Filed under: Sci-fi

Firefall video blog says farewell to levels, hello to skill

by Eliot Lefebvre May 22nd 2012 at 5:30PM

Filed under: Sci-fi, Video, Game mechanics, Previews, News items, Free-to-play, MMOFPS, Firefall

Not a farewell to arms, mind you. That would make the game kind of silly.

The team at Red 5 Studios has been working hard on making Firefall the best game it can be, and as it turns out, that happens to be a game without traditional levels. A new video blog featuring lead designer Scott Youngblood and development VP James Macauley drops the news that the level system is being discarded and replaced with a much more organic system for player growth.

Under the new system, players still earn EXP. That EXP will be spent on specific upgrades at a player's discretion rather than marking off specific levels, allowing you to unlock the upgrades that feel relevant in the order you want them. It also places less emphasis on levels in head-to-head matchups, something Macauley stresses is important to the team.

There's more than just the removal of levels at work, however; the development team is also overhauling crafting to be more complex and rewarding as well as developing a new system of equipment tiers to keep players advancing. The full diary just past the break only gives brief glimpses of several new systems, but Firefall fans should be quite happy with what's over the horizon.

MechWarrior Online announces closed beta and founder's program

by Justin Olivetti May 22nd 2012 at 4:00PM

Filed under: Betas, Sci-fi, Launches, Free-to-play, MechWarrior Online, MOBA

Turn over the engine and light up the jet thrusters because MechWarrior Online is stomping into closed beta this week. Anyone who registers on the official site has a chance to check out the hot 'mech action before the rest of the crowd. While the beta is currently limited to North America, there is no IP blocking, so anyone can jump in as long as he or she doesn't mind a little lag.

Perhaps of more interest is Piranha Games' announcement of its founder's program, code-named Operation Inception. Yes, we guess the devs saw the movie too. While MWO will be free-to-play with optional microtransactions, Operation Inception lets players invest their money up-front to get special goodies and an early start to the game.

Players can buy into the founder's program starting June 19th. It will come in two tiers: a $30 veteran package and a $60 elite package. The veteran package includes $40 of in-game currency, a month of premium account status, a founder's tag, and early access. The elite package includes $80 of in-game currency, two months of premium status, the founder's tag, early access, and an exclusive BattleMech.

Early access for MechWarrior Online begins July 17th.

EVE Online releases 17th expansion, Inferno

by Jef Reahard May 22nd 2012 at 2:00PM

Filed under: Sci-fi, Trailers, Video, EVE Online, Expansions, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Patches, News items, Sandbox

CCP is a pretty polarizing topic in MMO circles these days. Whether you love or hate the studio's flagship EVE Online title and the community that surrounds it, one thing you can't say is that the devs lack a work ethic. Today marks the release of EVE's 17th expansion, and when we say expansion, we don't mean a glorified content patch that's been dipped in PR sauce.

Inferno boasts a reworked war declaration system, substantial faction warfare updates, a new mercenary marketplace, enhanced graphics, new missile and launcher effects, and a host of other features focusing on everything from inventory to new modules and ship balancing.

CCP has also released a slick new Inferno trailer, which we have for you right after the cut.

[Source: CCP press release]

Exclusive Star Trek Online Season 6 reveal: Fleet starbases

by Justin Olivetti May 22nd 2012 at 1:30PM

Filed under: Sci-fi, Previews, Star Trek Online, Free-to-play, Dev Diaries

You read that headline right: Star Trek Online will be introducing player starbases in its upcoming Season 6. For the first time in the game, fleets will be able to band together to build a virtual home in the icy blackness of space.

The project was spearheaded by Cryptic Lead Artist Jeremy Mattson, who was given the task of conceptualizing and designing this core feature of the path. Mattson sent us an exclusive developer diary to take us through this process, starting with his examination of starbases in Star Trek's canon all the way through the construction and finished product.

CCP releases Welcome to New Eden video for DUST 514

by Jef Reahard May 22nd 2012 at 1:00PM

Filed under: Betas, Sci-fi, Video, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Free-to-play, MMOFPS, DUST 514, Dev Diaries, Sandbox

CCP has released a new DUST 514-focused developer video. The clip is titled Welcome to New Eden, so if you're looking for any new tidbits about the upcoming sci-fi MMOFPS, you probably won't find them here.

