Posts in the "Hots Games" Category

• Order and Chaos Online developer discusses server-linking and more

  Hots Games
  

  Filed under: Fantasy, Interviews, News items, Mobile, Community Q&A

  In honor of the game’s paper anniversary, Order & Chaos: Online producer Arnaud Bonnard took the time to do some Q&A with user-submitted questions about what is one of the biggest mobile MMOs available.

  Arnaud shared some of the toughest parts of development, which were the pressure of creating a world vast enough to entertain players for months (and now years) and ensuring that everything was as stable and functional as possible from a technical point. He followed up by reliving the joy of a successful launch and the success that the game met with over time. He talked a bit about updates and DLC, which come out every one or two months and are generally still drawn from the original design document for Order & Chaos: Online, given that the world design was much bigger than could possibly fit into the game originally.

  Bonnard also addressed the server separation between Android, iOS, and Mac devices: Not only would it be time-consuming to link all the operating systems, but such a system would mean that patches could only be deployed once every device was supported, which would be tricky and cause too many extra delays. As far as Order and Chaos’ future is concerned, he’s optimistic. There are new graphic features coming down the pipe as well as “lots of ideas for the game” as the company looks forward to another fantastic year thanks to fan support.

  Catch all the intricacies of Bonnard’s answers for yourself over at Gameloft.

  Order and Chaos Online developer discusses server-linking and more originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 19 May 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

  Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Order and Chaos Developer Interview Read More...

• Betawatch: May 12 – 18, 2012

  Hots Games
  

  Filed under: Betas, MMO industry, Betawatch, Miscellaneous

  This week on Betawatch, we say farewell to Diablo III, which (at least nominally) moved on from beta to official launch on Tuesday. Bizarrely enchanting new MOBA SmashMuck Champions takes its place, joining our list with a closed beta planned within the month. We’ve also added MechWarrior Online to the alpha list, as reader mblakeman2001 rightly pointed out the game is in a friends-and-family beta!

  CCP has begun sending out DUST 514 beta keys and opened registration, and we’ve also learned that Blade & Soul will leave beta and launch in July… but only in Korea. Sadface.

  Finally, The Secret World’s second beta weekend kicked off earlier today, but if you’re not in it, you can content yourself with our hands-on with the game’s combat and mission system.

  Enjoy the entirety of our Betawatch roundup post-cut!

  Continue reading Betawatch: May 12 – 18, 2012

  Betawatch: May 12 – 18, 2012 originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 18 May 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

  Permalink | Email this | Comments

  Read More...

• DC Universe Online shows off the new Shield weapon

  Hots Games
  

  Filed under: Super-hero, Patches, Previews, News items, Free-to-play, Consoles, DC Universe Online

  Shields generally aren’t thought of as a weapon; they’re usually seen as the exact opposite of a weapon. But in the superheroic milieu, all that changes. A shield is something to be used offensively, and in DC Universe Online‘s next major update, players will get to start wielding the shield for their own superheroic (or villainous) capers. A recent interview with creative director Jens Andersen discusses the intended role of the shield in combat.

  Andersen explains that while the new weapon comes along in a very PvP-centered update, it’s not meant to be used specifically for PvP — the team just wants to have something new for players to enjoy no matter what. In play, shields are similar to a staff weapon, but unlike most other weapons the shield can continue to build a combo after a heavy strike by moving back to light strikes. That should make the shield a very aggressive option — perhaps odd for something that’s not generally thought of as a weapon.

  DC Universe Online shows off the new Shield weapon originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 17 May 2012 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

  Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: A look at DCUO’s new weapon type Read More...

• The Daily Grind: Do you judge all MMOs by the same standard?

  Hots Games
  

  Filed under: Fantasy, Culture, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Xsyon, Sandbox

  One of the challenges facing sandbox developers is the fact that recent themepark MMORPGs have raised the bar in terms of smooth launches and relatively bug-free experiences. Aside from EVE Online, most of the current sandboxes on offer are small indie affairs known as much for their rough-around-the-edges implementation as for their feature innovations.

  And yet, many so-called sandbox fans seem to expect games like Xsyon, Darkfall, and others to be as polished as World of Warcraft, RIFT, and other themeparks with fewer features and several times the budget.

  For today’s Daily Grind, we’d like to know how much (if any) slack you cut developers of sandbox and/or indie MMOs. Do you hold these games to the same standard that you hold a triple-A themepark?

  Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today’s Daily Grind!

  The Daily Grind: Do you judge all MMOs by the same standard? originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 17 May 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

  Permalink | Email this | Comments

  Read More...

• MindArk giving away Entropia Universe land deeds

  Hots Games
  

  Filed under: Sci-fi, Entropia Universe, Business models, Game mechanics, Free-to-play, Promotions

  MindArk has given new meaning to the term phat lewt with its latest update for Entropia Universe. Players may now acquire one of a thousand Planet Calypso land deeds simply by hunting, mining, or crafting while in game.

  Each land deed carries a real-world value of $100 (and deeds are often sold for much more on the open market), according to a MindArk press release. The deeds also provide revenue sharing through the game’s citizenship program. Deeds began dropping yesterday, and MindArk says that they will continue to do so throughout 2012.

  Planet Calypso is the oldest planetary playfield in Entropia Universe. The game boasts more than one million registered accounts and over $400 million in annual user-to-user transactions.

