Massively http://www.massively.com Massively http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.massively.com/media/feedlogo.gif Massively http://www.massively.com prods@weblogsinc.com (Weblogs, Inc. Producers) support@weblogsinc.com (Weblogs, Inc. Web Support) en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. View our terms of service here: http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/ Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/ <![CDATA[Not So Massively: D3 cuts death animations and HoN releases another broken hero]]> http://www.massively.com/2012/02/06/not-so-massively-d3-cuts-death-animations-and-hon-releases-anot/ http://www.massively.com/2012/02/06/not-so-massively-d3-cuts-death-animations-and-hon-releases-anot/ http://www.massively.com/2012/02/06/not-so-massively-d3-cuts-death-animations-and-hon-releases-anot/#comments Not So Massively title image Diablo III delivered 100,000 beta keys to North American fans this week, but it also revealed that the epic death animations from the game's first gameplay reveal were actually faked and won't be in the final game. Upcoming online FPS Blacklight: Retribution has challenged players to play 20 ranked matchmaking games by Thursday to win an exclusive golden helmet, and Massively still has beta keys if you'd like to get involved.

Heroes of Newerth released its potentially overpowered new hero Berzerker this week, placing Artesia into the free hero pool for legacy accounts a week early. League of Legends introduced its updated AI, adding 40 champions to the bot roster for both Summoner's Rift and Dominion co-op games. Dota 2 released a new test version to trial experimental changes without interrupting balance testing, and dungeon crawler Path of Exile showed off two new screenshots of its upcoming 0.9.6 patch. Finally, Bloodline Champions increased all XP gains by 50% this week in patch 2.3 and has launched a hilarious new photo content that's sure to get some questionable entries.

Continue reading Not So Massively: D3 cuts death animations and HoN releases another broken hero

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Not So Massively: D3 cuts death animations and HoN releases another broken hero originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 06 Feb 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> action-mmoaction-rpgbattlenetberzerkerblacklightblacklight-retributionblizzardblizzard-entertainmentbloodline-championscompetitive-gamingd3diablodiablo-2diablo-3diablo-iidiablo-iiidominiondotae-sporte-sportsesportesportsf2pfantasyfeaturedfpsfree-to-playfuncomgothic-fantasygrinding-geargrinding-gear-gamesheadhunterheroes-of-newerthhonleague-of-legendslolmark-norrismmofpsmobamultiplayernewsnot-so-massivelynsmonline-multiplayerpath-of-exileperfect-worldperfect-world-entertainmentpoepvppweriotriot-gamesround-uprounduprpgs2s2-gamessteamstunlockstunlock-studiosvalvevideozombie-studios Brendan Drain Mon, 06 Feb 2012 20:00:00 EST Massively <![CDATA[EVE Evolved: The benefits of a subscription]]> http://www.massively.com/2012/02/05/eve-evolved-the-benefits-of-a-subscription/ http://www.massively.com/2012/02/05/eve-evolved-the-benefits-of-a-subscription/ http://www.massively.com/2012/02/05/eve-evolved-the-benefits-of-a-subscription/#comments EVE Evolved title image In last week's EVE Evolved opinion piece, I tackled the question of whether it would be possible to make EVE Online free-to-play and then devised a viable hybrid freemium business model based on other apparently successful free-to-play conversions. While this was largely a thought experiment exploring the viability of a conversion, the fact that other subscription games have made the change recently makes it more than just theoretical. The possibility that executives at CCP Games have investigated the same options makes this debate an important one to hash out in a public forum.

We've established that a free-to-play EVE could potentially be viable, but this week I'd like to take the debate one step further and ask whether EVE is actually doing the right thing with its current subscription model. Subscriptions may no longer appear to be the dominant business model in the MMO landscape, but they have some major advantages that are rapidly becoming apparent as more and more games drop their monthly fees. The sale of cosmetic enhancements will only net so much money, and if a game expands into selling convenience items that circumvent grind, there's a strong financial incentive to develop grindy gameplay and then sell shortcuts. This produces a conflict of interest between developing fun games and making money that isn't present with the subscription model.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I look at the benefits of the subscription model, the unique position CCP is in with its PLEX system, and the hidden dangers of convenience-based microtransactions.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: The benefits of a subscription

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EVE Evolved: The benefits of a subscription originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 05 Feb 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> ccpccp-gamesdebateeqeveeve-evolvedeve-onlineeverquest-2everquest-iif2pfeaturedfree-to-playfree-to-play-conversiongame-designincarnammo-industryopinionplexsandboxsci-fisubsubscription Brendan Drain Sun, 05 Feb 2012 18:00:00 EST Massively <![CDATA[Meet the guild that's lasted over 16 years]]> http://www.massively.com/2012/02/05/meet-the-guild-thats-lasted-over-16-years/ http://www.massively.com/2012/02/05/meet-the-guild-thats-lasted-over-16-years/ http://www.massively.com/2012/02/05/meet-the-guild-thats-lasted-over-16-years/#comments Ultima Online title image Guilds are a dime a dozen in MMOs today, be they small social guilds or hardcore groups that collect a few hundred players together. Most guildmates you play with will eventually leave the guild, making way for new members giving the game a try. But what if your guild could transcend the game it was formed in, creating a community that stayed together and moved from game to game? The Syndicate is one such guild, boasting a membership of 1,200 players and a 95% retention rate. The organisation celebrates its 16th anniversary this week, having been born as an online community before the release of Ultima Online.

The Syndicate is currently active in Ultima Online and World of Warcraft, having previously been active in EverQuest, Shadowbane and other games. All members agree to follow a charter that forbids stealing, cheating, non-consensual player-killing, and immature behaviour. The Syndicate takes its identity so seriously that it's even trademarked its name and has worked with MMO companies to rename guilds using it. Developers have in turn taken advantage of The Syndicate's huge community size and code of conduct to beta test upcoming games. With its 16th birthday behind it, the guild predates most MMOs on the market today and is still going strong.

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Meet the guild that's lasted over 16 years originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 05 Feb 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> anniversaryeqeverquestfantasyguildguildsthe-syndicateultimaUltima-Onlineultimaonlineuowarcraftworld-of-warcraftwow Brendan Drain Sun, 05 Feb 2012 17:00:00 EST Massively <![CDATA[Earn prizes in Allods Online's 14-day giveaway event]]> http://www.massively.com/2012/02/05/earn-prizes-in-allods-onlines-14-day-giveaway-event/ http://www.massively.com/2012/02/05/earn-prizes-in-allods-onlines-14-day-giveaway-event/ http://www.massively.com/2012/02/05/earn-prizes-in-allods-onlines-14-day-giveaway-event/#comments Allods Online title image To celebrate the upcoming release of Allods Online's patch 3.0, gPotato is giving away prizes to players who log in on the days leading up to and following the patch. The event starts on February 7th and will run until February 21st, with the patch arriving in the middle on February 14th. Players who log in for a full hour each day during the event will receive progressively valuable rewards, with the best reward saved for those who log in for an hour during all 14 days.

Prizes start with special coins for the first day and rapidly ramp up to consumables and costumes, with a Sinister Lion mount for players who log in during all 14 days. To qualify each day, one hour must be spent playing the game before midnight by your server's clock; the time can be split across multiple characters on your account and the prizes are limited to one set per account. gPotato requests that all players entering the contest log out before midnight each day as staying logged in may make you ineligible for that day. As this is a tiered event, players who miss even a single day will never be able to get the top prize of a Sinister Lion mount. For a full list of prizes and contest terms, head over to the official contest announcement.

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Earn prizes in Allods Online's 14-day giveaway event originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 05 Feb 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> allodsallods-onlineastrum-nivalcompetitioncontestcostumeseventf2pfantasyfree-to-playgala-netgpotatomountnewsplay-for-rewardsprizessinister-lion Brendan Drain Sun, 05 Feb 2012 16:00:00 EST Massively <![CDATA[Star Vault memo reveals Mortal Online expansion date]]> http://www.massively.com/2012/02/05/star-vault-memo-reveals-mortal-online-expansion-date/ http://www.massively.com/2012/02/05/star-vault-memo-reveals-mortal-online-expansion-date/ http://www.massively.com/2012/02/05/star-vault-memo-reveals-mortal-online-expansion-date/#comments Mortal Online title image Fansite Sandboxer.org reports that it has discovered the release date of Mortal Online's upcoming expansion The Awakening in a Star Vault report to investors. We had to do some digging to find the original Swedish document Sandboxer was referring to, but we were able to confirm that the memo does contain the expansion's release month and further as-yet unannounced information.

The Awakening is slated for an April 2012 release, with May and June dedicated to magic and balance updates. The company expects to break even on a monthly basis between July and August of this year and sign a deal with publishers in August. Star Vault's plan is to have the game published in China between July and September and then release an as-yet unannounced expansion in October, with another in April next year.

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Star Vault memo reveals Mortal Online expansion date originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 05 Feb 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> expansionfantasymortal-onlinenewsrelease-datesandboxstar-vaultswedishthe-awakening Brendan Drain Sun, 05 Feb 2012 15:00:00 EST Massively <![CDATA[TERA's EU sneak peek weekend canceled due to unknown technical fault]]> http://www.massively.com/2012/02/05/teras-eu-sneak-peek-weekend-canceled-due-to-unknown-technical-f/ http://www.massively.com/2012/02/05/teras-eu-sneak-peek-weekend-canceled-due-to-unknown-technical-f/ http://www.massively.com/2012/02/05/teras-eu-sneak-peek-weekend-canceled-due-to-unknown-technical-f/#comments TERA title image Upcoming fantasy MMO TERA has been in the news recently for all the wrong reasons, from controversial IP blocking to NCSoft's ongoing lawsuit against developers En Masse Entertainment. Today we add another story to the growing list of problems plaguing TERA as its European sneak peek weekend has collapsed due to unknown technical issues. Though a limited number of preview keys were given out for the event, the game and login servers broke down shortly after the preview got underway.