If you're a DUST newb, on the other hand, this one's for you, as it gives you a rundown on what sets the game apart from its legions of FPS competitors. In a nutshell, the difference-maker is EVE Online and the way that DUST integrates with a pre-existing game, economy, and playerbase on a scale that is basically unheard of.

As producer Thomas Farrer puts it, "DUST is different pretty much by virtue of what it really is. DUST is a persistent FPS on PlayStation 3. Not only is it directly linked to EVE Online, a PC MMO, it's set directly within the EVE Online universe." Warp past the cut for a look at the full clip.

Star Wars: The Old Republic hit with layoffs [Updated]

by Jef Reahard May 22nd 2012 at 12:20PM

Filed under: Sci-fi, Business models, MMO industry, News items, Star Wars: The Old Republic

Star Wars: The Old Republic - Sith cinematic

BioWare doctors Greg Zeschuk and Ray Muzyka have posted a blurb on the official Star Wars: The Old Republic website confirming the downsizing of the game's development team. The update is short on details and long on superlatives relating to the sci-fi MMO's successful launch, so we're not sure who was laid off at this point.

The docs say that it's business as usual going forward for SWTOR and that the game will continue to grow over time. "We still have a very substantial development team working on supporting and growing the game, and we feel we are in a strong position, with your continued involvement and feedback, to continue to build Star Wars: The Old Republic as one of the most compelling and successful online experiences in the world today," the statement reads.

[Update: SWTOR Community Manager Stephen Reid has today changed his LinkedIn page indicating that his tenure with the studio ended in May 2012, suggesting that he might be one of those affected by these layoffs. We'll keep you posted as we learn more.]

Hyperspace Beacon: Four reasons in-character reporting is good for SWTOR

by Larry Everett May 22nd 2012 at 12:00PM

Filed under: Sci-fi, Culture, Lore, Opinion, Roleplaying, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Hyperspace Beacon

Hyperspace Beacon: Four reasons in-character reporting is good for SWTOR

A few weeks back, I wrote an article about why I played Star Wars: The Old Republic. I drew on references from my childhood and how much Star Wars influenced my life. Although I did mention the impact of the roleplay community, I didn't talk about the roleplaying side of my MMO gameplay and how that influences my enjoyment of the game.

When the quests dry up and PvP becomes stale, RP and the RP community hold me to this game. Multiple readers of the Hyperspace Beacon and fans of The Republic have asked how they can get involved in the roleplay in SWTOR. I usually point them to one place: SWTOR-RP.com.

I could go on and on about this site and what it has done for the roleplay community, but nothing stands out more than the metagame that it's created with in-character articles. These news reports and editorials have been a launchpad for many in-character conversations. So let me draw you in and show you what I'm talking about.

Bungie's Destiny coming in 2013, features microtransactions and subscriptions

by Jef Reahard May 22nd 2012 at 10:30AM

Filed under: Sci-fi, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Legal

Bungie's long-rumored MMO project has been outed by the Los Angeles Times in its coverage of a games industry lawsuit. According to the article, the company is developing a new IP called Destiny consisting primarily of sci-fi first-person shooter titles, the first of which will launch in 2013 on the Xbox 360.

The title will be sold at retail but will also feature DLC, microtransactions, and subscriptions. But is it an MMO? That's still to be determined; the company hasn't released details. Eurogamer has put together a piece summarizing various Bungie comments on the Destiny series, including hints at persistence and a long-term commitment from both fans and developers.

"I can't get into specifics, but we're definitely looking at building a universe that people want to spend time in," community director Brian Jarrard said in April of 2010. Bungie's Joseph Staten also commented on the IP at GDC 2010. "Wouldn't it be great if we could make a world that was always there for you," he said.

Trion releases Defiance feature video, details 'transmedia' synergy

by Jef Reahard May 22nd 2012 at 10:15AM

Filed under: Sci-fi, Trailers, Video, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Defiance

Trion has released a new making-of featurette for Defiance, its "transmedia" property that includes a sci-fi shooter MMO and a Syfy television series.

Defiance the game takes place in the bombed out ruins of a post-alien-invasion San Francisco, while Defiance the TV show is set in and around St. Louis, Missouri. Despite the location differences, Trion says that the events of the virtual world will affect those of the show and vice versa. How so (and how much)? That remains to be seen, but Shacknews has a game preview that sheds a little light on the subject.

