development and with the successful funding of the PlaneScape RPG, it appears the RPG is on the rise. We've got some thoughts to share about this most recent development. Read on!
With Richard Garriott's big announcement today of his new RPG in development and with the successful funding of the PlaneScape RPG, it appears the RPG is on the rise. We've got some thoughts to share about this most recent development. Read on!
A Brand New TPS, GUNDOG Announced by OGPlanet
A Brand New TPS, GUNDOG Announced by OGPlanet:
OGPlanet, a publisher of Free-to-Play, multiplayer, online games, just announced that GUNDOG, a team-based third person shooter with card collection elements, is the newest game to be added to the OGPlanet family of free-to-play games.
OGPlanet, a publisher of Free-to-Play, multiplayer, online games, just announced that GUNDOG, a team-based third person shooter with card collection elements, is the newest game to be added to the OGPlanet family of free-to-play games.
Betawatch: March 2 - 8, 2013
Betawatch: March 2 - 8, 2013:
Filed under: Betas, MMO industry, New titles, Betawatch, Miscellaneous
Even when you think you know all there is to know about MMOs, you can still find surprises around every corner. Did you know about The Aurora World? Because it's now in closed beta. Did you know about Albion Online? Because it's entering closed beta later this month. So many things to learn.
Of course, sometimes you don't want novelty; you want to know more about familiar games. So perhaps you'd like a hands-on look at Defiance. Or perhaps you'd like to know more about Black Desert as the game seeks a Western publisher. And while ArcheAge has found a Western publisher, you might also like to read a few words of caution before getting too worked up.
Alternatively, it's possible you're just here for the list, which is past the break. If you notice something we've missed, feel free to let us know down in the comments!
Continue reading Betawatch: March 2 - 8, 2013
Betawatch: March 2 - 8, 2013 originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 08 Mar 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Filed under: Betas, MMO industry, New titles, Betawatch, Miscellaneous
Even when you think you know all there is to know about MMOs, you can still find surprises around every corner. Did you know about The Aurora World? Because it's now in closed beta. Did you know about Albion Online? Because it's entering closed beta later this month. So many things to learn.
Of course, sometimes you don't want novelty; you want to know more about familiar games. So perhaps you'd like a hands-on look at Defiance. Or perhaps you'd like to know more about Black Desert as the game seeks a Western publisher. And while ArcheAge has found a Western publisher, you might also like to read a few words of caution before getting too worked up.
Alternatively, it's possible you're just here for the list, which is past the break. If you notice something we've missed, feel free to let us know down in the comments!
Continue reading Betawatch: March 2 - 8, 2013
Betawatch: March 2 - 8, 2013 originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 08 Mar 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
Nightmerica Review (iPhone, iPad)
Nightmerica Review (iPhone, iPad):
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Nightmerica is a jovial celebration of the macabre, from its ominous title music to its gruesome pixelated deaths. It's clumsy in many ways, but it's also jagged, gritty, and a retro love letter in all the right ways. The killer soundtrack helps a lot, but it's also rocking an intriguing look that just feels right. | ||
Jumble Friends (iOS/Android) review
Jumble Friends (iOS/Android) review:
Jumble Friends is a new iOS/Android game from Jericho Games. It’s available now as a free download from the App Store and Google Play. This review is based on the iOS version, tested on an iPhone 4S.
Jumble Friends is a new iOS/Android game from Jericho Games. It’s available now as a free download from the App Store and Google Play. This review is based on the iOS version, tested on an iPhone 4S.
Black Desert shopping for Western publisher, shares more details about its game world
Black Desert shopping for Western publisher, shares more details about its game world:
Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Interviews, MMO industry, Sandbox
Black Desert, a soon-to-be-released sandbox MMO in Korea, is shopping around for publishers to bring the title to the U.S. and Europe. MMO Culture spoke with Pearl Abyss' Director of Business Development Brian Oh about the progress of the game's development and all of those pesky details that we MMO players like to know when checking out a new title. While the interview took place last September, it's only now being posted.
Oh spoke on several topics relating to Black Desert's development, such as why the team decided to create its own game engine instead of licensing an existing one. "We aspired to create an entirely different game from typical MMORPGs available today," Oh said, "including the rendering of art and graphics. So with an abundance of in-house experience in developing game engines gained through previous projects, we made our own."