The event that fans were looking forward to has now been canceled, with no date for a restart yet announced. The official TERA Europe Facebook page confirms that "The cancellation was not due to load problems caused by the large number of potential players," but was unable to shed any light on what caused the fault or when the sneak peek event would resume. With the game's US launch set for May 1st and its European launch shortly after on May 3rd, we can only hope that these problems are ironed out soon.

[Thanks for the tip, Phil!]

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TERA's EU sneak peek weekend canceled due to unknown technical fault originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 05 Feb 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> betablueholebluehole-studiosen-masseen-masse-entertainmentfantasymmo-industrynewssneak-peektera Brendan Drain Sun, 05 Feb 2012 12:00:00 EST Massively <![CDATA[Interview confirms World of Darkness dev team, predicts DUST 514 sales]]> http://www.massively.com/2012/02/03/interview-confirms-world-of-darkness-dev-team-predicts-dust-514/ http://www.massively.com/2012/02/03/interview-confirms-world-of-darkness-dev-team-predicts-dust-514/ http://www.massively.com/2012/02/03/interview-confirms-world-of-darkness-dev-team-predicts-dust-514/#comments EVE Online title image When CCP Games laid off 20% of its worldwide staff back in October of last year, the World of Darkness dev team bore the brunt of the cuts while DUST 514 continued on course for its launch later this year. In an interview over at TenTonHammer today, CCP's new Chief Marketing Officer, David Reid, joined CEO Hilmar Petursson to discuss the development of both games. Hilmar reveals that a team of 60 developers are currently working on WoD, and that DUST 514 will be playable at this year's EVE Online fanfest event in March.

Despite acknowledging that the entire PlayStation Network comprises a total of 60 million users, Reid asserts that DUST will bring "tens of millions of people that play shooters on PSN into the New Eden universe," going on to make the bold statement that "EVE could be the biggest game in the world at the end of 2012" as a result. Reid also claims that "EVE Online is the only game in the West that has shown consecutive growth year after year," a statement that's sure to upset RuneScape developer Jagex and others. The statement also comes with a slightly bitter note as this year EVE may have lost its record of continual subscription growth during the summer drama.

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Interview confirms World of Darkness dev team, predicts DUST 514 sales originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> ccpccp-gamescmoconsoledavid-reiddustdust-514eveeve-onlinef2pfantasyfpsfree-to-playgothichilmar-peturssonhorrorinterviewjagexjagex-games-studiomillionsmmofpsplaystationplaystation-3PlayStation-Networkps3psnrsrunescapesalessandboxsci-fishootersupernaturalvampirevampireswhite-wolfwodworld-of-darkness Brendan Drain Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:00:00 EST Massively <![CDATA[Play the MMO that never dies with Mythos Global's open beta]]> http://www.massively.com/2012/02/02/play-the-mmo-that-never-dies-with-mythos-globals-open-beta/ http://www.massively.com/2012/02/02/play-the-mmo-that-never-dies-with-mythos-globals-open-beta/ http://www.massively.com/2012/02/02/play-the-mmo-that-never-dies-with-mythos-globals-open-beta/#comments Mythos title image Mythos is the MMO that almost wasn't, then was, then wasn't, and then was again. The free-to-play Diablo-esque MMO was in playable beta as far back as November 2007, but its release was plagued by problems you wouldn't wish on your worst enemies.

Mythos has somehow survived its entire original development team being fired, legal battles over the intellectual property rights to the game, and being kicked from publisher to publisher. Now in its third incarnation as Mythos Global, the game will soon relaunch to excited fans, and to curious gamers who didn't play it while it was live.

If you didn't snag one of Massively's keys for the closed beta back in December, your chance to play the game starts now! Mythos Global officially entered open beta today, with free registration available via its new publisher T3Fun.

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Play the MMO that never dies with Mythos Global's open beta originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 02 Feb 2012 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> action-rpgback-from-the-deadbetadiablof2pfantasyfree-to-playfrogstergothic-fantasyhanbitsoftmultiplayermythosmythos-globalonline-multiplayeropen-betaredbanarpgt3fun Brendan Drain Thu, 02 Feb 2012 10:30:00 EST Massively <![CDATA[EVE Online website revamp detailed in new video devblog]]> http://www.massively.com/2012/01/31/eve-online-website-revamp-detailed-in-new-video-devblog/ http://www.massively.com/2012/01/31/eve-online-website-revamp-detailed-in-new-video-devblog/ http://www.massively.com/2012/01/31/eve-online-website-revamp-detailed-in-new-video-devblog/#comments EVE Online title image EVE Online has undergone countless changes and iterations since its first release in 2003, with major graphics overhauls and new gameplay systems arriving every year. In contrast, the official EVE website hasn't changed much over the years. With background information, screenshots, video, forums and knowledgebase articles, the EVE website now juggles content designed for prospective players and existing community members alike. CCP aims to change all that with a complete overhaul that will split community tools like the forums, knowledgebase, and account management from marketing designed to attract players.

In a new video devblog, web-developer CCP Alice shows off some of the features of EVE's brand new website. Built using HTML 5, the new page will feature a full built-in renderer able to show prospective players the EVE Online universe map and interactive renderings of every ship in the game. "Now that we have a better eveonline.com, the focus after this one is to focus on the community," says CCP Alice, hinting that new community tools will soon be on the way. In a follow-up devblog today, Community Manager CCP Guard confirmed that players will soon be able to start their own corporation forums hosted on CCP's servers. Check out the full video after the cut.

Continue reading EVE Online website revamp detailed in new video devblog

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EVE Online website revamp detailed in new video devblog originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 31 Jan 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> ccpccp-aliceccp-gamesccp-guardcommunitycommunity-sitecorporationcorporationsdevblogeveeve-onlineforumforumsguildguild-forumsguildssandboxsci-fivideoWeb-Developmentwebsite Brendan Drain Tue, 31 Jan 2012 11:00:00 EST Massively <![CDATA[Not So Massively: Why are all these games still in beta?]]> http://www.massively.com/2012/01/30/not-so-massively-why-are-all-these-games-still-in-beta/ http://www.massively.com/2012/01/30/not-so-massively-why-are-all-these-games-still-in-beta/ http://www.massively.com/2012/01/30/not-so-massively-why-are-all-these-games-still-in-beta/#comments Not So Massively title image Dota 2 revealed its latest hero, Clinkz the Bone Fletcher, in this week's beta patch, while the Realm of the Titans beta was rudely interrupted by a security breach that saw thousands of passwords stolen. Blacklight: Retribution's fourth beta phase is now underway, and we have beta keys for those of you who haven't managed to get into it yet. Bloodline Champions celebrated the two-year anniversary of its first beta test this week, and developers revealed details of upcoming bloodline Headhunter.

League of Legends spilled the beans on its brand-new psychotic yordle champion Ziggs, the Hexplosives Expert, this week with a full gameplay reveal, art spotlight and patch preview. Diablo III seems slightly nearer to release this week with the news that Blizzard has cancelled BlizzCon 2012 in order to focus on getting the game to release as soon as possible. Heroes of Newerth player Fatmilk set a new world record by playing the game for 76 hours straight and raised pver $3,700US for charity as a result. Finally, the Rise of Immortals developers discussed the latest immortal, Ukkonen, and other topics in the first part of a new developer podcast series.

Continue reading Not So Massively: Why are all these games still in beta?

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Not So Massively: Why are all these games still in beta? originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 30 Jan 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> action-rpgaeria-gamesbattlenetblacklightblacklight-retributionblizzardblizzard-entertainmentbloodline-championscompetitive-gamingd3diablodiablo-2diablo-3diablo-iidiablo-iiidotae-sporte-sportsesportesportsf2pfantasyfeaturedfpsfree-to-playfuncomgothic-fantasyheroes-of-newerthhonleague-of-legendslolmmofpsmobamultiplayernewsnot-so-massivelynsmonline-multiplayerperfect-worldperfect-world-entertainmentpetroglyphpetroglyph-gamespvppweriotriot-gamesrise-of-immortalsroiround-uprounduprpgs2s2-gamesstunlockstunlock-studiosvalvevideo Brendan Drain Mon, 30 Jan 2012 20:00:00 EST Massively <![CDATA[EVE Evolved: Could EVE Online go free-to-play?]]> http://www.massively.com/2012/01/29/eve-evolved-could-eve-online-go-free-to-play/ http://www.massively.com/2012/01/29/eve-evolved-could-eve-online-go-free-to-play/ http://www.massively.com/2012/01/29/eve-evolved-could-eve-online-go-free-to-play/#comments EVE Online title image When EVE Online was released in 2003, the subscription model was the dominant business model for MMOs. Subscriptions have dominated Western MMOs throughout most of EVE's reign, but in the past two years we've seen the market push toward alternative models. Although the Incarna expansion controversially introduced a cash shop for cosmetic items, EVE Online has remained a subscription MMO in the face of tremendous market pressure to change. Although CCP plans to use microtransactions heavily in World of Darkness, and DUST 514 will not have a subscription fee, no plans to significantly modify EVE's current business model have been announced.

There's no sense in trying to deny it: The market is changing, with microtransaction-supported free-to-play games producing far more money than subscription titles. Hybrid models that give players the choice between microtransactions or a regular subscription have turned the industry on its head. When Turbine first implemented a hybrid model in Dungeons and Dragons Online, not only did profit shoot up from the free players but subscriptions rose. When the studio gave Lord of the Rings Online the same treatment, profits tripled almost overnight. The money is firmly in microtransactions, and it would be disingenuous to assume CCP won't chase that kind of financial reward. But could EVE even support a free-to-play business model, and what alternatives are there?

In this week's EVE Evolved, I ask whether it would be possible for EVE Online to adopt a free-to-play business model, and I suggest a simple alternative model that could really work.
[UPDATE: World of Darkness has not been confirmed as free-to-play, and though DUST 514 will not have a subscription fee, it will have a cover charge for initial purchase]

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Could EVE Online go free-to-play?