In a nutshell, characters on the show might namedrop a gamer avatar who completes a particular mission or makes an impact on the game world in some way. Syfy president Dave Howe also told the website that he's hopeful that gameplay events will have a more significant impact on season two of the television series.

Head past the break to view the full video feature.

[Source: Trion press release]

Captain's Log: STO's Caitian Carriers and Klingon Kitties

by Terilynn Shull May 21st 2012 at 7:00PM

Filed under: Sci-fi, Culture, Game mechanics, Lore, Opinion, Star Trek Online, Free-to-play, Races, Captain's Log

Lately I've beginning to wonder whether the wait for Star Trek Online's Season Six has been as interminable for other players as it seems to have been for me. Although the past several weeks have been busy in the real-life side of things, those distractions really haven't been all that good at harboring my frustration about the wait for the new stuff as I would have liked.

Season Six is being readied for a move to STO's test server, Tribble, in the next couple of weeks, according to the most recent Ask Cryptic as answered by the game's Executive Producer, Dan Stahl. The new patch will contain fleet starbases and a new fleet advancement system but not much else in the way of story-based content.

That's not unexpected, however, as not one of the previous Season releases really ever contained story-based content; they've merely been game-technology pushes, and I understand that Season Six will be no different.

However a couple of things have come out to the game in the past few weeks that have ruffled some hard-core Trek-fan feathers: Caitian Carriers and Ferasans.

SWTOR patch 1.3 bringing group finder, legacy perks

by Justin Olivetti May 21st 2012 at 3:30PM

Filed under: Sci-fi, Video, Interviews, Patches, Previews, Star Wars: The Old Republic

A long time ago on a server far, far away, the Imperial forces BioWare prepared a Star Wars: The Old Republic update to rule the online world: patch 1.3. Called Allies, patch 1.3 will usher in a group finder, character transfers, and legacy perks.

The group finder will aid in banding together interested adventurers to tackle operations and flashpoints. Lead Designer Daniel Erickson said that the time is ripe for the feature, as players are spread out in levels and are rolling plenty of alts. Saying that BioWare wants to "respect the communities" that have formed, Erickson reports that the group finder will not be cross-server.

He also revealed some of the other key features for patch 1.3. Additional perks to the Legacy system will allow players to customize their experience; we'll see new ports, earlier access to mounts, and bonus XP modifiers for PvP. The patch will also change social gear to fit the armor type of the class using it, server transfers, and the ability to add augments to any crafting items. Looking past 1.3, Erickson promises a "return to big content" with patch 1.4.

If you're a fan of the SWTOR novels, you'll also be delighted to hear that Drew Karpyshyn announced that his next novel, Annihilation, is scheduled for November 13th.

You can watch the patch 1.3 preview video after the jump!

EVE Evolved: Preparing for the Inferno expansion

by Brendan Drain May 20th 2012 at 6:00PM

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Economy, Expansions, Game mechanics, Patches, PvP, Opinion, EVE Evolved, Guides, Sandbox, Crafting

The Inferno expansion is set to launch on Tuesday May 22nd, promising a complete revamp of EVE Online's war declaration system and a whole host of new modules. If you're in a wardec corp, you'll need to make a few adjustments to the way you operate when the patch goes live. The minimum war fee will increase to 50 million ISK even if you're declaring war on a small corporation, making very small corps less-appealing targets. The fee increases based on the number of members in the target corp, but it doesn't start increasing until around the 130-member mark. If you want to get your money's worth, you'll be best off picking a target corp with 100-150 members or selecting very high-value small targets.

Be very wary of wardeccing large alliances after the patch. While the previous war system swung in favour of the attacker, the new system has gone to the opposite extreme. Large corps and alliances are now significantly more costly and dangerous to declare war on, especially as the defender can now call mercenaries into the war at any time. Players have complained that the increasing war costs could be abused by getting all alliance members to add alts to the corp, but this would be a logistical nightmare to apply in practice and would increase fees by only a few hundred million ISK. If alt padding becomes a problem, CCP will undoubtedly step in and revise the fee structure.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I look at the new modules and gameplay changes coming in Tuesday's Inferno expansion and give some tips on preparing for the patch.