  [Source: MindArk press release]

  MindArk giving away Entropia Universe land deeds originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 16 May 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

  Permalink | Email this | Comments

  Read More...

• The Soapbox: Translating Elder Scrolls Online dev speak

  Hots Games
  

  Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, Opinion, The Soapbox, Sandbox, The Elder Scrolls Online

  Disclaimer: The Soapbox column is entirely the opinion of this week’s writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Massively as a whole. If you’re afraid of opinions other than your own, you might want to skip this column.

  Language is a pretty fascinating thing, and studying a second one is something I’ve long intended to do. Aside from entertaining thoughts of learning Korean to play ArcheAge, though (seriously, I looked into it), I haven’t gotten around to much beyond college-level Deutsch.

  But as I watched last week’s interview with The Elder Scrolls Online creative director Paul Sage, I realized that I already have some pretty good second-language skills. I’m fluent in both English and MMO dev-speak, so as a public service, I’m going to translate some of what Sage said into the former.

  Continue reading The Soapbox: Translating Elder Scrolls Online dev speak

  The Soapbox: Translating Elder Scrolls Online dev speak originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 15 May 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

  Permalink | Email this | Comments

  Read More...

• TERA Tome database unleashes the mysteries of Arborea

  Hots Games
  

  Filed under: Fantasy, News items, TERA, Miscellaneous

  TERA players, have you been spending weeks trying to find that one perfect weapon? Or maybe you just want to know which mob drops the crafting mats you need to pimp out your gear. Either way, the ZAM Network is here to help. En Masse Entertainment has announced on the official TERA site that ZAM’s TERA database, alliteratively named TERA Tome, is live and kickin’.

  The current version of the site includes all of the nifty features that players have come to expect from ZAM’s MMO databases, such as information on quests, items, and abilities as well as helpful forums and comments. Players trying to get a handle on their character’s build should also find the site handy thanks to its useful glyph calculator that allows players to survey all currently available glyphs without the need to set foot in the game. Just head on over to the recently launched site to crack open the tome.

  TERA Tome database unleashes the mysteries of Arborea originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 14 May 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

  Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: TERA official site — TERA Tome is Live! Read More...

• One Shots: Woodland critters

  Hots Games
  

  Filed under: Galleries, Screenshots, A Tale in the Desert, EverQuest II, MMO industry, Opinion, Massively Meta, One Shots, RIFT, TERA, Miscellaneous

  TERA isn’t quite two weeks old, but it’s already offering up some spectacular views. Kromic on the Dragonfall server paused while riding on his mount to take this shot. He writes in,

  While doing some exploring on my trusty steed in TERA, I found a great view of the capital city Velika.

  His screenshot is just after the cut, along with three more images of woodland critters doing their duty to spice up our MMO scenery.

  Continue reading One Shots: Woodland critters

  One Shots: Woodland critters originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 13 May 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

  Permalink | Email this | Comments

  Read More...

• Cryptic developer: Star Trek Online PvP is ‘fail’

  Hots Games
  

  Filed under: Sci-fi, Game mechanics, MMO industry, PvP, News items, Star Trek Online, Free-to-play

  How many times have you read a forum post that says insert-random-MMO’s PvP sucks? Well, in Star Trek Online PvP actually does suck, and that’s straight from the mouth of a developer. It’s so bad, in fact, that Dan “Gozer” Griffis makes no bones about the fact that it could even be removed from Cryptic’s sci-fi MMO.

  “Right now because PVP is in such bad shape we (the developers) have to decide if we think we can turn this problem around. Participation in PVP-related activities is so low on an hourly, daily, weekly, and monthly basis that we could in fact just completely take it out of STO and it would not impact the overall number of people [who] log in to the game and play in any significant way.”

  Griffis goes on to say that he is the only developer currently working on PvP, and as such he has to make some hard choices. He has a plan, and though he hasn’t shared specifics on it yet, he says there are huge changes in store over the next year.

  [Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

  Cryptic developer: Star Trek Online PvP is ‘fail’ originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 12 May 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

  Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: STO forums Read More...

• Betawatch: May 5 – 11, 2012

  Hots Games
  

  Filed under: Betas, MMO industry, Betawatch, Miscellaneous

  The Spirit Tales open beta launched this week, bumping that game up a tier on our beta list. In fact, the game proved so popular that an additional beta server was added to accommodate the avalanche of fans of all things cute.

  City of Steam has announced an alpha test for July, while Storybricks is accepting alpha signups for its alpha demo right now. Compounding the season’s MMO drama is Phantasy Star Online 2, which is aiming to open up its beta early this summer.

  The Secret World, with its 1,000,000 beta signups, is is kicking off its first beta weekend starting today. Meanwhile, Glitch’s epic beta housing patch is finally upon us, World of Warcraft has unveiled cross-server grouping in the Mists of Pandaria beta, and Guild Wars 2 announced a surprise stress test for pre-purchasers this coming Monday.

  Finally, if you’re bored this weekend, why not check out Diablo III-rival Path of Exile? Tipsters Don and James report it’s holding a public stress test starting right as this post is published at 8 p.m. EDT tonight.

  The full Betawatch roundup lies in wait behind the break.

  Continue reading Betawatch: May 5 – 11, 2012

  Betawatch: May 5 – 11, 2012 originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 11 May 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

  Permalink | Email this | Comments

  Read More...