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EVE Evolved: Could EVE Online go free-to-play? originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 29 Jan 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> ccpccp-gamesddodungeons-and-dragons-onlineeveeve-evolvedeve-onlineeverquest-2everquest-iif2pfeaturedfreefree-to-playincarnalord-of-the-rings-onlinelotroopinionsandboxsci-fiturbine Brendan Drain Sun, 29 Jan 2012 18:00:00 EST Massively <![CDATA[Amateur documentary tackles online game addiction]]> http://www.massively.com/2012/01/29/amateur-documentary-tackles-online-game-addiction/ http://www.massively.com/2012/01/29/amateur-documentary-tackles-online-game-addiction/ http://www.massively.com/2012/01/29/amateur-documentary-tackles-online-game-addiction/#comments World of Warcraft title image Countless documentaries have investigated gaming addiction and the supposed dangers lurking in massively multiplayer titles, but it's not often that someone who's experienced an addiction talks about it himself. Third year film student and ex World of Warcraft junkie Anthony Rosner looks back on his six years in the game in a new short documentary on the effects of MMO addiction. With help from friends Dave Novis and Arron Amo, Anthony produced, directed, wrote, and edited the film himself, ensuring that he had the opportunity to tell his whole story and tell it from his own perspective.

Titled IRL - In Real Life, the film takes a largely light-hearted look at Anthony's past but still manages to tackle the big issues. "I used to wake up early, log on, play all day, and then go to sleep," Anthony recalls, adding the sobering note that this was his routine "for over 400 days of my life." Most of us can sympathise with people who feel isolated in the most social type of game there is, or who feel like running a guild is a full-time job. Anthony tackles these issues and talks about how he dragged himself out of them. The film's high production quality and authentic voice offer a glimpse into a world to which we can all relate. Check out the full video after the cut.

Continue reading Amateur documentary tackles online game addiction

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Amateur documentary tackles online game addiction originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 29 Jan 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> activisionaddictaddictionanthony-rosnerArron-Amoblizzardblizzard-entertainmentDave-Novisfantasygaming-addictionmmo-addictionnewsonline-gaming-addictionvideowarcraftworld-of-warcraftwow Brendan Drain Sun, 29 Jan 2012 16:00:00 EST Massively <![CDATA[League of Legends reveals Ziggs, the Hexplosives Expert]]> http://www.massively.com/2012/01/29/league-of-legends-reveals-ziggs-the-hexplosives-expert/ http://www.massively.com/2012/01/29/league-of-legends-reveals-ziggs-the-hexplosives-expert/ http://www.massively.com/2012/01/29/league-of-legends-reveals-ziggs-the-hexplosives-expert/#comments League of Legends title image If you're a fan of League of Legends' cute, fuzzy, and distinctly psychotic yordles, you're in for a treat this week! Riot Games has revealed the game's next champion, a furry little yordle who's as adorable as he is deadly. Ziggs the Hexplosives Expert may look innocent enough, but he'd just as sooner drop a bomb in your lap than give you a hug. In a new gameplay reveal, developers give us a look at each of Ziggs' abilities, some screenshots of him in combat, and a dose of lore to blend the new champion into LoL's ever-growing roster.

Ziggs is able to throw a bouncing bomb, set up a delayed satchel charge and scatter proximity mines across the ground that detonate on contact. His ultimate ability, the aptly named Mega Inferno Bomb, is essentially a long-range portable nuke that deals massive damage to those inside the primary blast radius. All of these abilities add up to make Ziggs a scary little damage-dealer to come up against in a match.

The Ziggs patch will bring with it a number of additional balance changes, including the removal of the critical strike mastery in the offense tree, a buff coming to Jax, and a significant nerf heading for Lee Sin players. Check out the Ziggs patch preview video after the break for more details.

Continue reading League of Legends reveals Ziggs, the Hexplosives Expert

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League of Legends reveals Ziggs, the Hexplosives Expert originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 29 Jan 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> championdotae-sportesportsexplosivesf2pfantasyfree-to-playleague-of-legendslolmobariotriot-gamesvideoyordleZiggs Brendan Drain Sun, 29 Jan 2012 12:00:00 EST Massively <![CDATA[Five phantastic videos from the Phantasy Star Online 2 alpha test]]> http://www.massively.com/2012/01/28/five-phantastic-videos-from-the-phantasy-star-online-2-alpha-tes/ http://www.massively.com/2012/01/28/five-phantastic-videos-from-the-phantasy-star-online-2-alpha-tes/ http://www.massively.com/2012/01/28/five-phantastic-videos-from-the-phantasy-star-online-2-alpha-tes/#comments title image A decade ago, Phantasy Star Online brought the special multiplayer magic of the emerging MMO genre to console gamers around the world. Sega celebrated the game's 10-year anniversary with the announcement of a sequel due to hit the shelves in Japan this year. No word has been given on whether there will be a US or EU release, but that hasn't stopped international fans of the game from getting excited. PSO2 officially launched its second alpha phase yesterday, and foreign game review website Steparu managed to get itself an invite.

Fans of the original game's online play will be pleased to know that party gameplay has been given some much-needed improvements. There's no more need to make sure everyone is on the same quest; instead, the party leader picks a mission and the whole party gets it automatically. Mini-quests can pop up randomly during a dungeon, and completing them grants bonus experience. Boss fights are just as deadly and hectic as in the original, with fast-paced action and team members dying repeatedly throughout the fight. Steparu has published a comprehensive review of the early alpha, with videos of everything from dungeons and boss kills to furniture arranging. We've embedded a few of those videos after the cut.

Continue reading Five phantastic videos from the Phantasy Star Online 2 alpha test

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Five phantastic videos from the Phantasy Star Online 2 alpha test originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 28 Jan 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> alphaalpha-testbossboss-fightsconsoledungeonmultiplayernewsphantasy-starPhantasy-Star-OnlinePhantasy-Star-Online-2psopso2sci-fisteparusteparu.comvideo Brendan Drain Sat, 28 Jan 2012 14:00:00 EST Massively <![CDATA[Not So Massively: New hero edition]]> http://www.massively.com/2012/01/23/not-so-massively-new-hero-edition/ http://www.massively.com/2012/01/23/not-so-massively-new-hero-edition/ http://www.massively.com/2012/01/23/not-so-massively-new-hero-edition/#comments Not So Massively title image League of Legends revealed this week that 5% of Taiwan is now playing even though the game only launched there six months ago. We also got an in-depth look at new jungling tank champion Sejuani with a new champion spotlight video. Heroes of Newerth released its own new hero this week with ranged intelligence hero Gravekeeper, and Bloodline Champions teased fans with upcoming bloodline Headhunter.

The Diablo III beta saw some big changes this week to bring the gameplay back into the spirit of its predecessor, Diablo II. Wrath of Heroes began gearing up for its fifth beta session later this week, while Blacklight: Retribution explored the fine art of stealing your enemy's hardsuit in a new video release. Firefall announced its condemnation of the Stop Online Piracy Act this week, adding its name to the list of opposition to the proposed legislation. Finally, Rise of Immortals got a make-over this week with a brand-new logo, launcher and login screen.

Continue reading Not So Massively: New hero edition

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Not So Massively: New hero edition originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 23 Jan 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> action-rpgbattlenetbiowareblacklightblacklight-retributionblizzardblizzard-entertainmentbloodline-championscompetitive-gamingd3diablodiablo-2diablo-3diablo-iidiablo-iiidotae-sporte-sportseaelectronic-artsesportesportsf2pfantasyfeaturedfpsfree-to-playfuncomgothic-fantasygravekeeperheroes-of-newerthhonleague-of-legendslolmmofpsmobamultiplayermythicmythic-entertainmentnewsnot-so-massivelynsmonline-multiplayerperfect-worldperfect-world-entertainmentpetroglyphpetroglyph-gamespvppweriotriot-gamesrise-of-immortalsroiround-uprounduprpgs2s2-gamesSejuanisteamstunlockstunlock-studiosvideowarhammerwarhammer-wrath-of-heroeswohwrath-of-heroes Brendan Drain Mon, 23 Jan 2012 20:00:00 EST Massively <![CDATA[EVE Evolved: Music to watch the stars by]]> http://www.massively.com/2012/01/22/eve-evolved-music-to-watch-the-stars-by/ http://www.massively.com/2012/01/22/eve-evolved-music-to-watch-the-stars-by/ http://www.massively.com/2012/01/22/eve-evolved-music-to-watch-the-stars-by/#comments EVE Online title image EVE Online received some big graphical overhauls with the recent Crucible expansion, and every ship will have its graphics iterated on in future patches as part of with the ongoing V3 project. A great deal of time and money is poured into keeping EVE's graphics at the bleeding edge of the industry, and yet the game's music has barely changed since launch in 2003. Warped ambient compositions like Red Glowing Dust gave a feeling of depth and scale to early EVE's empty universe, and the electronic beats of tracks like Below the Asteroids and Merchants, Looters and Ghosts have become iconic sounds of EVE. The music still manages to impress new players, but with so much of EVE being overhauled, I think it's time to give the music another look.