Details about Black Desert's world were shared over the course of the interview, including the news that all classes are available to both genders and can engage in mounted combat. Oh pontificated on the castle siege system, the limited player housing market, and backstory and setting for the game.
Black Desert shopping for Western publisher, shares more details about its game world originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 08 Mar 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Comments
Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Interviews, MMO industry, Sandbox
Black Desert, a soon-to-be-released sandbox MMO in Korea, is shopping around for publishers to bring the title to the U.S. and Europe. MMO Culture spoke with Pearl Abyss' Director of Business Development Brian Oh about the progress of the game's development and all of those pesky details that we MMO players like to know when checking out a new title. While the interview took place last September, it's only now being posted.
Oh spoke on several topics relating to Black Desert's development, such as why the team decided to create its own game engine instead of licensing an existing one. "We aspired to create an entirely different game from typical MMORPGs available today," Oh said, "including the rendering of art and graphics. So with an abundance of in-house experience in developing game engines gained through previous projects, we made our own."
Details about Black Desert's world were shared over the course of the interview, including the news that all classes are available to both genders and can engage in mounted combat. Oh pontificated on the castle siege system, the limited player housing market, and backstory and setting for the game.
Black Desert shopping for Western publisher, shares more details about its game world originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 08 Mar 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
- Source: MMO Culture
Blog: Mid-core is bullshit
Blog: Mid-core is bullshit:
Veteran developer Kevin Gliner writes about how the concept of the mid-core game "comes up short for the same reasons traditional casual and hardcore thinking does," outlining his reasons. ...
Veteran developer Kevin Gliner writes about how the concept of the mid-core game "comes up short for the same reasons traditional casual and hardcore thinking does," outlining his reasons. ...
Puzzle Chasers is this week’s top emerging Facebook game
Puzzle Chasers is this week’s top emerging Facebook game:
Konami’s Puzzle Chasers is once again picking up speed, taking the top spot on our emerging Facebook games list this week with 52,108 monthly active users for a 124 percent gain. This is the first time we’ve seen the game show serious growth since it launched last summer.
What appears to be a scam app masquerading as a port of Sony’s acclaimed console game Uncharted 3 took the No. 2 spot with 73,334 MAU for a 132 percent increase. The remaining top five games were tied between PlaySpace’s Luno PlaySpace, Sunset Games’ Tank Fighter and FLW’s fishing sim FishPro with 41,632 MAU and up 99 percent.
As often happens with IGG’s web-based MMORPGs, its Philippine version of GodsWar saw huge surge in traffic this week, moving up by 562 percent with 35,579 MAU.
Among the remaining games on the list, nearly all saw gains of 99 percent or more, but only one more than 200 percent: Toy Studio’s Word Off!, which brought in 31,279 MAU for a 294 percent gain.
All data in this post comes from our traffic tracking service, AppData. Come back next week for our top weekly gainers by monthly active users on Monday, our daily active users on Wednesday, and the top emerging apps on Friday.
Konami’s Puzzle Chasers is once again picking up speed, taking the top spot on our emerging Facebook games list this week with 52,108 monthly active users for a 124 percent gain. This is the first time we’ve seen the game show serious growth since it launched last summer.What appears to be a scam app masquerading as a port of Sony’s acclaimed console game Uncharted 3 took the No. 2 spot with 73,334 MAU for a 132 percent increase. The remaining top five games were tied between PlaySpace’s Luno PlaySpace, Sunset Games’ Tank Fighter and FLW’s fishing sim FishPro with 41,632 MAU and up 99 percent.
As often happens with IGG’s web-based MMORPGs, its Philippine version of GodsWar saw huge surge in traffic this week, moving up by 562 percent with 35,579 MAU.
Among the remaining games on the list, nearly all saw gains of 99 percent or more, but only one more than 200 percent: Toy Studio’s Word Off!, which brought in 31,279 MAU for a 294 percent gain.
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All data in this post comes from our traffic tracking service, AppData. Come back next week for our top weekly gainers by monthly active users on Monday, our daily active users on Wednesday, and the top emerging apps on Friday.
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