Perpetuum expansion coming May 30th, bringing terraforming, new land masses

by Jef Reahard May 20th 2012 at 2:00PM

Filed under: Sci-fi, Video, Expansions, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Patches, News items, Perpetuum, Sandbox

A couple of weeks ago, we told you about Perpetuum's new player-build settlements functionality and its new test server. Now, the devs at Avatar Creations have even more exciting news: an expansion!

It's called Gamma Frontier, and Avatar calls it the biggest expansion since the game went live over 18 months ago. Player corporations will be able to build home bases, launch industrial projects, and colonize the new Gamma islands (not to mention defend them from invasion-minded players).

The expansion also features extensive new terrain-shaping abilities. Avatar has given players full control over the land, including the ability to form hills, dig holes, and level the surrounding terrain as they see fit. Due to complications with pre-existing systems and landmasses, the terraforming capabilities are available only on the new Gamma islands (24 in total). Click past the cut to see a brief video of terraforming in action, then head to the Perpetuum website to read all the expansion details.

[Source: Perpetuum newsletter]

EVE Insider gets into the nitty gritty of the new ally system

by Elisabeth Cardy May 18th 2012 at 5:00PM

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Game mechanics, News items, Dev Diaries, Sandbox

Evil Pair of Ducks v. Pair of Ducks: FIGHT

In a never-ending effort to facilitate the spread of war and destruction, the good folks at CCP have cooked up an Ally System for EVE Online's upcoming Inferno expansion -- a system that will enable players to put their services on hire or find a buddy to join them in a war. In a dev diary update today, the system was brought out into the light and displayed in detail.

Wars you're engaged in will show up in the Our Wars tab (under the Wars tab, under the Corporation tab in your Neocom), as will any wars that you're an ally in. If you're a CEO or Director, you can list yourself as Open For Allies and decide whether or not to accept offers for help -- which you should expect, naturally, to come at a price. Negotiation of prices can be carried out through normal communication channels, as the current UI allows you only to accept or decline the offer.

If trouble hasn't found you and you want to spice things up, the All Wars tab is the place for you: It's a list of, well, all active wars, with information like who's asking for an ally and wars with one or more allies. By default, the list shows the 50 most recent wars, but it's also searchable by corporation/alliance. There's an "Assitance requests only" box that you can check to speed up the sword-selling process. Once you've made an offer, possibly done some negotiating, and been accepted, you'll be counted as an ally, although you'll have to wait 24 hours to start fighting.

The purpose of this system is to give more options to defenders, introduce some risk for attackers, and provide ways for mercenaries to support themselves. There's a whole list of extra rules and explanation over on the blog proper, so be sure to check it out.

Exclusive Interview: Going global with Fallen Earth's PvP

by Justin Olivetti May 17th 2012 at 6:30PM

Filed under: Sci-fi, Fallen Earth, Interviews, Patches, PvP, Free-to-play, Massively Interviews, Post-Apocalyptic

Two of the biggest cornerstones of Fallen Earth have always been crafting and PvP, and its these cornerstones that GamersFirst is enriching come patch 2.4. The patch, called Global Territory Control, is taking these elements and firing them up in ways that any PvPer or crafter should find exciting.

We hopped on the phone with Associate Producer Asa Reed, Director of Operations Joe Willmon, and Senior Game Designer Marie Croall to talk about why 2.4 will be the patch that will change the wasteland forever -- and why you should anticipate it, whether you're a crafter or a player-killer.

Gallery: Fallen Earth Black Box Gear

Massively Features

Events Calendar

Name	Date
Cataclysm Launch	Dec 7, 2010
DCUO Launch	Early 2011

Massively Staff

Name	Title
Shawn Schuster	Editor-in-Chief
Brianna Royce	Senior Editor
Rubi Bayer	Community Manager
Brendan Drain	Contributing Editor
Eliot Lefebvre	Contributing Editor
Jef Reahard	Contributing Editor
Justin Olivetti	Contributing Editor
Krystalle Voecks	Contributing Editor
Larry Everett	Contributing Editor
Beau Hindman	Columnist
Edward Marshall	Columnist
Greg Waller	Columnist
Jeremy Stratton	Columnist
Karen Bryan	Columnist
MJ Guthrie	Columnist
Patrick Mackey	Columnist
Ryan Greene	Columnist
Lisa Poisso	Columnist