Very few game studios pay as much attention to music as to graphics, the user interface, or gameplay, but the right music has the power to completely transform a player's experience. Just like in a movie, music can evoke an emotional response and so alter a person's perception of events. Fighting monsters in a fantasy MMO or shooting down pirates in EVE might not be a terribly epic activity, but throw in some epic music and suddenly it feels a lot more real. I wrote about the psychological effect of music in MMOs several years ago, and the topic is as relevant today as it was then.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I look at three different types of music that could improve EVE and suggest how CCP could take advantage of each type to give EVE the soundtrack it deserves.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Music to watch the stars by

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EVE Evolved: Music to watch the stars by originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 22 Jan 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> ambientbackground-musicccpccp-gamescombat-musiccrucibleeqeq-2eq-iieq2eqiieraeveeve-evolvedeve-onlineeverquesteverquest-2everquest-iifantasyfeaturedmusicopinionpvppvp-musicsandboxsci-fisyncsynchronization Brendan Drain Sun, 22 Jan 2012 18:00:00 EST Massively <![CDATA[EVE Online reveals full Crucible 1.1 patch feature list]]> http://www.massively.com/2012/01/21/eve-online-reveals-full-crucible-1-1-patch-feature-list/ http://www.massively.com/2012/01/21/eve-online-reveals-full-crucible-1-1-patch-feature-list/ http://www.massively.com/2012/01/21/eve-online-reveals-full-crucible-1-1-patch-feature-list/#comments EVE Online title image The feature page for EVE Online's next major patch Crucible 1.1 has gone live, with a comprehensive list of the features we can expect when it's released on Tuesday January 24th. As the patch has probably now entered feature lockdown, the feature page is now a complete listing of the updates we can expect. The patch finalises the changeover of player owned starbases to the convenient new fuel block system, and the six changes revealed in Team BFF's last devblog will also be going into effect.

The neocom will receive its big update with the patch, but the two biggest changes are issues that players have begged CCP to address since 2008. Tech 2 assault frigates are finally being rebalanced to bring them in line with other ships, and alliances will now be able to sign up for faction warfare. Other big changes include a boost to all sizes of Null blaster ammo and the release of new deadspace invulnerability fields for shield users. Head over to the official Crucible 1.1 feature page for a full list of changes.

[Thanks to Knoodlepot for the tip!]

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EVE Online reveals full Crucible 1.1 patch feature list originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 21 Jan 2012 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> assault-frigateccpccp-gamescruciblecrucible-1.1eveeve-onlineneocomnewspatchsandboxsci-fistarbase Brendan Drain Sat, 21 Jan 2012 21:00:00 EST Massively <![CDATA[Not So Massively: LoL talks Sejuani, D3 drops cash AH in Korea and more]]> http://www.massively.com/2012/01/16/not-so-massively-lol-talks-sejuani-d3-drops-cash-ah-in-korea-a/ http://www.massively.com/2012/01/16/not-so-massively-lol-talks-sejuani-d3-drops-cash-ah-in-korea-a/ http://www.massively.com/2012/01/16/not-so-massively-lol-talks-sejuani-d3-drops-cash-ah-in-korea-a/#comments
Not So Massively title image
This week, League of Legends revealed its upcoming tank champion Sejuani, a barbarian from the north who rides a boar and fights with the power of frost. Champion Jax was also completely remastered as part of the Sejuani patch, with his reliance on the dodge skill removed. Rise of Immortals released a champion spotlight on ranged damage-dealer Nyssus, and Firefall released a video of hilarious outtakes from last week's cosplay programme video.

The big news is that Diablo III has finally solved its dispute with the South Korean rating agencies by removing the cash auction house in that country only. Bloodline Champions celebrated its first birthday, and Heroes of Newerth's HoNWars tournament fired up its second season with a $10,000 prize pool. Blacklight Retribution talked tactics in its latest developer diary, highlighting tactical use of the HRV that lets you briefly see enemies through walls. Finally, the latest Wrath of Heroes beta has been extended until tomorrow morning, and End of Nations talked capture points in a new Warfront video devblog.

Continue reading Not So Massively: LoL talks Sejuani, D3 drops cash AH in Korea and more

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Not So Massively: LoL talks Sejuani, D3 drops cash AH in Korea and more originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 16 Jan 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> action-rpgbattlenetbiowareblacklightblacklight-retributionblizzardblizzard-entertainmentbloodline-championscompetitive-gamingd3diablodiablo-2diablo-3diablo-iidiablo-iiidotae-sporte-sportseaelectronic-artsesportesportsf2pfantasyfeaturedfree-to-playfuncomgothic-fantasyheroes-of-newerthhonjaxleague-of-legendslolmobamultiplayermythicmythic-entertainmentnewsnot-so-massivelynsmonline-multiplayerpetroglyphpetroglyph-gamespvpriotriot-gamesrise-of-immortalsroiround-uprounduprpgs2s2-gamesSejuanistunlockstunlock-studiostrion-worldsvideowarhammerwarhammer-wrath-of-heroeswohwrath-of-heroes Brendan Drain Mon, 16 Jan 2012 20:00:00 EST Massively <![CDATA[EVE Evolved: Resurrecting faction warfare]]> http://www.massively.com/2012/01/15/eve-evolved-resurrecting-faction-warfare/ http://www.massively.com/2012/01/15/eve-evolved-resurrecting-faction-warfare/ http://www.massively.com/2012/01/15/eve-evolved-resurrecting-faction-warfare/#comments EVE Online title image I think it's safe to say that most EVE Online players have never tried their hands at faction warfare, the state-sponsored bloodbath that pits Minmatar and Gallente pilots against their Amarr and Caldari rivals. When the system launched almost four years ago during 2008's Empyrean Age expansion, it was an immediate and colossal success. CCP ran news stories leading up to the expansion to show the growing tensions between the four nations, with several videos highlighting major flashpoints like the Malkalen incident. The stage was set for the war to end all wars, and players were brought to the front lines to die for their nations.

Faction warfare was originally designed to be a stepping stone for empire-dwellers who wanted to get into nullsec and to give fleet-based PvP to pilots without nullsec contacts. The first few months saw some spectacular action, with fleets of over a hundred rookie pilots happily smashing each other to bits. For over a year, faction warfare provided practically instant-action PvP on any scale you could want, from solo roaming and small gang warfare to full-on fleet battles with several capital ships. Unfortunately, CCP didn't iterate on the feature, so after a year with broken capture mechanics and no real purpose or reward for fighting, faction warfare began to grind to a halt.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I speculate on how faction warfare could possibly be resurrected.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Resurrecting faction warfare

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EVE Evolved: Resurrecting faction warfare originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 15 Jan 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> ccpccp-eveccp-gamesdust-514eveeve-ccpeve-evolvedeve-mmorpgeve-onlineexpansionfactionfaction-warfarefactional-warfarefeaturedfleetfleet-commandfleet-warfaregame-designgang-warfareopinionpvpresurrectresurrectionrevampterritorial-warfare Brendan Drain Sun, 15 Jan 2012 18:00:00 EST Massively <![CDATA[Six small changes that will make a big difference to EVE players]]> http://www.massively.com/2012/01/11/six-small-changes-that-will-make-a-big-difference-to-eve-players/ http://www.massively.com/2012/01/11/six-small-changes-that-will-make-a-big-difference-to-eve-players/ http://www.massively.com/2012/01/11/six-small-changes-that-will-make-a-big-difference-to-eve-players/#comments EVE Online title image Last year, EVE Online developer CCP Games tasked its illustrious Team Best Friends Forever with a project aimed at fixing all those little things that annoy EVE players on a daily basis. Font issues, windows stealing focus, implants not showing on killmails, and the problem of agent standings being overly complicated were all tackled in no time flat. For the Crucible expansion, Team BFF's leader, CCP Soundwave, was put in charge of multiple teams that hammered out hundreds of bug fixes, gameplay balance changes and quality of life improvements.

In a new devblog, CCP Punkturis reveals six small changes under development by Team BFF that will certainly make a big difference to EVE players. The skill queue will be getting a search feature, which is good news for older players with over a hundred skills to sort through. The watch list that keeps track of friendly targets in fleet operations will be able to hold 15 players, up from 10, and players will be able to re-order them any way they like.

If you've ever seen a player's face appear in the bottom right of the screen to tell you he's just logged in, chances are you've tried to click on it to talk to him at least once. When the next big patch goes live, you'll be able to do just that. The agent list in stations and module overload indicator will both receive graphical updates, and a new compact user list for the local channel with no portraits will be an absolute god-send to nullsec fleets.

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Six small changes that will make a big difference to EVE players originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 11 Jan 2012 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> ccpccp-eveccp-gamesccp-punkturisccp-soundwavecrucibledevblogdevelopmenteveeve-ccpeve-mmorpgeve-onlinefleetlittle-thingsnewsnullsecpvpteam-best-friends-foreverteam-bff Brendan Drain Wed, 11 Jan 2012 18:30:00 EST Massively <![CDATA[The SOPAbox: Defeating online piracy by destroying the internet, page 2]]> http://www.massively.com/2012/01/10/the-sopabox-defeating-online-piracy-by-destroying-the-intern2/ http://www.massively.com/2012/01/10/the-sopabox-defeating-online-piracy-by-destroying-the-intern2/ http://www.massively.com/2012/01/10/the-sopabox-defeating-online-piracy-by-destroying-the-intern2/#comments Continue reading The SOPAbox: Defeating online piracy by destroying the internet, page 2

The SOPAbox: Defeating online piracy by destroying the internet, page 2 originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 10 Jan 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> Brendan Drain Tue, 10 Jan 2012 11:00:00 EST Massively <![CDATA[The SOPAbox: Defeating online piracy by destroying the internet]]> http://www.massively.com/2012/01/10/the-sopabox-defeating-online-piracy-by-destroying-the-internet/ http://www.massively.com/2012/01/10/the-sopabox-defeating-online-piracy-by-destroying-the-internet/ http://www.massively.com/2012/01/10/the-sopabox-defeating-online-piracy-by-destroying-the-internet/#comments The Soapbox title image 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.

Unless you've been living under a rock, chances are you've heard of SOPA and PIPA. The Stop Online Piracy Act and PROTECT IP Act are two radical pieces of copyright legislation currently being pushed through the US government. Although the stated intent of the new legislation is to provide companies with additional tools with which to combat piracy, the bill's loose wording has raised some serious alarm bells. Opponents to the proposed law say it would give corporations the ability to shut down any almost any website under the guise of protecting copyright infringement.

Gamers will be affected worst of all, as the loose wording of the law makes any website with user-submitted content potentially vulnerable to a shut down order. That could include YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, any blog with a comment section, or even any online game with a chat system. Perhaps the scariest part is that you'll be affected even if you're not in the US, as one of the new law's enforcement mechanisms is to remove a site from the DNS records, a move that assumes the US has jurisdiction over the global Domain Name System. AOL is among many huge companies strongly opposing SOPA, and so naturally Massively opposes it too.

In this week's massive two-page Soapbox, I make the case for why you should be worried about SOPA, and I suggest what can be done to tackle piracy in the games industry. Comments can be left on page two.

Continue reading The SOPAbox: Defeating online piracy by destroying the internet

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The SOPAbox: Defeating online piracy by destroying the internet originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 10 Jan 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> brendan-draincopyrightcopyright-infringementdnsdnssecdomaindomain-namesfeaturedfirst-amendmentfree-speechfreedom-of-speechgovernmenti-dont-want-to-live-on-this-planet-any-moreillegalintellectual-propertyiplawlegalmiscMiscellaneousnyphurpiracypiratesprotect-ipsoapboxsoapbox-brendan-drainsopasopaboxthe-soapboxthe-sopaboxus-governmentvideo Brendan Drain Tue, 10 Jan 2012 11:00:00 EST Massively <![CDATA[Not So Massively: Hints of a Diablo III release date and more]]> http://www.massively.com/2012/01/09/not-so-massively-hints-of-a-diablo-iii-release-date-and-more/ http://www.massively.com/2012/01/09/not-so-massively-hints-of-a-diablo-iii-release-date-and-more/ http://www.massively.com/2012/01/09/not-so-massively-hints-of-a-diablo-iii-release-date-and-more/#comments Not So Massively title image League of Legends kicked off the competitive year with the closing of 2011's final event and showed off some hilarious fan-made videos this week. Firefall continued its cosplay program video series with the inclusion of Hollywood actor Lee Reherman, and we finally got to see the finished mech suits for the game's signature characters Mourningstar and Typhon.

Has Diablo III's release date been accidentally leaked? This week we saw compelling evidence to suggest that the highly anticipated title has finally got a release date -- and it's not far away! Heroes of Newerth fans foamed at the mouth with Patch 2.5.4's introducing a potentially overpowered new hero but none of the crash fixes or balance tweaks the game desperately needs. Rise of Immortals announced the winners of its holiday competition and released a new spotlight on Ichorr. Finally, Wrath of Heroes announced the next stage of its ongoing beta, which is scheduled to begin this week.

Continue reading Not So Massively: Hints of a Diablo III release date and more

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Not So Massively: Hints of a Diablo III release date and more originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 09 Jan 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> action-rpgbattlenetbiowareblizzardblizzard-entertainmentcompetitive-gamingd3diablodiablo-2diablo-3diablo-iidiablo-iiidotae-sporte-sportseaelectronic-artsesportesportsf2pfantasyfeaturedfree-to-playgothic-fantasyheroes-of-newerthhonleague-of-legendslolmobamultiplayermythicmythic-entertainmentnewsnot-so-massivelynsmonline-multiplayerpetroglyphpetroglyph-gamespvpriotriot-gamesrise-of-immortalsroiround-uprounduprpgs2s2-gamesvideowarhammerwarhammer-wrath-of-heroeswohwrath-of-heroes Brendan Drain Mon, 09 Jan 2012 20:00:00 EST Massively <![CDATA[EVE Evolved: Development on EVE in 2012]]> http://www.massively.com/2012/01/08/eve-evolved-development-on-eve-in-2012/ http://www.massively.com/2012/01/08/eve-evolved-development-on-eve-in-2012/ http://www.massively.com/2012/01/08/eve-evolved-development-on-eve-in-2012/#comments EVE Evolved title image Following the summer drama that came to be known as monoclegate, the past six months have been challenging for EVE Online's players and developers alike. When players learned that cash-shop clothing was priced higher than its real-life equivalent, the quirky story of the $80 monocle swept across gaming blogs like wildfire. The story's tone soon turned a great deal more sinister with the leak of an internal company newsletter titled Greed is Good, and a second leaked memo from CCP's CEO added more fuel to the flames. Ultimately, players spoke with their wallets; subscriptions fell by at least 8%, and with no financial backup plan, CCP was forced to lay off 20% of its staff worldwide.

The staff members who remained were faced with the task of turning things around, and with the feature-packed Crucible expansion, they did so spectacularly. In just a few short months, hundreds of high-profile features, graphical overhauls, and quality of life improvements breathed new life into a neglected universe. I think most players recognise that this has been a genuine turn-around from within CCP, but some are still skeptical that the company has really reformed. The question on everyone's mind is whether CCP can really keep up this quality of development in the coming year as it delivers two full expansions and integrates EVE with DUST 514.

Perhaps nobody is better qualified to assess that than CSM delegate and former CCP game designer Mark "Seleene" Heard, who recently attended the December CSM summit and witnessed first-hand the aftermath of monoclegate and Crucible's development.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I delve into Mark's CSM Summit report to find out how development at CCP has changed, what we can expect in 2012, and how monocle-gate has affected CEO Hilmar Veigar Pétursson.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Development on EVE in 2012

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EVE Evolved: Development on EVE in 2012 originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 08 Jan 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> 20122012-predictionsccpccp-abathurccp-eveccp-gamescouncil-of-stellar-managementcsmcsm-delegatecsm-summitdecemberdevelopmentDominiondust-514eveeve-ccpeve-evolvedeve-mmorpgeve-onlineexpansionexpansionsfeaturedgame-developmentgraphicshilmarhilmar-peturssonhilmar-v-peturssonhilmar-veigar-peturssonmark-heardmmofpsmonoclegatesandboxsci-fiseleene Brendan Drain Sun, 08 Jan 2012 18:00:00 EST Massively <![CDATA[Not So Massively: A quiet week in the land of MOBA]]> http://www.massively.com/2012/01/02/not-so-massively-a-quiet-week-in-the-land-of-moba/ http://www.massively.com/2012/01/02/not-so-massively-a-quiet-week-in-the-land-of-moba/ http://www.massively.com/2012/01/02/not-so-massively-a-quiet-week-in-the-land-of-moba/#comments Not So Massively title image It's been a quiet week for online gaming, with game studios around the world enjoying the holidays and gearing up for another year of development. The Diablo franchise celebrated its 15th anniversary this week, but that elusive Diablo III release date is still unknown. The game has run into legal difficulties with South Korea's rating agencies, but this shouldn't affect the global release.

League of Legends had a quiet holiday week, issuing a reminder to players that the dodge rune removal scheduled for last week is now complete. Bloodline Champions officially released its new bloodline Stormcaller and relocated its servers to Sweden in order to improve performance. Finally, Valve threw hundreds of Dota 2 beta keys into its holiday giveaway over the past week, and Massively managed to snag one.

Skip past the cut for details of this week's biggest news from the world of MOBAs and other big online games that aren't quite MMOs.

Continue reading Not So Massively: A quiet week in the land of MOBA

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Not So Massively: A quiet week in the land of MOBA originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 02 Jan 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> action-rpgactivisionbattlenetblizzardblizzard-entertainmentbloodline-championscompetitive-gamingd3diablodiablo-2diablo-3diablo-iidiablo-iiidotae-sporte-sportsesportesportsf2pfantasyfeaturedfree-to-playfuncomgothic-fantasyleague-of-legendslolmobamultiplayernewsnot-so-massivelynsmonline-multiplayerpvpriotriot-gamesround-uprounduprpgsteamstunlockstunlock-studiosvalvewarcraftworld-of-warcraftwow Brendan Drain Mon, 02 Jan 2012 20:00:00 EST Massively <![CDATA[EVE Evolved: All there is to know about DUST 514]]> http://www.massively.com/2012/01/01/eve-evolved-all-there-is-to-know-about-dust-514/ http://www.massively.com/2012/01/01/eve-evolved-all-there-is-to-know-about-dust-514/ http://www.massively.com/2012/01/01/eve-evolved-all-there-is-to-know-about-dust-514/#comments EVE Evolved title image Last week, EVE Online developer CCP Games officially started accepting beta signups for its upcoming MMOFPS DUST 514. This first phase of closed beta tests will be open only to active EVE Online subscribers, giving us an early opportunity to contribute feedback to the game's development ahead of console players. I think that's important because it's our universe that the game will take place in -- literally. DUST 514 players will be connecting to EVE Online's supercluster, so gameplay between the two titles will be intimately linked in realtime.

With the new game's release date set for the summer 2012, EVE players can expect the next big expansion to focus heavily on planetary control and the DUST 514 link. The past month has been flush with new information on DUST's customisable vehicles, drop suits, infantry weapons and more. We've even had a look under the hood at the server architecture that will keep the planet-bound battles fast and furious without lagging out the EVE players smashing each other to bits in orbit.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I gather together all the key information on DUST 514 released this month and discuss what it means for EVE Online players.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: All there is to know about DUST 514

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EVE Evolved: All there is to know about DUST 514 originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 01 Jan 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> artilleryccpccp-eveccp-gamescustomisationcustomizationdrop-suitdropsuitsdustdust-514eveeve-ccpeve-evolvedeve-mmorpgeve-onlinef2pfaction-warfarefactional-warfarefeaturedfpsfree-to-playmmofpsnuke-them-from-orbitPlayStationPlayStation-3playstation-vitaPlaystation3ps-3ps-vitaps3pvpskyfiresonytanks Brendan Drain Sun, 01 Jan 2012 18:00:00 EST Massively <![CDATA[Massively's MMO predictions for 2012: Brendan Drain]]> http://www.massively.com/2011/12/27/massivelys-mmo-predictions-for-2012-brendan-drain/ http://www.massively.com/2011/12/27/massivelys-mmo-predictions-for-2012-brendan-drain/ http://www.massively.com/2011/12/27/massivelys-mmo-predictions-for-2012-brendan-drain/#comments Brendan DrainStar Wars: The Old Republic has had a successful launch, but being the big Christmas MMO release will have artificially inflated its first-month figures. I predict that BioWare will stop releasing subscription numbers by the end of January when the free month period expires, as well it should because no triple-A MMO retains a large percentage of its subscriber base beyond the initial month. BioWare has been really pushing the purchase of a 60-day game time code with your game purchase, however, so we might not see a very significant drop until around three months in. I'd expect the game to still be running fine six months from now, and I don't expect it to switch to a free-to-play model any time soon.

From my experience raid-leading in World of Warcraft, I can say for sure that player turnover has been really high since the Firelands patch. People are getting bored of the content and quitting, and who can blame them after an entire raid tier with only 7 bosses? Some of my guild left for SWTOR, but most are still waiting for Guild Wars 2. I don't think we're an unusual case, so I'd bank on World of Warcraft subs dropping significantly when Guild Wars 2 finally hits the shelves. The Mists of Pandaria expansion looks interesting, but sweeping gameplay changes like reforming the talent trees are risky, and WoW will have a lot more competition in the market by the time the expansion launches. Given that Blizzard has stepped up its marketing efforts and content delivery speed this year and is still seeing declining subscriptions, 2012 may be the year when the industry giant finally steps back from the number one slot.

EVE Online has had a turbulent year, but the word on the inside is that the company has genuinely reformed as a result of the need to lay off employees. If the Crucible expansion has been any indicator of the quality and quantity of EVE development we can expect from CCP going forward, I'm confident in predicting that we'll get two fantastic expansions in 2012. With DUST 514 due to release in 2012, one expansion will undoubtedly be a tie-in with DUST revolving around conquering planets and more strongly incentivising their ownership.

We've seen a massive upsurge of online games that aren't quite MMOs this year, and I think the lines between MMOs and non-MMOs will continue to be blurred in 2012. Diablo III will take centre-stage, and we'll see countless MOBAs hit the market as word of League of Legends' incredible financial success continues to attract publishers who want a slice of the competitive gaming pie. Given the rapidly growing acceptance of indie titles and the proliferation of affordable game engines and server solutions, I expect to see a lot more indie titles entering the online space in 2012 and beyond. New online games will overwhelmingly use a free-to-play model, as it has proven itself to be incredibly successful for studios that don't need to recoup multi-million-dollar development costs. Steam will continue to be the release platform of choice for indie games due to Valve's genius marketing schemes that always involve playing cheap indie games.

Want more staff predictions for 2012? Pick a writer below:

Massively's MMO predictions for 2012: Brendan Drain originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 27 Dec 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> Brendan Drain Tue, 27 Dec 2011 20:00:00 EST Massively <![CDATA[Not So Massively: Free Steam games and promotional gifts]]> http://www.massively.com/2011/12/26/not-so-massively-free-steam-games-and-promotional-gifts/ http://www.massively.com/2011/12/26/not-so-massively-free-steam-games-and-promotional-gifts/ http://www.massively.com/2011/12/26/not-so-massively-free-steam-games-and-promotional-gifts/#comments Not So Massively title image It's Christmas time, and what better way is there to celebrate than to smash some internet people to bits in your favourite MOBA? League of Legends leads the charge with a gift of 450 RP delivered to every nice player who hasn't been banned in the past two months, and it shows off upcoming champion Victor the Machine Herald. Heroes of Newerth gives all players two free Christmas alt avatars and has a limited-time offer to buy a pack containing every previously released hero for just $10.

Rise of Immortals takes part in Steam's Great Gift Pile promotion that gives you the chance to win discount coupons or free Steam games, and it releases an immortal spotlight on Kavashiir. CrimeCraft: Gang Wars also offers players a Steam prize for playing its festive Snow Brawl game mode. Firefall clarifies the beta process and reminds fans that the game will be "done when it's done," and Torchlight developer Runic Games announces a new armour design contest. Finally, of all the intellectual properties to be made into an online game, did you ever think Doctor Who would make the list? BBC Worldwide has released an open preview of Doctor Who: Worlds in Time, a team-based puzzle game by the makers of Puzzle Pirates and Spiral Knights.

Skip past the cut for details of this week's biggest news from the world of MOBAs and other big online games that aren't quite MMOs.

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Not So Massively: Free Steam games and promotional gifts originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 26 Dec 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> assistsbbcbbc-worldwidebrowsercompetitioncompetitive-gamingcontestcrimecrimecraftcrimecraft-gangwarsdotadr-whodr-who-worlds-in-timedungeon-crawlere-sporte-sportsesportesportsf2pfantasyfeaturedfreefree-to-playheroes-of-newerthhonleague-of-legendslolmobanewsnot-so-massivelynsmpetroglyphpetroglyph-gamespvpred-5-studiosriotriot-gamesrise-of-immortalsroiround-uprounduprunic-gamess2s2-gamessteamthree-ringsthree-rings-designtorchlighttorchlight-iivideoviktor Brendan Drain Mon, 26 Dec 2011 20:00:00 EST Massively <![CDATA[Win free Steam games with Spiral Knights and Rusty Hearts]]> http://www.massively.com/2011/12/26/win-free-steam-games-with-spiral-knights-and-rusty-hearts/ http://www.massively.com/2011/12/26/win-free-steam-games-with-spiral-knights-and-rusty-hearts/ http://www.massively.com/2011/12/26/win-free-steam-games-with-spiral-knights-and-rusty-hearts/#comments Win free steam games image If you've been checking out this year's Christmas Steam sales, you'll undoubtedly have seen the Great Gift Pile giveaway. By completing various game achievements and objectives, Steam users unlock prizes that can be anything from a lump of coal to discount vouchers or even a full copy of any game on Steam. There are reports of people winning massive prizes like Skyrim or the Valve complete pack, and even if you just get a lump of coal, it's still a valuable prize; seven lumps can be exchanged for a new random prize, and those left over at the end of the holiday event will count as tickets in a lottery to win a copy of every single game on Steam.

While many of the achievements require the purchase of cheap indie titles, there are several ways to get your hands on a gift from the great pile absolutely free. Checking your Steam inventory page and trading any item with another user will get you two free gifts, and joining the 2011 Holiday Group will net you a third. Two more prizes can be collected by completing the Son of a Nutcracker! achievement in Spiral Knights and the All I Want for Christmas is Sewers achievement in Rusty Hearts, both of which are free-to-play MMOs available through Steam.

Skip past the cut for details on how to beat the Steam gift achievements for Spiral Knights and Rusty Hearts, including full walkthrough videos.

Continue reading Win free Steam games with Spiral Knights and Rusty Hearts

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Win free Steam games with Spiral Knights and Rusty Hearts originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 26 Dec 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> achievementachievementsaction-mmoall-i-want-for-christmas-is-sewersanimef2pfantasyfreefree-to-playgiftsgreat-gift-pileguidenewsperfect-worldperfect-world-entertainmentprizespvppwerise-of-immortalsroiround-uprounduprusty-heartsson-of-a-nutcrackerspiral-knightssteamthe-great-gft-pilethree-ringsvalvevideowin Brendan Drain Mon, 26 Dec 2011 16:00:00 EST Massively <![CDATA[EVE Evolved: Fitting the Gallente Talos]]> http://www.massively.com/2011/12/25/eve-evolved-fitting-the-gallente-talos/ http://www.massively.com/2011/12/25/eve-evolved-fitting-the-gallente-talos/ http://www.massively.com/2011/12/25/eve-evolved-fitting-the-gallente-talos/#comments EVE Evolved title image Among the hundreds of changes brought by EVE Online's recent Crucible expansion, the new tier 3 battlecruisers certainly rank as player favourites. Rather than giving each race a bigger, tougher battlecruiser, CCP gave the new ships the ability to fit battleship-class weapons but heavily limited their defensive capabilities. All four tier 3 battlecruisers are turret-based, letting them output massive damage with close-range guns or hit for solid damage at battleship sniping distances.

As with all new ships, it can be difficult to figure out how to fit the new tier 3 battlecruisers to make full use of their unique combination of high damage output and high mobility. Last week I looked at three viable setups for the Caldari Naga, which proved to be an absolute monster with 1,000-1500 DPS when using close-range blaster setups and a terrifying 650 DPS when sniping at 100km-130km. This week I take a similar look at the Gallente Talos, a ship designed specifically for close-range combat. I explore a traditional armour-tanked blaster fitting with dual webs, a shield-based variant that packs a huge 1,500 DPS punch, and two long-range blaster fits that give the Naga a run for its money.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I explore four solid PvP fittings for the Talos, with both shield and armour setups.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Fitting the Gallente Talos

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EVE Evolved: Fitting the Gallente Talos originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 25 Dec 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> battlecruiserbattlecruisersbattleshipbattleshipsblasterblastersccpccp-eveccp-gamescrucibleeveeve-ccpeve-evolvedeve-mmorpgeve-onlineexpansionexpansionsfeaturedfleetfleetsgallenteguideguideshybridhybrid-weaponshybridsnagapvpship-fittingsnipersnipingtalostier-3 Brendan Drain Sun, 25 Dec 2011 18:00:00 EST Massively <![CDATA[Over one percent of League of Legends players have been banned]]> http://www.massively.com/2011/12/25/over-one-percent-of-league-of-legends-players-have-been-banned/ http://www.massively.com/2011/12/25/over-one-percent-of-league-of-legends-players-have-been-banned/ http://www.massively.com/2011/12/25/over-one-percent-of-league-of-legends-players-have-been-banned/#comments League of Legends ban title image Handling antisocial behaviour has always been a problem for online game developers, and MOBAs like League of Legends certainly get the worst of it. The inherently team-based nature and slippery slope gameplay in MOBAs makes it very easy for one antisocial player to ruin a game and cause your team to lose. The problem is normally tackled head-on with a report tool and a suite of hired GMs, but what do you do if your game is free-to-play and has over 15 million registered players? It would be impractical to hire thousands of GMs to police a community of that size, so Riot Games came up with an alternative in the Tribunal system.

The Tribunal allows players who have played enough games to reach level 30 to vote on whether to take action against a reported player. Once enough votes are tallied, either the player is pardoned automatically or his case is submitted to a smaller GM team to await punishment. The system went live earlier this year, and Riot has now revealed how incredibly successful the system has been with the publication of some very interesting banning statistics. The biggest shocker is that a whopping 1.4% of LoL's over 15 million players have been banned with the system, a workload that far exceeds the capacity of a traditional GM team. Ninety-four percent of players submitted to the Tribunal are punished, with about 50% of them never reoffending.

Skip past the cut for an image showing these and other statistics, and stay tuned to our weekly Not So Massively column every Monday for more LoL news and updates.

Continue reading Over one percent of League of Legends players have been banned

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Over one percent of League of Legends players have been banned originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 25 Dec 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> banbanningbansfree-to-playgraphimageleague-of-legendslolmobanewspictureplayer-developmentriotriot-gamesstatisticstribunal Brendan Drain Sun, 25 Dec 2011 16:00:00 EST Massively <![CDATA[Not So Massively: Cosplay is serious business]]> http://www.massively.com/2011/12/19/not-so-massively-cosplay-is-serious-business/ http://www.massively.com/2011/12/19/not-so-massively-cosplay-is-serious-business/ http://www.massively.com/2011/12/19/not-so-massively-cosplay-is-serious-business/#comments Not So Massively title image It's been a busy week in the land of online games that aren't quite MMOs, with League of Legends releasing its long-awaited champion, Ahri the Nine Tailed Fox, in a massive Christmas-themed patch. Fans of the game also clashed with Rioters this week over the advice given in a new champion spotlight video for recently revamped champion Gangplank. Recognising the importance of cosplay to Firefall fans, developers announced a new cosplay programme featuring professional cosplay artist Crystal Graziano and Hollywood effects artist Steve Wang.

Blizzard revealed its new Battle.net Battletag system this week, giving thousands of fans RealID flashbacks. The new system will allow cross-game communication between StarCraft, World of Warcraft, Diablo III and other titles without disclosing players' email addresses. Blacklight: Retribution's development continued at pace as the game adds European servers to its third round of closed beta. Brawl Busters saw its official release this week, and the first ever standalone MOBA, the 2009-released Demigod, finally made its way to Steam. Finally, Bloodline Champions hosted a new competitive online tournament and... a bakery contest?

Skip past the cut for details of this week's biggest news from the world of MOBAs and other big online games that aren't quite MMOs.

Continue reading Not So Massively: Cosplay is serious business

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Not So Massively: Cosplay is serious business originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 19 Dec 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> action-rpgactivisionbattlenetblacklightblacklight-retributionblizzardblizzard-entertainmentbloodline-championscompetitive-gamingd3demigoddiablodiablo-2diablo-3diablo-iidiablo-iiidotae-sporte-sportsesportesportsf2pfantasyfeaturedfpsfree-to-playfuncomGas-Powered-Gamesgothic-fantasyleague-of-legendslolmmofpsmobamultiplayernewsnot-so-massivelynsmonline-multiplayerperfect-worldperfect-world-entertainmentpvppwered-5-studiosriotriot-gamesround-uprounduprpgrtsstardocksteamstunlockstunlock-studiosvideowarcraftworld-of-warcraftwow Brendan Drain Mon, 19 Dec 2011 20:00:00 EST Massively <![CDATA[EVE Evolved: Fitting the Caldari Naga]]> http://www.massively.com/2011/12/18/eve-evolved-fitting-the-caldari-naga/ http://www.massively.com/2011/12/18/eve-evolved-fitting-the-caldari-naga/ http://www.massively.com/2011/12/18/eve-evolved-fitting-the-caldari-naga/#comments EVE Evolved title image While EVE Online's recent Crucible expansion brought us over a hundred small features, balance tweaks, and graphical updates, its headline feature was undoubtedly the four new tier 3 battlecruisers. It's been several years since a new combat ship was added to EVE, and combat had begun to get a little stale. Most of EVE's ships follow a logical design progression, with larger ships having more tank and higher damage output. CCP turned that concept on its head with the new tier 3 battlecruisers, which deal battleship-class damage but have both the agility and paper-thin tank of a tech 1 cruiser.

The Caldari Naga is the very definition of a glass cannon, able to output more damage than a Megathron or Rokh but at the cost of having practically no tank. It can be sniper-fit to deal around 650 DPS at ranges of 100-130km, blaster-fit to output a raw 1,500 DPS at ranges below 10km, or even set up to fight effectively with blasters outside web range. Its high top speed and cruiser-like agility add new gameplay options to existing sniper and heavy damage-dealer fleet roles, providing battleship-class damage for roaming cruiser gangs. It's a potential game-changer for nullsec alliances engaging in hit-and-run style warfare, but as with all new ships it can be difficult to figure out an effective ship fitting.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I explore three solid fittings for the Naga designed to fill common PvP roles.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Fitting the Caldari Naga

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EVE Evolved: Fitting the Caldari Naga originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 18 Dec 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> battlecruiserblasterblasterscaldariccpccp-eveccp-gamescruisereveeve-ccpeve-evolvedeve-mmorpgeve-onlinefeaturedfittingguideguidesmodulenagapvprailgunrailgunssnipersniping Brendan Drain Sun, 18 Dec 2011 18:00:00 EST Massively <![CDATA[League of Legends releases Ahri, the Nine-Tailed Fox]]> http://www.massively.com/2011/12/18/league-of-legends-releases-ahri-the-nine-tailed-fox/ http://www.massively.com/2011/12/18/league-of-legends-releases-ahri-the-nine-tailed-fox/ http://www.massively.com/2011/12/18/league-of-legends-releases-ahri-the-nine-tailed-fox/#comments League of Legends title image Back in September, Riot Games was so excited about an upcoming League of Legends champion it had barely begun working on that it released the concept to fans far ahead of schedule. The champion later became known as Ahri, the Nine-Tailed Fox, and last week we got a sneak peek at her abilities and the balance changes that would be accompanying her arrival. That patch went live this weekend, and Ahri has now been officially released.

In a new champion spotlight video, LoL's resident strategic expert Phreak discusses each of Ahri's abilities in detail and gives tips on playing the champion effectively. Ahri is a mage assassin, able to dish out considerable damage in a short space of time. After landing a number of spell attacks, Ahri's next spell will hit with a huge bonus to spell vamp. By sending an Orb of Deception through a whole wave of enemy creeps once the spell vamp buff is active, Ahri can heal herself for a significant amount. Her ultimate allows her to quickly dash around the field of play, either to chase down a fleeing champion or evade pursuit.

Skip past the cut to watch the full champion spotlight video in HD, and stay tuned to our weekly Not So Massively column every Monday for more LoL news and updates.

Continue reading League of Legends releases Ahri, the Nine-Tailed Fox

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League of Legends releases Ahri, the Nine-Tailed Fox originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 18 Dec 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> ahricharmcompetitive-gamingdotae-sporte-sportsesportesportsf2pfantasyfoxFox-firefree-to-playleague-of-legendslolmobanewsnine-tailed-foxnot-so-massivelynsmorb-of-deceptionpvpriotriot-gamesround-uproundupsoul-eaterspell-vampspirit-rushvideo Brendan Drain Sun, 18 Dec 2011 16:00:00 EST Massively <![CDATA[Not So Massively: Diablo III news overload edition]]> http://www.massively.com/2011/12/12/not-so-massively-diablo-iii-news-overload-edition/ http://www.massively.com/2011/12/12/not-so-massively-diablo-iii-news-overload-edition/ http://www.massively.com/2011/12/12/not-so-massively-diablo-iii-news-overload-edition/#comments Not So Massively title image It's been a bumper week for online gaming news, with an absolute flood of new information from the world of game development. Rock Paper Shotgun gots some hands-on time with upcoming online FPS Tribes: Ascend and delivered a cautious preview. Blacklight: Retribution's massive character customisation options were detailed in a new dev diary video, adding smiley faces and rainbows (yes, rainbows) to this dark and brutal FPS. Diablo III opened the floodgates on news this week with details on the three artisan NPCs, news of the new Battle.Net Balance system, a new cinematic video, and the news that the unattuned runestone system has been scrapped.

Heroes of Newerth released its complex new hero Shadowblade this week, while three other MOBAs discussed their own upcoming characters. League of Legends revealed gameplay details on its highly anticipated Nine Tail Fox champion, who will finally make an appearance in the game with the next patch. The Rise of Immortals team revealed further details on upcoming support damage-dealer Kavashiir, and Bloodline Champions developers gave us the low down on their electrifying new bloodline Stormcaller.

Skip past the cut for details of this week's biggest news from the world of MOBAs and other big online games that aren't quite MMOs.

Continue reading Not So Massively: Diablo III news overload edition

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Not So Massively: Diablo III news overload edition originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 12 Dec 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> action-rpgactivisionascendbattlenetblacklightblacklight-retributionblizzardblizzard-entertainmentbloodline-championscompetitive-gamingd3diablodiablo-2diablo-3diablo-iidiablo-iiidotae-sporte-sportsesportesportsf2pfantasyfeaturedfirst-person-shooterfpsfree-to-playfuncomgothic-fantasyheroes-of-newerthhi-rezhi-rez-studioshonleague-of-legendslolmmofpsmobamultiplayernewsnot-so-massivelynsmonline-multiplayerperfect-worldperfect-world-entertainmentpetroglyphpetroglyph-gamespvppweriotriot-gamesrise-of-immortalsroiround-uprounduprpgs2s2-gamesshooterstunlockstunlock-studiostribestribes-ascendtribes-mmotribes-universevideowarcraftworld-of-warcraftwowzombie-studios Brendan Drain Mon, 12 Dec 2011 20:00:00 EST Massively <![CDATA[EVE Evolved: Touring a galaxy reborn]]> http://www.massively.com/2011/12/11/eve-evolved-touring-a-galaxy-reborn/ http://www.massively.com/2011/12/11/eve-evolved-touring-a-galaxy-reborn/ http://www.massively.com/2011/12/11/eve-evolved-touring-a-galaxy-reborn/#comments EVE Evolved title EVE Online recently celebrated the release of its incredible Crucible expansion, noted as one of the most feature-heavy expansions in the game's history despite the majority of its features being produced in a period of just a few weeks. Two years' worth of graphical upgrades, features, balance upgrades and quality-of-life fixes hit Tranquility all at once, and the response from players has been incredibly positive.

Last week I rounded up all the information there is to know about the Crucible expansion, but reading articles and news posts is no substitute for hands-on experience. This week I took a tour around parts of New Eden to explore the incredible new graphics Crucible delivered. As I have a background in graphics programming, the graphical upgrades are obviously the most exciting change for me. The astounding background nebulae are even more impressive when you know just how difficult it would be to build a nebula system that looks this incredible from any location.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I explore a reborn galaxy and catalogue my adventures in a massive HD gallery.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Touring a galaxy reborn

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EVE Evolved: Touring a galaxy reborn originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 11 Dec 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> amarrcaldariccpccp-eveccp-gamescrucibleengine-trailseveeve-ccpeve-evolvedeve-mmorpgeve-onlineexpansionexpansionsexplorationexplorerfeaturedgalaxygallentegallerygraphicsgraphics-enginegraphics-programminggraphics-updatehands-onhighseclowsecminmatarnebulanebulaenebulasnew-edennullsecscreenshotscreenshotsspacewarpwarp-drivewarping Brendan Drain Sun, 11 Dec 2011 18:00:00 EST Massively <![CDATA[League of Legends to introduce big changes with the Ahri patch]]> http://www.massively.com/2011/12/11/league-of-legends-to-introduce-big-changes-with-the-ahri-patch/ http://www.massively.com/2011/12/11/league-of-legends-to-introduce-big-changes-with-the-ahri-patch/ http://www.massively.com/2011/12/11/league-of-legends-to-introduce-big-changes-with-the-ahri-patch/#comments Ahri Patch Preview title image Riot Games has revealed that the long-awaited League of Legends champion Ahri the Nine Tailed Fox will be coming in the very next patch. In addition to heralding the arrival of the new champion, the Ahri patch will introduce some major gameplay changes. In a new patch preview video, lead champion designer Morello and spotlight announcer Phreak discuss the biggest balance and gameplay changes coming in the next patch.

Twisted Fate's attack range will be increased, and he'll now be able to manually pick a target for his attack once he locks a card. This should prevent cards hitting the wrong target and make him better able to harass in a lane without leaving himself exposed. Tryndamere receives a much-needed nerf to his self-heal as he tends to have a full rage bar when he's doing well in a lane and the heal ends up being much too powerful. The "perseverence" mastery in the utility tree is being removed and replaced with an old "strength of spirit" mastery that converts maximum mana into bonus health regeneration. With the removal of dodge runes, Phreak and Morello also discuss some new ones being added to make the game a bit more interesting.

Skip past the cut to watch the full patch preview video, and stay tuned to our weekly Not So Massively column every Monday for more LoL news and updates.

Continue reading League of Legends to introduce big changes with the Ahri patch

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League of Legends to introduce big changes with the Ahri patch originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 11 Dec 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> ahricompetitive-gamingdotae-sporte-sportsesportesportsf2pfantasyfree-to-playleague-of-legendslolmobanerfnewsnsmpvpriotriot-gamesTryndamerevideovideos Brendan Drain Sun, 11 Dec 2011 15:00:00 EST Massively <![CDATA[Diablo III's opening cinematic revealed]]> http://www.massively.com/2011/12/11/diablo-iiis-opening-cinematic-revealed/ http://www.massively.com/2011/12/11/diablo-iiis-opening-cinematic-revealed/ http://www.massively.com/2011/12/11/diablo-iiis-opening-cinematic-revealed/#comments Diablo III opening cinematic image If your jaw hit the floor when you saw Diablo III's Black Soulstone cinematic, then you'll definitely want to check out Blizzard's latest offering. Revealed during the Spike TV video game awards, Diablo III's official opening cinematic slots another piece of the lore puzzle into place. Set before the Black Soulstone video that saw an overwhelmed Leah confronted by demon lord Asmodan's impending apocalypse, the opening cinematic introduces a familiar face as the girl's uncle: Deckard Cain himself.

The video sets the scene for the very beginning of the game and is the first thing players will see on launching the game, so thankfully it can't really spoil anything. If this video and the Black Soulstone cinematic are any indication of the cinematic quality we can expect throughout Diablo III, then the game has certainly held onto its roots. For news and updates

Skip past the cut to watch the full video, and stay tuned to our weekly Not So Massively column every Monday for news and updates as the game nears release.

Continue reading Diablo III's opening cinematic revealed

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Diablo III's opening cinematic revealed originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 11 Dec 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> betabetasblizzardBlizzard-Entertainmentcinematicdiablodiablo-3diablo-3-betadiablo-iiidiablo-iii-betanewsopening-cinematictrailervideo Brendan Drain Sun, 11 Dec 2011 14:00:00 EST Massively <![CDATA[Not So Massively: It's a tactical online action MOBA-RPG MMO!]]> http://www.massively.com/2011/12/05/not-so-massively-its-a-tactical-online-action-moba-rpg-mmo/ http://www.massively.com/2011/12/05/not-so-massively-its-a-tactical-online-action-moba-rpg-mmo/ http://www.massively.com/2011/12/05/not-so-massively-its-a-tactical-online-action-moba-rpg-mmo/#comments Not So Massively title image Enigmatic online game Land of Chaos Online launches this week, blending elements of MMO and MOBA gameplay into a third-person team deathmatch. League of Legends' competitive season two is underway, and this week Riot launched its season two competitive gaming website with an article on all the recent major developments. Heroes of Newerth saw some interesting competitive action of its own over the weekend with some surprising upsets in the finals of the North American Star league.

This week we learned that Diablo III beta testers will soon be getting a taste of the real money auction house, and fansite DiabloFans has been digging inside the game files to unearth details of the Mystic follower and her array of equipment enchantments. Blacklight: Retribution opened its closed beta on Thursday 1st December, and Path of Exile received a huge patch as it draws closer to release. Bloodline Champions launched a charity pack containing a limited-edition avatar and title, with all the proceeds going to gaming charity Child's Play. Rise of Immortals reveals upcoming lion immortal Kavashiir and shows off its new crystalline creep models.

Skip past the cut for details of this week's biggest news from the world of MOBAs and other big online games that aren't quite MMOs.

Continue reading Not So Massively: It's a tactical online action MOBA-RPG MMO!

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Not So Massively: It's a tactical online action MOBA-RPG MMO! originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 05 Dec 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> betablacklightblacklight-retributionBoubouilecho-gathchogathclosed-betacompetitive-gamingdiablodiablo-3diablo-3-betadiablo-iiidiablo-iii-betafeaturedgrinding-gear-gamesheroes-of-newerthhonkievland-of-chaos-onlineleague-of-legendslocoloco-evolutionlolnaslnewsnorth-american-star-leaguepath-of-exilepetroglyphreal-money-tradingriotriot-gamesrise-of-immortalsrmtrois2-gamestournamenttribestribes-ascendvideozombie-studios Brendan Drain Mon, 05 Dec 2011 20:00:00 EST Massively <![CDATA[EVE Evolved: Everything there is to know about Crucible]]> http://www.massively.com/2011/12/04/eve-evolved-everything-there-is-to-know-about-crucible/ http://www.massively.com/2011/12/04/eve-evolved-everything-there-is-to-know-about-crucible/ http://www.massively.com/2011/12/04/eve-evolved-everything-there-is-to-know-about-crucible/#comments EVE Evolved title image This summer's lackluster Incarna expansion and the ensuing microtransaction drama took a massive toll on EVE Online's player community and development staff. Players were quitting in droves, and CCP eventually had to lay off 20% of its staff worldwide. Two years of half-implemented expansions, broken features, and "first steps" that were never iterated on left players begging for a content-heavy expansion like Apocrypha or those released in EVE's early years. EVE is known for being practically a new game every six months, but since the blockbuster Apocrypha expansion, daily life in New Eden hasn't changed much at all.

To pull things back from the brink, CCP refocused development on EVE Online and gave developers a free pass to work on hundreds of small features and improvements. The company began flooding us with details on new ships, graphical updates, new gameplay mechanics, and desperately needed balance tweaks, and we loved every bit of it. Although it's mostly small features and gameplay tweaks, the Crucible expansion feels like a genuine rebirth for EVE Online. The types of changes made show that CCP knows exactly what players want from EVE and that the company is now willing to deliver it. With CCP's renewed focus on internet spaceships, the Crucible expansion feels like the start of a new era in the sandbox.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I pull together everything there is to know about the Crucible expansion that went live this week, from its turbulent origins to the awesome features and PvP updates it contains.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Everything there is to know about Crucible

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EVE Evolved: Everything there is to know about Crucible originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 04 Dec 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> balancebattlecruiserbattleshipblasterscapital-shipcapital-shipsccpccp-eveccp-gamesccp-pannceocruciblecustoms-officedev-diarydevblogdubstepengine-trailseveeve-ccpeve-evolvedeve-mmorpgeve-onlineexpansionfeaturedgdc-2011graphicshilmarhybridhybrid-weaponslayoffsnaganebulanebulaenerfnewsoracleplayer-owned-starbaseplayer-owned-stationpvproundupship-spinningstarbasesupercapital-nerfsupercapitalstalostime-dilationtornadotrailervideowubwubwubwubpewpewpew Brendan Drain Sun, 04 Dec 2011 18:00:00 EST Massively